Born in London in 1947 to a Scots father and a Welsh mother , we moved to Rutherglen to live in 1953. My father was pipe major in the Cameronians but neither me nor my two brothers learned to play the pipes.
I was educated at Rutherglen Academy and left school at 15 . This was both my choice and that of my father. I went to work in the meat industry for a friend of my fathers but I didn’t really enjoy it.
I wanted to be a Vet so started a course as a Meat Inspector but took very ill during this time. I had a 6 month recuperation period during which time I decided to search out a new career and attended all sorts of interviews with all types of companies.
I was offered a job as a trainee manager at Marks & Spencers but turned that down because I had to work Saturdays and that was the day I played football.
After many very uninteresting interviews I found the one that would shape my life . It was in the construction Industry working for a ‘specialist contracting’ company. There I learned all aspects of the Industry from Accountancy to Structural Engineering. I worked my way up the ladder and by the age of 26 I was based in London with another office in Chester.
At school I had been introduced to folk music and became a performer and recording artiste. This was hit on the head when I moved to London and this bothered me.
At 28 years of age I resigned from my position and became a professional singer. However , two years later I was ‘head hunted’ and made an offer that I simply could not refuse. It meant moving back to Scotland , which allowed me to rekindle my interest in Folk Music . After 8 years of helping to develop this company I thought that I should really have my own business . In August 1986 I set up Fraser Bruce Ltd. and it has been a huge success.
It is now run by my two oldest sons , Euan and Jamie. My youngest son is in the Film Production Industry. I have ‘sort of’ retired .
Since ‘sort of’ retiring I have written a children’s book , released 2 CDs and appeared at theatres and festivals up and down the country including a ‘sell out’ show at Celtic Connections and two ‘sellout’ shows at Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year.
I live in Auchterarder . I play golf . I used to be a very keen curler and , in my younger years , I played football and badminton ‘
Fraser Bruce