AN ALBUM of music inspired by, and dedicated to, miners who lost their lives at pits in Ayrshire and across Scotland has been officially launched in Cumnock.
The five track CD, ‘Darkness Into Darkness’, is dedicated to every UK miner who lost their life while working in the country's collieries, with all proceeds going to the Scottish Mining Museum.
It was launched by local music group Strings 'n' Things at Da Vinci's Cafe at Knockroon.
All tracks were written by the group under the guidance of singer/songwriter Findlay Napier and Sir James McMillan.
A spokesperson said: “It opens with Slag Heaps And Holes In the Ground, a hard-hitting track about the Knockshinnoch, Kaimes and Barony disasters, contrasting the announcements with the thoughts of the dead miners.
“A Country Ballad is next, reminding us that child labour was commonplace not too long ago.
"You Need To Be A Man tells the story of a boy going to bed on the eve of his 12th birthday, and waking up to a life down the pit.
“Carehome Collier is another poignant ballad, with the old miner reminiscing about his working life, the good times and the bad.
“The mood changes with the singalong The Pit Piece, transporting us to the scullery of every mining home in the district as strange concoctions were put between two slices of plain loaf.
“The title track is an upbeat look at the repetitive daily grind that the miners endured and cleverly employs the play on words ‘Look At All The Long Faces’."
All five tracks were performed at The Cumnock Tryst earlier this year - and recordings of each live performance are included on the album alongside the studio versions.
The CD is available now at Auchinleck Library, Cumnock Heritage Centre and Da Vinci's Cafe, in return for a donation to Scottish Mining Museum.
A spokesperson for Strings 'n' Things said: "The CD would not have been possible without the help of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Shire Homes, The Cumnock Tryst, The Coalfield Communities Landscape Partnership and East Ayrshire Council."
Strings N Things meet at the Boswell Centre in Auchinleck every Wednesday evening and new members are always welcome.
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