John McKinnon
John McKinnon (1923-), Ecklin South, Vic provided details of some of the Australian tunes in this archive, as described by John Meredith.
"John McKinnon was born in the Terang area in 1923, the grandson of a young Scottish migrant. ... His grandmother came from Galway, and most of his tunes came from his father -- some from his mother -- so that he had a mixed inheritance. ... He has been playing for dances since he was twelve and plays mouth organ, accordion, trumpet, bagpipes, whistle, and both alto and soprano saxophones, all very proficiently. ... John McKinnon is by far the best musician I have recorded. He has his own dance band, and the years of discipline necessary to successful team work, plus his unique musical inheritance, make him a musician whom it is a delight to hear play." -- (adapted from) J Meredith, R Covell, P Brown, Folk Songs of Australia Vol 2, UNSW Press, 1987, p302.
There are photos and recordings of him in the National Library of Australia in Canberra, search the NLA catalog for "John McKinnon".
See also "Tunes of John McKinnon", transcribed by Alan Musgrove, Pioneer Performer Series, Carrawobitty Press, 2010.
