Myspace Layouts - Myspace Editor - Image Hosting
DONALD SCOTT WAS BORN 23RD OF APRIL 1937.HIS CAREER HAD ITS BEGINNINGS IN THE 1940'S WHEN ENCOURAGED BY HIS GRANDMA TO PLAY THE UPRIGHT PIANO IN HER WATSON STREET HOME. HE BEGAN TAKING PIANO LESSONS WHEN AGED ABOUT TEN WITH PETER EVANS, MUSICAL DIRECTOR FOR HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE,FOLLOWED BY LESSONS FROM FRANK RADCLIFFE,THE LAST FULL TIME ORGANIST AT THE LONSDALE CINEMA. DONALD PLAYED HARMONIUM IN HIS RED BANK SCHOOL CHAPEL AND THE ORGAN AT RYDAL STREET METHODIST CHURCH.AT THE AGE OF SIXTEEN HE BEGAN HIS FIRST SHOWBUSINESS PARTNERSHIP WITH HIS COUSIN,ELIZABETH STEWART,THEY WON SECOND PRIZE IN A 1953 TALENT CONTEST.THROUGHOUT THE 1950'S THEY PLAYED HUNDREDS OF WORKING MENS CLUBS IN CUMBERLAND AND WESTMORLAND.THEY WOULD DO CABERET EVENINGS IN VENUES SUCH AS THE SILVER GRILL RESTAURANT. THEY ALSO PERFORMED FOR THE BBC NORTHERN HOME SERVICE. IN I958 THEY PERFORMED IN THE 'PICK OF THE TOWNS' SHOW AT HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE, CARLISLE,ENCOURAGED BY THE MANAGER JOHN SULLIVAN. DONALD RECALLS "THE LATE FIFTIES WERE EXCITING TIMES, WE WERE LUCKY IN HAVING SUCH A GRAND THEATRE." DONALD AND LIZ ALSO APPEARED ON BORDER TV'S FOCUS PROGRAMME DURING THE STATIONS FIRST WEEK OF BROADCASTING IN SEPTEMBER 1960. DONALD THEN JOINED CARLISLE LIGHT OPERATIC SOCIETY AND PLAYED CHARACTER PARTS IN BLESS THE BRIDE, MAID OF THE MOUNTAINS AND THE MERRY WIDOW.HE THEN WENT ON TO JOIN THE GILBERT AND SULLIVAN CHORAL SOCIETY WHO PERFORMED IN THE CITY HALL, WHERE HE PLAYED ALL THE COMEDY ROLES. HE PLAYED PIANO FOR THE RONNIE HODGSON ACCORDIAN BAND PRIOR TO JOINING THE ALF ADAMSON ORCHESTRA.DONALD RECALLS HE WAS DOING THE CABERET WITH LIZ STEWART ONE NIGHT IN THE CROWN AND MITRE HOTEL, ON THEIR RETURN FROM THE INTERVAL BREAK ALF ADAMSON ASKED DONALD IF HE WOULD STAND IN FOR GEORGE FERENBACH THE PIANIST,WHO WAS LATE BACK FROM THE BREAK. DONALD WAS ONLY TOO PLEASED TO DO SO.. ABOUT A WEEK LATER HE WAS PAINTING A MURAL IN A HOUSE ON HOWE STREET WHEN ALF ADAMSON PULLED UP OUTSIDE IN HIS CAR AND TOLD DONALD THAT GEORGE HAD HAD A HEART ATTACK AND ASKED IF HE WOULD LIKE TO JOIN THE ORCHESTRA,HE AGREED,CONSIDERING IT A GREAT HONOUR,AND STAYED WITH THE BAND UNTIL IT WOUND UP IN 1972.DONALD HOSTED THE RADIO PROGRAMME SONGS FOR SUNDAY FROM 1977-1983 AND IN THE EIGHTIES THE 'DONALD SCOTT IN CONCERT' SERIES BECAME A SUCCESS.THIS INTRODUCED THE COMMON-AS-MUCK SCOTT FAMILY INCLUDING HIS POULAR GLADYS MAY CHARACTER.HIS INSPIRATIONS FOR COMEDY CAME FROM EVERYDAY LIFE OBSERVATIONS. THE SERIES WAS AXED IN 1983 WHEN BBC RADIO CARLISLE BECAME BBC RADIO CUMBRIA. DONALDS RADIO CAREER TOOK OFF AGAIN IN THE EARLY 1990'S WHEN HE BEGAN HOSTING HIS OWN SUNDAY AFTERNOON SHOWS AT THE RED ROSE RADIO IN PRESTON IN WHICH HE RE-INTRODUCED HIS CHARACTER GLADYS MAY. IT WAS AT THIS TIME THAT DONALD APPEARED IN HIS FIRST PROFESSIONAL PANTOMIME , LITTLEREDRED RIDING HOOD AT THE BLACKBURN KING GEORGE HALL. AFTER LEAVING RED ROSE RADIO HE WAS HIRED AS GLADYS THE COOK BY CARLISLES CFM RADIO TO GUEST SIMON GRUNDY'S AFTERNOON SHOW, WHICH RAN UNTIL 1998 IN DECEMBER 1998 DONALD STARRED IN A CARLISLE PRODUCTION OF THE PANTOMIME DICK WHITTINGTON , JUST ONE OF THE MANY PANTOMIMES HE HAS APPEARED IN. IN 1999 HE JOINED RADIO CUMBRIA WITH HIS SHOW 'DONALD AT LUNCHTIME' IN WHICH HE REVIEWS THE NEWSPAPERS,PLAYS FAVOURITESONGS AND CHATSINFORMALLY TO GUESTS DONALD IS CURRENTLY PERFORMING AT THE DERWENTWATER HOTEL IN THE LAKE DISTRICT PLAYING COCKTAIL PIANO THREE NIGHTS A WEEK.
