The life of Inverness music legend Billy Morrison is remembered with guitar-themed bench artwork at the Market Bar venue where he played with The Proclaimers
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A legend of the Inverness music scene is being remembered with a beautifully sculpted guitar-themed artwork outside the venue he graced for decades.
Billy Morrison, who died at the age of 63 in 2016, was a highly-acclaimed and well-loved local performer who became synonymous with the small upstairs stage at the city’s popular Market Bar.
Generations of local revellers and music lovers came to listen to his tunes and witty quips between songs, while a variety of well-known artists drew on his versatile musical talents for recordings and sessions.
In 2001, when The Proclaimers recorded a documentary at the pub where they had famously earned their first big break, brothers Charlie and Craig Reid surprised staff and punters by returning after filming work.
A wild night of tunes and celebration followed, with Billy invited to join them on stage.
On Saturday, six years to the day after his death, a wooden-carved bench created by carpenter Stefan Winkler was unveiled in Billy’s memory.
With friends, family, regulars and musicians in attendance, the venue was once again buzzing through another fine day of celebration.
The bench incorporates one of Billy’s guitars, named Agnes after his 95-year-old mum who is still going strong.
Shirley Wyness, music manager responsible for booking Market Bar acts for over two decades, said: “Stefan has done such a good job with the bench. It is just beautiful.
“What a lovely day we had for Billy on Saturday. Both bars and the whole lane were packed with people singing, dancing and crying. It was very emotional.
“The Mystic Shoes band, who split up a few years ago, got back up together to play for the day and did a few numbers in Billy’s honour.
“The pandemic delayed the memorial, and with a lot of machinery about for work going on in the Victorian Market we didn’t want to put the bench out too soon in case it got damaged.
“But it is a lovely way of remembering him as a true Market Bar legend.
“Getting up to play with the Proclaimers all those years ago made Billy very happy, one of the best parties ever. It was fitting that we had another great party on Saturday in his memory. He would have loved it.”
Glasgow-raised Billy forged a career in teaching after studying maths and physics at London’s Goldsmiths.
Performing everything from punk to jazz over the years, he built a strong reputation playing a number of local venues, but made the Market Bar his spiritual home.
Social media tributes poured in for Billy in response to the memorial, with Blazin’ Fiddles musician Bruce MacGregor saying: “The bench is such a great piece of work.
“He was such a great guy and an amazing musician, and it’s also very nice to see art that means something to people.”
