0:00:02 > 0:00:05In a career spanning more than 50 years, Tom and Jack,
0:00:05 > 0:00:07the Alexander Brothers,
0:00:07 > 0:00:09entertained audiences all over the world.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13# There's 100,000 welcomes...#
0:00:13 > 0:00:17Packing them in all over America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19The kilt, the hairdo...
0:00:19 > 0:00:22- "Come in, come in, it's nice here..." And you go... - HE GASPS
0:00:22 > 0:00:24They sold more records than The Beatles at one point.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Whatever it was, they had it.
0:00:26 > 0:00:27From humble beginnings
0:00:27 > 0:00:31they became one of the most popular acts in variety entertainment.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33True ambassadors for Scotland.
0:00:33 > 0:00:34Jack Alexander said to me,
0:00:34 > 0:00:37"Just think Frank Sinatra walked this stage!"
0:00:37 > 0:00:40There was only one act, The Alexander Brothers!
0:00:40 > 0:00:46# Will ye not come back again...#
0:00:54 > 0:00:5662 Cambusnethan Street.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00This is where Jack and I were brought up, literally.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05My dad bought me an accordion when I was about nine.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09A couple of years later Jack started lessons on the piano.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11My dad was working for a fiver a week
0:01:11 > 0:01:15and it was a fair drain in his resources, as he would say.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19Erm, sending Jack and I to lessons.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23And sister Bet, she, of course, she was at the tap dancing
0:01:23 > 0:01:27and we went out as The Alexander Trio, just church events,
0:01:27 > 0:01:28things like that.
0:01:29 > 0:01:34There were several heats in this one talent contest down in Dumfries
0:01:34 > 0:01:37and first prize was £75.
0:01:39 > 0:01:40We get in at about two o'clock in the morning
0:01:40 > 0:01:44and my mother was sitting up, as she always did,
0:01:44 > 0:01:45and my dad said,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48"Gee whiz, Nelly, they were robbed again."
0:01:48 > 0:01:50As he always did.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52And then he threw the £75,
0:01:52 > 0:01:55my mother burst out crying, you know.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Performing at these talent contests
0:01:59 > 0:02:02would be a great apprenticeship for Tom and Jack
0:02:02 > 0:02:03and this early experience
0:02:03 > 0:02:06would stand them in good stead for what was to come.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10The audiences at workingmen's clubs
0:02:10 > 0:02:14were notoriously difficult to please, as Tom recalls.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20It went by applause.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27It was the audience that actually decided who won the first prize.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32They were very critical. Oh, highly critical.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35We were always tense before we went on stage.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Wondering how we would perform because, I mean,
0:02:38 > 0:02:41at the end of the day, when you walk onto a stage,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44you're always slightly nervous.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48And it depends on how your nerves react,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51whether you were going to do a performance or not.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55Nine times out of ten we, more or less, performed quite well.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08The talents of Tom and Jack didn't go unnoticed.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11In the late 1950s, others in the business
0:03:11 > 0:03:15were starting to become aware of the ambitious young duo.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17I went through to Dunbar with my wife.
0:03:17 > 0:03:18Suddenly I see a big bill,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21"The Fabulous Alexander Brothers,
0:03:21 > 0:03:25"direct from the Cafe de Paris."
0:03:26 > 0:03:31I said to Kitty, "Who the hell are the Alexander Brothers?"
0:03:31 > 0:03:35And eventually I found out, maybe a year or so later,
0:03:35 > 0:03:37that Tom and Jack Alexander
0:03:37 > 0:03:40were two painters from Cambusnethan
0:03:40 > 0:03:43and the Cafe de Paris was an ice-cream shop in Wishaw.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49If things didn't work out, you could put he box in its box,
0:03:49 > 0:03:51the accordion box.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Jack would sort of wash his hands off the piano
0:03:54 > 0:03:58and they'd get out with the brush and the paint and hang the paper.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00But painting and decorating
0:04:00 > 0:04:03was far from the minds of the Alexander brothers,
0:04:03 > 0:04:06as in 1958 they secured a part in a variety show
0:04:06 > 0:04:09at the Webster Theatre in Arbroath.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13But their act wasn't quite fully formed.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17We didn't have any Scottish content in the act at all.
