a b Mclaughlin, Martin. "Tributes paid to Scottish music legend Tom Alexander". The Scotsman . Retrieved 11 January 2020. The Alexander Brothers were famously parodied by Stanley Baxter, something which both brothers found hilarious, while their tartan-shortbread image arguably influenced popular culture several generations on. Paul Brown, Bluemoon Creative Design. "Welcome to Scotdisc Music and DVD Video". Scotdisc.co.uk . Retrieved 30 April 2012.

The brothers became international stars after launching their career at the Webster Theatre, Arbroath, in 1958. Nevertheless, in 1958 the pair turned professional, and secured a season at the Webster Theatre, Arbroath, as part of a variety show called the Arbroath Follies. Their initial repertoire of light classics, performed in suits, failed to endear them to audiences, and only when their manager Ross Bowie urged them to ditch the serious stuff and hitch up their kilts did they begin to make an impression. I want him to be allowed to rest in peace and I want to be left in peace so that I can get over this terrible nightmare.” As a composer too, Alexander excelled with numerous self-penned works such as Isle of My Heart, Bowie’s Boat, and Kenmore Gardens.

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Though their popularity had peaked, the duo enjoyed a long touring career. They toured Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. They appeared at the Sydney Opera House with Jimmy Shand as a guest, and also played in Carnegie Hall in New York City. A famous fan was Charlton Heston, who regularly saw them in Los Angeles. [3] In the mid 1990s, The Alexander Brothers began to release music videos, and later DVDs, to supplement their live performances. These new recordings contained many religious or devotional songs. Their most recent CDs and DVDs were produced by Bill Garden and Dougie Stevenson of the Kilsyth based company Scotdisc. [4] Within weeks, Tiger and Tapper died as well so I was suddenly left completely alone. The bottom fell out of my world. Another favourite, These Are My Mountains, still brings a tear to the eye of expats all over the globe. They signed a record deal and travelled the world performing Scottish favourites such as The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen and Bonnie Wee Jeannie McColl.

Lillian Welsh was just six when, peeking from the stage wings, she first laid eyes on the 13-year-old performer who was to become one half of Scotland’s musical legends The Alexander Brothers.Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19thed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p.18. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. Tom Alexander’s musical heroes included familiar names such as Jimmy Shand, but he also held in esteem the Norwegian accordion genius, Toralf Tollefsen. Tollefsen was renowned for his world-class prowess on the five-button accordion, an instrument Alexander regretted never using and thus expanding his range. In September, he took a massive brain haemorrhage and then a stroke before he died at the beginning of November. With their father wary of his sons moving into showbusiness, he ensured they got a trade, and they served their time as painter and decorators by day, playing church halls and old people’s homes by night. Theirs is a love story studded with stars such as Frank Sinatra and Shirley Bassey; a whirlwind of world tours, TV shows, Royal Command and London Palladium performances, and an Alexander Brothers hit record that outsold The Beatles.