"JUST
A WEE DEOCH-AN-DORIS"
HARRY
LAUDER 1911
COVER
FAY & ERSKINE KNOWLES
The
popular Scottish song "Just A Wee Deoch-An-Doris" was written by
Gerald Grafton and Harry Lauder, and recorded by Harry Lauder in 1911. The song
was recorded multiple times, including a 1926 version for Zonophone 🎤.
It means "Just a small drink 🍸 at the door 🚪, before we go away ✈️," associated with the custom of offering a final drink to a guest before they depart, ensuring they have a warm journey. In the song 🎶, it's also a way to say goodbye 👋 and wish someone well 🌟.
Sir Harry Lauder (4 Aug 1870 - 26 Feb 1950) was a renowned Scottish entertainer, called "Scotland's greatest ambassador" by Sir Winston Churchill.
He
started singing in coal mines 🎶⛏️, became a star
with "I Love a Lassie" in 1905, and toured worldwide, earning $1,000
a night in the US 🇺🇸. He even
performed for King George V in 1912 👑!
And he played for the troops in World Wars 1 and 2. Sadly, his only son was killed in World War 1.
Fay Knowles, an author and long-time resident of The Bahamas, sings the chorus of "Just A Wee Deoch-an-Doris" here, accompanied on the guitar by her husband Erskine Knowles, guitarist/vocalist/songwriter from The Bahamas.
Fay is Scottish-born from a long line of Scots on her mother's side. Her father was Australian.
"Just A Wee Deoch-an-Doris" was one of the Scottish songs Fay's maternal Scottish grandfather used to sing and once he did a recording on an old fashioned Voice-O-Graph in a Scottish seaside kiosk. Unfortunately, the little record was lost, but Fay still remembers her Papa singing on it.
Get Stirling-born Fay Knowles’ illustrated mini-memoir
“The Scottish Connection” about her 1978 journey back to Scotland with her
mother and young sons, to revisit their Scottish roots. Fascinating Scottish
Memorabilia - The Scottish Connection contains a wealth of information -
Scottish ancestry, historical facts, genealogy, comparable prices, geographical
descriptions, personal anecdotes, nostalgia and precious old photos.
