A TRANSATLANTIC query about a Glasgow singer from the 60s got Times Past readers talking recently.
John Macdonald from Ontario in Canada had been trying to find an old friend from his dancehall days in the city.
He and his then girlfriend, now wife, Rena Muir, had got to know George Watson briefly through attending dances at the Denny Palais – but had lost touch.
“George was a lovely person, with a great voice,” he told us.
“I always wondered what had happened to him and whether he had continued his singing career.”
As soon as we ran the story, George’s family got in touch to tell us all about the fine young singer who had wowed the crowds at the Dennistoun Palais de Danse.
Son Paul explained: “George was my dad, who sang in the famous dance halls, as mentioned in the article.
“He also went to live in Canada (in the Mississauga area of Toronto) with his wife and family around 1966.”
George was a sheet metal worker to trade and worked on DC10 aircrafts in Canada, where he also joined an Italian singing group.
“We all returned to Glasgow in 1970, with dad becoming a hackney taxi driver/owner,” explained Paul.
“He was secretary of the “Pinkies” Taxi fleet (GRTA), and a pioneer of the Credit Union within the taxi trade, along with fellow GRTA people.”
George grew up in Townhead and was orphaned at 16. He started his singing career in a band called the Teen Beats at the Flamingo dance hall, which went on to become the Jack Anderson Orchestra. He was just a teenager.
Despite our photo, which George gave to John in the 60s, George never played the drums, as far as Paul, sister Natalie and brother Garry, can remember.
George sang alongside Tommy McBain, another talented singer who was tragically murdered on a train in Glasgow in 1962.
READ MORE: Search for 60s Glasgow dancehall singer uncovers tragic tale
Unfortunately, shortly after the family’s return to Scotland, a fire at home destroyed almost all of their possessions, including photos.
Sadly, George developed emphysema and died in 1996, when he was just 55 years of age.
John said: “It is amazing to have found George and to hear he was happy in his life. But it is so sad to hear how short his life was.”
What are your memories of Glasgow's great dance halls? Get in touch with Times Past to share your stories and photos.
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