Willie 'overwhelmed' after 90 consecutive weeks of online spoon-playing sessions

Spoon-playing councillor Willie Mackay said he was overwhelmed by the reaction from around the world after his feelgood musical accompaniments reached another milestone.

Since starting his Saturday night Tunes on the Spoons in May 2020, Willie has now clocked up 90 consecutive weeks and he continues to attract fans and followers from around the globe through social media.

And this spring he will be tapping along during a Shetland music concert at Eden Court Theatre in Inverness.

The phenomenon began when Willie used soup spoons purchased in a Thurso charity shop for 20p to record a Facebook video lasting one minute and 45 seconds as a tribute to NHS and frontline workers coping with the pandemic. Since then, Willie's cheery clips, which he plays along to uplifting traditional music, have captured the imagination of people across Scotland and Europe and as far afield as Canada, the USA, Argentina, Australia, Jamaica and New Zealand.

The sessions are filmed by Willie’s wife Glynis in the role of producer, director, stage lighting specialist, sound engineer and wardrobe assistant.

Willie, who is an independent Highland councillor for Wick and East Caithness and has the title of Provost of Wick, has now reached the maximum 5000 friends allowed on Facebook. He has 1000 friend requests waiting to join.

Willie will be demonstrating his spoon-playing skills on the Eden Court stage during a Shades of Shetland concert given by traditional musicians Leonard Brown and Maggie Adamson on Friday, March 25. Compere will be John "The Prof" Matheson, with the Elizabeth Fraser dancers also on the bill.

"I am gobsmacked by the support and comments I receive every week, including invitations to attend functions from Burns suppers to folk festivals across Scotland," he said. "I've had a fantastic invitation to join Leonard Brown and Maggie Adamson on their Scottish tour in Eden Court.

“Last month I was delighted, under social distancing rules, to entertain residents at two care homes in Wick. It was wonderful to see them have a go at playing the spoons – they loved it.

“I’m overwhelmed at the invitations I get and I’m delighted that our younger generation are asking me all about playing the spoons. I get comments from friends worldwide who remember their mothers, uncles, aunties, grannies and grandfathers who used to play the spoons many generations ago."

Willie learned to play the spoons in 1968 when working at Craibstone agricultural college at Bucksburn in Aberdeen. In those days the spoons were often played at bothy nights around Aberdeenshire.

Asked about his spoon-playing ambitions, Willie said: "Apart from training our younger generation to take up spoon-playing, I would like to play alongside Abby the Spoon Lady from Wichita, Kansas. Abby holds the spoons differently from me but is absolutely fantastic and is well known throughout America – it would be amazing to play alongside her."

Originally from Embo, Willie has been a councillor for almost 15 years and is well known for his support of community events around the county.

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