0:04:17 > 0:04:18Nothing.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Like I said, you know,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22we were playing things like the Carnival Of Venice,
0:04:22 > 0:04:24Orpheus In The Underworld,
0:04:24 > 0:04:28the Point Pleasant, Jack's piano concerto in B flat minor.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30And not doing very well.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33I mean, the audience just looked at us as if we were daft.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40Joe Gordon and his Folk Four, they were coming through big
0:04:40 > 0:04:42and so was Andy Stewart.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45# In the land called Caledonia
0:04:45 > 0:04:48# There are certain words you'll say...#
0:04:48 > 0:04:52They were being televised on the White Heather Show.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54We decided this Scottish kick
0:04:54 > 0:04:56might be the right thing for us.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58The following programme,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01I think Jack put in The Road And The Miles To Dundee,
0:05:01 > 0:05:07and the difference in the audience reaction was just incredible.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09# Cold winter was howling
0:05:09 > 0:05:12# O'er moor and o'er mountains
0:05:12 > 0:05:17# And wild was the surge on the dark rolling sea...#
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Jack was the showman
0:05:19 > 0:05:21and Tom was much more laid-back
0:05:21 > 0:05:23but, between them, they were a great act.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26You could tell right away there was a great future ahead.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30# That asked me the road and the miles to Dundee...#
0:05:30 > 0:05:32They did a lot of the cabaret clubs,
0:05:32 > 0:05:36the Gartcosh Club and the Danderhall Miners in Edinburgh,
0:05:36 > 0:05:39which was like a nightclub atmosphere.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42And they paralysed them, they were terrific!
0:05:44 > 0:05:47# But if you permit me
0:05:47 > 0:05:50# To gang a wee bittie
0:05:50 > 0:05:56# I'll show you the road and the miles to Dundee...#
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Both of us made a decision
0:05:59 > 0:06:02that we're going to have a bash at this show-business lark.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05And I remember the day and hour that I left the boys
0:06:05 > 0:06:08and I said, "Boys, I'm going away.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10"I'm going to have a bash at this show business..."
0:06:10 > 0:06:13And, "Oh, you'll be back, you'll be back next week."
0:06:13 > 0:06:15HE LAUGHS
0:06:19 > 0:06:21At that time the Glasgow Metropole Theatre
0:06:21 > 0:06:24was owned by Scottish performer and impresario Jimmy Logan.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27Both he and the Metropole would play a key role
0:06:27 > 0:06:31in further establishing the Alexander Brothers' act.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33We got to know Jimmy, Jimmy Logan very well.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36He'd just cut his first record,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39which he was quite proud of at that time.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42He looked after our needs in the show.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45He was very down to earth.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47He was one of the nicer guys in show business.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52The boys had served their apprenticeship at smaller venues.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Now it was time to take to the big stage in Glasgow,
0:06:55 > 0:06:59a daunting step for the aspiring performers.
0:06:59 > 0:07:00Absolutely terrifying,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02we were...you have to remember
0:07:02 > 0:07:05we were just coming from our first summer season in Arbroath
0:07:05 > 0:07:09and here we were, the two kind of amateur boys from Wishaw
0:07:09 > 0:07:11in the famous Metropole Theatre.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16We always opened up with the Uist Tramping Song.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19We latched onto that particular song
0:07:19 > 0:07:21and that's how we always opened our act.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33# Come along, come along
0:07:33 > 0:07:35# Let us foot it out together
0:07:35 > 0:07:37# Come along, come along
0:07:37 > 0:07:39# Be it fair or stormy weather
0:07:39 > 0:07:41# With the hills of home before us
0:07:41 > 0:07:43# And the purple o' the heather
0:07:43 > 0:07:45# Let us sing in happy chorus...#
0:07:45 > 0:07:49The established stars of the day were always supportive -
0:07:49 > 0:07:51on and off the stage.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54I remember Jack was coming to me and I said,
0:07:54 > 0:07:56"Have you not got any make-up on your face?"
0:07:56 > 0:07:59And he said, "What have I got to put make-up on for?"
0:07:59 > 0:08:01I said, "You're going on stage!"
0:08:01 > 0:08:04I said, "And as soon as the lights hit you,
0:08:04 > 0:08:05"You'll be drained of colour.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08"You've got to wear a stage make-up."
0:08:08 > 0:08:11And he said, "Have you got any, pet?" And I said, "Yes".
0:08:11 > 0:08:15So, I gave him pancake make-up and he put it on.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Then, one night, the door knocked and I said,
0:08:18 > 0:08:22"Oh, you're here for make-up." "No, just an eye-brow pencil, pet."
