1949, Sunday, March 13th.
Rhuardhi Murdugh MacCoinneach born in Inverness.1960, Saturday, May 21st. Aged 11.
Liverpudlian crooner Johnny Gentle plays the Northern Meeting Ballroom in Inverness - backed by The Silver Beetles (later to become known as ‘The’ Beatles). "The Beat Ballad Show" with Ronnie Watt and The Chekkers Rock Dance Band. While they rocked upstairs Lindsay Ross and his Famous Broadcasting Band led the old-tyme dancing downstairs.
1961, Thursday, August 3rd. Aged 12.
Charlie ‘Farmyards’ MacDonald heads over to Dalneigh to obtain a PA system for a desperate singer. A voice sings, ‘Bebop-a-lula, she’s my baby’ at the Northern Meeting Rooms in Inverness. All the lights are out as the one and only Gene Vincent stands in the spotlight and sings ‘Lucille’ for twenty minutes until the crowd are ecstatic. Gene later: ‘Gee, I’m so grateful fella’s’. Rhuardhi handles a crimson red ‘Colorama’ guitar.
1963 January. Aged 14.
The Beatles come back to Scotland. Now managed by Brian Epstein and joined by Ringo they play in Bridge of Allen, Aberdeen's Beach Ballroom, Keith, Nairn, and Dingwall. Only nineteen people attend their performance in Dingwall, ten days before "Please, Please Me" is to be released.
1966. Aged 17.
Rhuardhi watches Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, Roy Orbison, and The Who at the Two Red Shoes. The Size Four (Rhuardhi, Size Mackay, Donnie Cumming and Al Gerrie) win the Buckie Beat Competition. Judge Nigel Benson is plied with drink on the way to gig. Prize: '50 quid and four gigs from Albert Boncini'.
The Speakeasy club opens at 48 Margaret Street, near Oxford Circus in central London.
1967. Aged 18.
Rhuardhi puts lighting up times and tides in wrong, in the Inverness Courier and is reprimanded by the editor, Miss Evelyne Barron.
1968. Aged 19.
The Size Four visit Sweden, where they play a school assembly concert in Sodetalje. Later they attend the at the concert hall in Stockholm where their minds are blown by the Stax / Volt Tour sounds of Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Booker T & MG’s, and Eddie Floyd.
1969. Aged 20.
London: Young Rhuardhi gets his mind blown again on ACID and crystal methedrine, at Philbeach Gardens,Earls Court – Lemmy Kilminster administers!
John, Yoko, Kyoko and Julian Lennon have a car crash on a holiday to Durness.
1970. Aged 21.
'A Good Deal of Time' spent in Ward 11, the Blue Room, Inverness District Asylum.
Later that year, while having a crap in the basement of APPLE CORPS, (Saville Row, London), 'Noddy' (Rhuardhi) gets asked by Ian Clews to join top Scots band, White Trash.
‘To say Ian could and would talk would be like saying ‘Big Brother’ didn’t want everyone and everything the same way’.
‘We were soon good friends and he wanted me in the band because I could write original stuff. So he took me to Apple Corp, 6 Saville Row to meet Derek Taylor, who liked to throw J & B whisky on the fire – ironically my father was the Highland Rep. for that company’.
‘I remember George Harrison was trying a new Fender in the reception lobby, we had a rehearsal that afternoon in the basement, and I tried John Lennon’s wee Rickenbacker – which I didn’t particularly like’.
‘Clewsy’ waited until I went to relieve myself in the toilet, came in and knocked on the cubicle door and said, ’Do-yeh-wanne-join-the-band, Noddy?’
‘I suppose so’, I said, honestly surprised’.
'TOP CITY TONSIL', Ian 'Clewsy' Clews tours with Trash.
'Cody' enters the top 20 briefly – formulates Blue, Choker, and is nearly 'a Baby'.
1971-72. Aged 22-23.
Rhuardhi travels to East 13th Street, New York City. Records with Ken Cooper, plays with Ski Bees - Jerry Nolan and Gregor Laroque (New York Dolls).
1975. Aged 26.
Rhuardhi is at a party with Chris Glen, and Jennifer Denmark, North London. Alex Harvey sneers, 'Jeep Solid, the city lights went to yer head'. How succinct! Jeep Solid (Highland legend!) is conceptualised.
1976-1990. Aged 27-41.
The Wilderness Years. The Torridon Scrolls found in remote cave. Solid enters Castle Craig Clinic for addictive disease in Peebles (Sept 1990).
1996. Aged 47.
Solid returns on romantic gig to Buckie. Told after gig, 'Yer too bland fer Buckie, dinae come back'.
2002, June Aged 53.
JEEP SOLID - 'TOO BLONDE FOR BUCKIE'
Solid returns to Buckie with Scott Macdonald, where they encounter Chunkie,
'I'm the hardest C**T in Buckie!' Told after gig, 'Yer too BLONDE
fer Buckie, dinae come back'. June 2002, formulates 'TOO BLONDE FOR
BUCKIE'. Martin 'Rollin' Pin' Stephenson assists with mind-blowing
guitar.
2006, November. Aged 57.
Rhuardhi interviewed by Graeme Jamieson for New York art house coffee table glossy ‘Powerhouse Magazine’ for their edition on the 1970’s.Formulates the ‘Caberfeigh Project’
