The Corries

Scottish folk music duo

Scottish folk music duo Roy Williamson and Ronnie Browne. Started off in 1962 as the The Corrie Folk Trio made up of Roy Williamson, Bill Smith, and Ron Cruikshank who parted company soon after and so Ronnie Browne joined. They also teamed up for a while with Irish singer Paddie Bell. By 1965 Bill and Paddie had moved on and Roy and Ronnie carried on as a duo called The Corries. Roy wrote 'Flower of Scotland' in the mid sixties. Scots took the song to their heart. Much publicised was the request from the Scottish Rugby Union to use the song as unofficial anthem for the international squad, but for long before that it was a true underground national anthem of the people rather than the more mainstream recognised 'Scotland The Brave'. Sadly Roy (a fervent rugby fan himself) died in 1990 of cancer from a brain tumour although he lived long enough to see his Scotland side win the 1990 Grand Slam that year.