0:08:22 > 0:08:24# Come along, come along
0:08:24 > 0:08:25# Let us foot it out together
0:08:25 > 0:08:27# Come along, come along...#
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Tom and Jack's popularity continued to grow
0:08:30 > 0:08:33and one of the biggest agents in Scottish show business
0:08:33 > 0:08:36was determined to ensure the boys would achieve
0:08:36 > 0:08:38the success he thought they deserved.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42Ross Bowie was a huge influence on the boys.
0:08:42 > 0:08:47Ross was trained by Tom Arnold's company in England...
0:08:47 > 0:08:50back stage, sound,
0:08:50 > 0:08:51lighting, everything,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53and he did a bit of producing as well.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56So, as well as being a manager,
0:08:56 > 0:09:01he was very well equipped to know what looked good from the front.
0:09:01 > 0:09:02# There's a wee bunch here
0:09:02 > 0:09:03# And a wee bunch there
0:09:03 > 0:09:05# There's Hielan bunches everywhere
0:09:05 > 0:09:07# They come from Skye and they shout "Och-aye"
0:09:07 > 0:09:09# At the Hielanman's Umbrella! #
0:09:09 > 0:09:10Managers like Ross Bowie knew
0:09:10 > 0:09:13that it was important to maintain momentum
0:09:13 > 0:09:16and moving up the theatre bill was essential.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18From being third on,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21we finished up, I think,
0:09:21 > 0:09:23maybe closing the first half.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26And then we were placed
0:09:26 > 0:09:29in the second half of the programme.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32We were moving up in the right direction.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38I was doing the summer season in Larks,
0:09:38 > 0:09:40I'm only getting ten minutes for my spot
0:09:40 > 0:09:42and I feel as though I can't establish myself.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44"Could I have 15 minutes?"
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Ross Bowie said, "Listen, hen,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49"when you can pull the crowds
0:09:49 > 0:09:54"the way the Alexander Brothers can, I'll give you 15 minutes."
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Cheeky swine!
0:09:56 > 0:09:57# For there's no place on Earth
0:09:57 > 0:10:00# Like the homeland of my birth
0:10:00 > 0:10:06# Oh, my Scotland I am coming home to you. #
0:10:06 > 0:10:09'Ross was our manager for 34 years.'
0:10:09 > 0:10:12He was a great mentor. You know.
0:10:12 > 0:10:13He was quite superb,
0:10:13 > 0:10:18and nobody, but nobody could sell LPs like Ross Bowie.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25Now a well-established act in theatres across Scotland,
0:10:25 > 0:10:28it was time to spread their sound even further.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31One day I got a call from my managing director, Louis Benjamin,
0:10:31 > 0:10:32and he said, "Come into the office,
0:10:32 > 0:10:34"I want you to beat Ross Bowie."
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Met Ross Bowie, and he was the agent for a couple of lads
0:10:37 > 0:10:42who were doing well in Scotland, called The Alexander Brothers.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45And Louis says, "We need them for our catalogue.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47"We need them for our labels around the world.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50"They're doing well already, they're great.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52"We're not going to pay them very much,
0:10:52 > 0:10:54"cos we don't pay very much anyway,
0:10:54 > 0:10:56"but we're giving them the grand opportunity."
0:10:56 > 0:11:00And so we signed The Alexander Brothers.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02I mean, don't forget he was writing things like Downtown
0:11:02 > 0:11:03and things like that,
0:11:03 > 0:11:07and then suddenly you hear The Muckin' O' Geordie's Byre.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10It was a culture shock for Tony.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15# The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen
0:11:15 > 0:11:18# Mean home, sweet home to me... #
0:11:18 > 0:11:20The very first album, Highland Fling,
0:11:20 > 0:11:24I really let them choose everything that was going to go on the album.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26And even the running order
0:11:26 > 0:11:29and everything about that whole album
0:11:29 > 0:11:33was a reflection of their popularity in the theatre.
0:11:37 > 0:11:42If anyone were to say which song you think they'd be remembered for,
0:11:42 > 0:11:43from the singing point of view
0:11:43 > 0:11:46I think Nobody's Child, you couldn't beat it.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49We heard Nobody's Child at this ceilidh, and Jack liked it,
0:11:49 > 0:11:53and we decided to put it in in one of our performances in Perth.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58And the audience reaction was just...
0:11:58 > 0:12:00I mean, it was absolutely fantastic.
