ABOUT

Will started playing the accordion at the age of ten, but it wasn’t until a few years later that he became really interested as he began to realize how versatile the accordion could be. Following a recommendation, he travelled from Dumfriesshire to Prestwick once a week to study under Ian Muir, now head accordion tutor at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. By the age of fourteen, Will was already out performing in a Scottish show at the Magnum Theatre, Irvine. At eighteen he left home for the bright lights of Edinburgh and Music College where he excelled himself and had a fantastic experience. During this time he met and was influenced by other musicians helping to expand his musical interests and shape the career to follow. Many of them influence him still.

He got his first taste of radio appearing on ‘Andy Cameron’s Sunday Joint’, BBC Radio Scotland, live to the nation. Several Summer seasons followed including ‘Hail Caledonia’ at the Carlton Hotel, ‘Fiddler On the Roof’ at King’s Theatre, Edinburgh and ‘Prince Charlie’s Extravaganza’ at Dalhousie Court Castle.

Following all this success Will decided to put himself and his band to the test in the Musselburgh Accordion Championships, in which they came second. Not bad for the first go! On the back of this he was also invited to produce a recording for BBC Scotland’s ‘Take the floor’.

In 2002 Will was offered the musicians post on the five star cruise ship Hebridean Spirit. This post has taken him all around the world including the Maldives, Seychelles and Africa, to name but a few. In 2005 Hebridean International asked Will to become Entertainments Manager, a position he has thoroughly enjoyed for the last two years.

In 2007 Will made the decision to give up his post on the Spirit to further his musical career by concentrating on various projects back home on dry land, much to the joy of his wife.