It was a shared love of music – and a matchmaking bus conductor – that brought Robbie Shepherd and his wife Esma together.
Robbie, who would go on to become a national treasure as one of Scotland’s biggest traditional music aficionados, was working as an accountant on Union Terrace in Aberdeen in the 1950s.
Every day, the budding musician would get the bus into the city from his home at Dunecht.
And it was on those journeys that he got chatting to a young lady named Esma Dickson.
Esma lived five miles away in Cluny, and would travel to Aberdeen to work as a shorthand typist at Rubislaw.
When Robbie learned that Esma was a talented pianist, he realised how much the two had in common.
From those chats on the winding country roads into town, romance blossomed.
And the pair marked their diamond wedding anniversary after 60 years together in 2021.
How bus conductor played Cupid
Robbie, 85 at the time, said: “Esma played in a dance band and I was just starting out in entertainment, and we would speak about that as we went to work in Aberdeen.”
The conductor on the buses which traversed the Strathdon to Aberdeen route in those days was a man named Gibbie McIntosh.
And Gibby did all he could to bring his two regular passengers together.
Robbie added: “He would collect Esma first at Cluny and then come to Dunecht for myself.
“Gibby would always claim he was the one who brought us together, by keeping a seat for me next to Esma!”
The pair were married at Cluny Churchyard on September 23, 1961.
Robbie was 25 on the special day, and Esma 21.
Afterwards, they set off to the Kintore Arms in Inverurie for their reception.
The most important part of the bash was making the music was just right, and they booked Curley McKay’s Scottish dance band for the ceilidh.
“We knew him well, and knew he had a fine band,” said Robbie.
Thank you for the music
Scottish music would become the soundtrack to the Shepherds’ lives over their decades together.
Robbie said: “It’s been our life, Esma is as passionate about it as me.”
During their younger years they would regularly have some of the top musicians in the land round to their Aberdeen home for celebratory ceilidhs.
Most of the leaders of dance bands who toured the region would attend, though Robbie now wonders “what the neighbours must have made of it”.
The P&J columnist added: “Some would be sitting on the stairs while others would be through in the living room.
“Scottish dance music has always been a part of our home, and we have made so many friends through it.
“We have been very lucky.”
How Robbie Shepherd became a household name across north-east
Robbie’s career began as a musician, his instrument being the mouth organ or “moothie”.
He later moved into compering and producing variety shows at theatres across the region before moving into broadcasting.
Robbie hosted the popular Take the Floor on BBC Radio Scotland for more than 30 years.
The Doric doyen also presented The Reel Blend for the radio station, hosted Beechgrove Garden road shows and presented sheepdog trials.
He was made an MBE in the 2001 New Year Honours roll for services to Scottish dance music and culture, and has written books on Scottish country music and Scots dancing.
Robbie now has two pieces of traditional music penned in his honour, the sheets for which sit proudly at the family piano beneath cherished family photographs.
Watch as Robbie and Esma perform the Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen at their piano –
‘Sparkle and wit’
Lord Provost of Aberdeen, Barney Crockett, visited the Shepherds for a blether while handing over a silver picture frame to celebrate the occasion.
He said: “It was a great honour to go round and speak to Robbie, who is a loved institution in this part of the world.
“He still has that great sparkle and wit, and we had a great time.
“It’s important we remember what a big role Robbie has played in preserving our local culture.”
Do you have fond memories of Robbie you’d like to share? Let us know in our comments section below
Robbie Shepherd on secret to an affa long marriage
As well as son Gordon, the couple are grandparents to seven-year-old Dougie and two-year-old Rose.
By celebrating their diamond anniversary they are in some exclusive company.
Asked the secret to their long marriage, the Shepherds seem to agree that it’s a “spirit of give and take”.
But Robbie added: “Esma would say she was giving while I was taking!
“Being involved in the dance music scene, and doing four radio programmes a week at times, meant she certainly had the heavy end of it when Gordon was little.
“We both come from lovely families, and now our family is living up to that same down-to-earth attitude we have always had.”
Robbie Shepherd died on August 1, 2023, aged 87.
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