0:12:00 > 0:12:05# As I was slowly passing
0:12:05 > 0:12:09# An orphans' home one day
0:12:09 > 0:12:12# I stopped there for a moment
0:12:12 > 0:12:15# Just to watch the children play... #
0:12:15 > 0:12:18And as soon as they started Nobody's Child,
0:12:18 > 0:12:22the applause was there before they performed it, you know.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25And, of course, the record did take off in a big, big way.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28When I heard it, I mean, I just wanted to burst into tears.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32# I know they'd like to take me
0:12:32 > 0:12:37# But when they see I'm blind
0:12:37 > 0:12:42# They always take some other child
0:12:42 > 0:12:46# And I am left behind
0:12:46 > 0:12:49# I'm nobody's child... #
0:12:49 > 0:12:53It did outsell The Beatles in Scotland.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55The lyrics of the song and the tune,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58they just paint a picture that's indelible, isn't it?
0:12:58 > 0:13:01Once they've started singing about the orphan kid,
0:13:01 > 0:13:04you really can't get him out of your mind, can you?
0:13:04 > 0:13:12# ..I'm nobody's child. #
0:13:25 > 0:13:28This is the Woodside Library...
0:13:31 > 0:13:34..and next door to that, that block of flats, that was the New Metropole.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39And I remember - this is Georges Road -
0:13:39 > 0:13:43I remember where we were in the Winter Show there,
0:13:43 > 0:13:47buses were lined up right up both sides.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Incredible.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51And this is where we were
0:13:51 > 0:13:55when These Are My Mountains LP got into the British charts.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Albeit it was number 29.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04# For these are my mountains
0:14:04 > 0:14:07# And this is my glen
0:14:07 > 0:14:11# The braes o' my childhood
0:14:11 > 0:14:15# Will know me again
0:14:15 > 0:14:18# No land's ever claimed me
0:14:18 > 0:14:22# Though far I did roam
0:14:22 > 0:14:25# For these are my mountains
0:14:25 > 0:14:27# And I'm coming home. #
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Success followed success for the boys,
0:14:30 > 0:14:34and there was no shortage of demand for new material and recordings.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38One album in particular captured the atmosphere of a live performance.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40- # I'm Sandy MacKay - I'm Andy MacKay
0:14:40 > 0:14:42# Two Highland lads are we
0:14:42 > 0:14:44- # I'm Sandy MacKay - I'm Andy MacKay
0:14:44 > 0:14:46# We're fond of company... #
0:14:46 > 0:14:51Tom and Jack said, "Get hold of the London Scottish Club.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54"They're mainly our fans.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56"There'll be about 100 of them there."
0:14:56 > 0:14:58And so we got these guys in,
0:14:58 > 0:15:02and we laid out a special area for them.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05And the only thing Tom and Jack said was,
0:15:05 > 0:15:07"You must get whisky and beer in."
0:15:07 > 0:15:10"You don't have to pay them anything,
0:15:10 > 0:15:12"but you must entertain them,
0:15:12 > 0:15:14"and they'll be fantastic."
0:15:14 > 0:15:16And so we got the whisky and the beer out,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19and we recorded side one.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23# I love a lassie A bonnie, bonnie lassie
0:15:23 > 0:15:28# She's as pure as the lily in the dell... #
0:15:28 > 0:15:31And I listened to it, and it sounded good.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33and then we recorded side two.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37Well, by then, we've had more whisky and beer.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39And by the end of side two I said,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42"I think we're going to have to record side one again."
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Because the atmosphere is now so sensational,
0:15:45 > 0:15:47it's so happy. So buoyant.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51# ..Till McGinty and the foreman hauled him oot upon a shutter
0:15:51 > 0:15:55# Frae McGinty's Meal and Ale whaur the pig ga'ed on the spree... #
0:15:55 > 0:15:58And of course at the end of that I said, "Look, it's so fantastic now,
0:15:58 > 0:16:02"this is better than side two. Let's do side two again."
0:16:02 > 0:16:05And so we recorded the whole album twice in about four hours.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07It was amazing.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10Come on, Tony! Come on, give us one. Come on, give a wee hand, come on!
0:16:10 > 0:16:12MUSIC STARTS UP
0:16:13 > 0:16:15# I know two Scottish lads
0:16:15 > 0:16:17# And, girls, you must be wary
0:16:17 > 0:16:19# For one is tall and handsome too
0:16:19 > 0:16:21# And the other's short and hairy. #
0:16:21 > 0:16:24CHEERING Well done, Tony!
0:16:24 > 0:16:27The theatre shows got bigger and more prestigious.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30In 1965 they appeared alongside Shirley Bassey
0:16:30 > 0:16:34at a Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38# There was a soldier, a Scottish soldier... #
0:16:38 > 0:16:41They were always invited out to big dos and things,
0:16:41 > 0:16:42cos they looked good
0:16:42 > 0:16:46and they were gentlemen, they were very presentable.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48They were approached by this sort of dowager...
0:16:48 > 0:16:49very posh kind of thing,
0:16:49 > 0:16:52and this woman, she said,
0:16:52 > 0:16:57"What did you do before you came into show business?"
0:16:57 > 0:17:01Jack said, "Oh, as a matter of fact we were painters."
0:17:01 > 0:17:05"Oh, really?" She said, "What was your medium?"
0:17:05 > 0:17:06Jack says, "What?"
0:17:06 > 0:17:08"What did you paint in?"
0:17:08 > 0:17:12"Mostly emulsion and, you know,
0:17:12 > 0:17:14"gloss for the woodwork."
0:17:14 > 0:17:18"Oh, yes." By that time she was halfway down the road.
0:17:18 > 0:17:24# The Scottish soldier who wandered far away... #
0:17:24 > 0:17:26The boys were on the march.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29By now, eight albums, a top-selling single
0:17:29 > 0:17:32and an album in the UK charts.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Next stop, the TV studios.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40Francis Essex was the boss at Scottish Television.
0:17:40 > 0:17:46He always liked what he saw of Jack and I.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50HE SINGS
0:17:53 > 0:17:57Now well-established as stars of theatre and the small screen,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00they attracted the attention of Scotland's showbiz elite
0:18:00 > 0:18:02and a transatlantic tour beckoned.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06Andy Stewart has phoned about a tour abroad.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09The boys I think were in the theatre at the time in Glasgow.
0:18:09 > 0:18:14He said, "I'm going to ask the Alexanders as well,"
0:18:14 > 0:18:16which, really, normally would have been Andy Stewart
0:18:16 > 0:18:18and then supporting cast,
0:18:18 > 0:18:21but because it was the first show,
0:18:21 > 0:18:22it was like two tops of the bill...
0:18:22 > 0:18:26Andy Stewart, who was a huge star at the time,
0:18:26 > 0:18:28over there as well as here,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31and the boys were special guests, basically.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33Andy had bought the tour by that time,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36and decided to take Jack and I over
0:18:36 > 0:18:39to tour Canada and the States.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42We did very well over there.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46When they went abroad, especially to Canada and America,
0:18:46 > 0:18:47you had people who just,
0:18:47 > 0:18:51between the war, the end of the war and the early '50s, had emigrated.
0:18:51 > 0:18:56The Alexander Brothers epitomised what they missed.
0:18:56 > 0:18:57They saw the kilt, the hairdo,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00"Come in, come in..." And you go, "Oh."
0:19:00 > 0:19:05# Auld Scotch mother mine
0:19:05 > 0:19:08# You are with me
0:19:08 > 0:19:12# All the while... #
0:19:12 > 0:19:15Jack Alexander said to me,
0:19:15 > 0:19:17"Just think, Frank Sinatra walked this stage!"
0:19:17 > 0:19:20I said, "Little did he know it was going to be
0:19:20 > 0:19:21"the Alexander Brothers!"
0:19:21 > 0:19:25Touring North America was new territory for the Lanarkshire boys,
0:19:25 > 0:19:27and US Border Control took a bit of getting used to.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29As it so happens,
0:19:29 > 0:19:33this part of the tour in Canada used to finish in Windsor, Ontario.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36There's a big tunnel there that goes through to Detroit and the States.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39They'd go through customs, the immigration part of it.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41The customs guy stopped them and said...
0:19:41 > 0:19:43"What's in there? What's that?"
0:19:43 > 0:19:45And Tom said, "Well, it's my box, pal."
0:19:45 > 0:19:48These guys in America are very abrupt,
0:19:48 > 0:19:50cheeky and everything. They don't take any snash.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53He says, "I can see it's box, but what's in the box?"
0:19:53 > 0:19:56He said, "My box is in my box."
0:19:56 > 0:19:59- He hasn't got the message. - The guy said to Jack...
0:19:59 > 0:20:00"Where are you guys from, then?"
0:20:00 > 0:20:01"Cambusnethan."
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Tom says, "Don't be so stupid. He won't know where Cambusnethan is."
0:20:04 > 0:20:07"You should've told him we came from Wishaw."
0:20:07 > 0:20:11As if they would know where Wishaw was!
0:20:11 > 0:20:14The boys' popularity had reached dizzy heights,
0:20:14 > 0:20:17and they were in demand far beyond the theatre stage.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20- Must have cost you a fortune. - No.- Where did you buy it all?
0:20:20 > 0:20:21Agnew's. Much cheaper.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24Most of Agnew's whiskies are still at last year's prices.
0:20:24 > 0:20:25Help yourselves.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27They epitomised Scottishness,
0:20:27 > 0:20:29and everybody wanted to be associated with them.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33Don't play the piano. I'm hiding my whisky in there.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35This is almost like a commercial for Agnew's stores.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40Meanwhile, their TV series went from strength to strength
0:20:40 > 0:20:43and was a regular part of the TV schedules.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46They filmed one of Scotland's first colour location recordings
0:20:46 > 0:20:49on the Isle of Arran.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51# My dear bonny Scotland
0:20:56 > 0:21:01# Oh, rowan tree, oh, rowan tree
0:21:01 > 0:21:05# Thou'lt aye be dear to thee... #
0:21:05 > 0:21:08The boys worked relentlessly.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10At home they balanced theatre shows
0:21:10 > 0:21:12with TV and recording commitments,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15while internationally the reputation continued to grow
0:21:15 > 0:21:17as they were invited to perform
0:21:17 > 0:21:20at some of the world's most prestigious concert venues.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24Just to appear on that stage in the Opera House,
0:21:24 > 0:21:25just to walk on.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28As a matter of fact, I've still got...
0:21:28 > 0:21:33They give you a brass plate on number one dressing room.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35I've still got that.
0:21:35 > 0:21:40To think that Jimmy Shand and Ian Powrie were number two!
0:21:40 > 0:21:44It was only then that Jack and I started to realise,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47"I think we've made it."
0:21:47 > 0:21:50APPLAUSE
0:21:50 > 0:21:54Ladies and gentlemen, the Alec Sandy Brothers.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57'Very memorably impersonated by Stanley Baxter.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59'Rather than be in any way offended,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02'both of them took it as the ultimate compliment.'
0:22:02 > 0:22:05No longer were they just two lads from Wishaw,
0:22:05 > 0:22:08but it was a stamp of recognition, nationally.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10I can well remember our first engagement.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13It was in the Miners Institute in Talishugal.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15We got 30 bob and a cold pie.
0:22:15 > 0:22:16How things have changed.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19Aye, we've got hot pies noo.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24Quite flattered at the time, you know,
0:22:24 > 0:22:27to see a comic of his stature
0:22:27 > 0:22:30doing a take-off of Jack and I.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32He looked like Jack
0:22:32 > 0:22:34and he even sat at the piano,
0:22:34 > 0:22:38because Jack was always quite erect when he was playing the piano.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42He had me off to a T, because I had the dark eyebrows then.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46# Alone a boy was standing
0:22:46 > 0:22:49# So sad and destitute
0:22:49 > 0:22:54# I said, would you mind moving, son
0:22:54 > 0:22:58# You're standing on my foot. #
0:23:00 > 0:23:02As we moved into the '70s,
0:23:02 > 0:23:06the TV portrayal of Scottish variety acts began to change.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10When Elvis died, for six months we had nothing but Elvis records on the radio.
0:23:10 > 0:23:11When Bing died,
0:23:11 > 0:23:14for six months with nothing but Bing records on the radio.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17We all hope that Tom and Jack will live forever.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20The Alexander Brothers!
0:23:20 > 0:23:23The danger is that there was an element of send-up
0:23:23 > 0:23:25of the Scottish music scene.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32It didn't always sit comfortably with me, that aspect of it,
0:23:32 > 0:23:36because I don't like to downplay the significance of our music.
0:23:36 > 0:23:37But fun is fun and that's all,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40so you mustn't be too sensitive in this business.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42Somebody made fun of them,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45they just shrugged it off, took it as a compliment and on they went.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47# Pass me if you can, my name is Dan
0:23:47 > 0:23:50# Sure I'm your man
0:23:50 > 0:23:52# Pass me if you can! #
0:23:53 > 0:23:56But nothing, it seemed, could catch Tom and Jack.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59Throughout the '80s and '90s, they remained in great demand overseas,
0:23:59 > 0:24:02while at home they combined theatre work
0:24:02 > 0:24:04with guest appearances at special events,
0:24:04 > 0:24:06like this New Year party from Blair Castle.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08# Johnny, lad
0:24:08 > 0:24:11# I'll dance the buckles off my shoes for you
0:24:11 > 0:24:17# My Johnny lad... #
0:24:22 > 0:24:25When the new Scottish music series Northern Nights
0:24:25 > 0:24:28came on the air, the boys were regular feature,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31and they hadn't lost any of their onstage persona.
0:24:32 > 0:24:37We used to bounce about like an idiot.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39People were always amazed.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41Even into his late 70s,
0:24:41 > 0:24:43he was still dancing about there.
0:24:45 > 0:24:52# When I'm getting old and grey. #
0:25:00 > 0:25:04When they got the MBE, they were very pleased
0:25:04 > 0:25:07and highly honoured to get it.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10But they didn't flaunt it in any way.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12You had to ask them about it.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15I suppose if you hang in there long enough...
0:25:15 > 0:25:18Something's going to happen.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21Few acts can claim a 50-year career in show business.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24Tom and Jack passed that milestone in 2008.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28He said, "The only thing is now, I'm going on and I can't remember
0:25:28 > 0:25:30"the words of some of the songs."
0:25:30 > 0:25:32I said, "It comes to us all."
0:25:32 > 0:25:35They had excelled in every aspect of their careers.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37As musicians and entertainers,
0:25:37 > 0:25:41they had taken Scotland's music to audiences all over the world.
0:25:41 > 0:25:46But in 2013, Jack's health began to decline.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49We were in front of the band
0:25:49 > 0:25:54and Jack forgot some of his lyrics.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01I remember going home that night, thinking...
0:26:05 > 0:26:09"Maybe it's time that we called it a day."
0:26:09 > 0:26:11So...
0:26:14 > 0:26:16That's where we ended up.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22After a period of ill health,
0:26:22 > 0:26:26Jack Alexander passed away on 2nd November 2013.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28MUSIC: "By The Loch Side" by Andy Stewart
0:26:28 > 0:26:31# In the spring When the world was young then
0:26:31 > 0:26:34# And the sweet songs of youth were sung then
0:26:34 > 0:26:38# By the loch side I met a maiden
0:26:38 > 0:26:41- # And my heart yearned to call her mine...- #
0:26:41 > 0:26:46The actual funeral was something that Jack would've loved.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50Jack realised he'd had a very good, full life,
0:26:50 > 0:26:51doing what he loved doing,
0:26:51 > 0:26:56entertaining people, doing his wonderful act with his brother, Tom.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00# But I would wait 1,000 years now
0:27:00 > 0:27:04# I would shed 1,000 tears now
0:27:04 > 0:27:07# No more sadness and no more fears now
0:27:07 > 0:27:10# If the lass let me call her mine... #
0:27:12 > 0:27:15The church was absolutely jam-packed.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17900 people there.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22But when the cortege left the church,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25the people were standing applauding.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28I can't remember that ever happening
0:27:28 > 0:27:31for anybody else in our business.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35# Yes, I would wait 1,000 years now
0:27:35 > 0:27:38# I would shed 1,000 tears now... #
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Couldn't really be sad in that situation,
0:27:41 > 0:27:44because you really were genuinely celebrating a vibrant life
0:27:44 > 0:27:45that had taken place.
0:27:45 > 0:27:50I don't think by shedding sadness it was in any way disrespectful.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53If anything, it was even more respectful to his memory.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05He was the star man.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07He was the blue-eyed, blonde-haired guy
0:28:07 > 0:28:11that bounced about the stage like a lunatic.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13People used to marvel at him.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15He was quite incredible.
0:28:15 > 0:28:16MUSIC: "These Are My Mountains"
0:28:16 > 0:28:19# Here I'll be free
0:28:19 > 0:28:24# For these are my mountains
0:28:24 > 0:28:26# And this is my glen
0:28:26 > 0:28:31# The hills of my childhood
0:28:31 > 0:28:35# Will know me again
0:28:35 > 0:28:38# No land's ever claimed me
0:28:38 > 0:28:42# Though far I did roam
0:28:42 > 0:28:47# For these are my mountains
0:28:47 > 0:28:55# And I have come home. #