Bob McQuillen

Bob "Mr. Mac" McQuillen (June 27, 1923 – February 4, 2014) was a teacher, musician, and prolific composer of contra dance tunes.[1] He was a recipient of a 2002 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.[2]

Bob "Mr. Mac" McQuillen
McQuillen in 2002
McQuillen in 2002
Background information
Born(1923-06-27)June 27, 1923
Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedFebruary 4, 2014(2014-02-04) (aged 90)
Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S.
GenresFolk, contra dance, traditional dance music of New England
Occupation(s)Musician, composer, teacher
Instrument(s)Piano, accordion, guitar
Years active1940s–2014

Early life

McQuillen was born near Boston, but his family moved to southwestern New Hampshire when he was young. Although his father and grandfather were musicians, and Bob took piano lessons as a child, he didn't grow attached to music until after his time as a Marine during World War II.[3] He started going to contra dances in and around Peterborough, New Hampshire, several times a week, and eventually joined the Ralph Page Orchestra. At a contra dance in 1946, he met Priscilla Scribner, whom he married a year later. They had three children, Dan, Rebecca, and William.[4]

After returning from the Korean War, McQuillen settled down and became an industrial arts teacher at Peterborough High School and ConVal High School, where the students referred to him as "Mr. Mac".[4] At some point, he was a police officer and a school bus driver.

Contra dance years

McQuillen was involved in the contra dance community for over 60 years. Over his lifetime, he wrote more than 1,300 dance tunes, most of which he named after people or events in his life.[4] This tradition began with his first tune, "Scotty O'Neil", named after one of his students who had died.[3]

McQuillen was the subject of a 2001 documentary film titled Paid to Eat Ice Cream: Bob McQuillen and New England Contra Dancing.[4][5] Perhaps his most famous tune is "Amelia's Waltz".

Death

McQuillen suffered a stroke while at a restaurant on Sunday, January 26, 2014. He was taken to Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, New Hampshire, where he died on Tuesday, February 4,[4] exactly 29 years after his wife.

Discography
Year Group Title Label Format
? Ralph Page Orchestra ? ? ?
1972 Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra F&W Records LP record
1972[6] or 1973[7] Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra The Canterbury Country Orchestra Meets the F & W String Band F&W Records LP record
1974 Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra Mistwold F&W Records LP record
1974 Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra Contra Dances: The Canterbury Orchestra CDSS Records 45 rpm record
1980 Applejack with Bob McQuillen Contra Dance Music New England Style Green Linnet Records LP record
1988, 2003 New England Tradition Farewell to the Hollow Great Meadow Music ?, CD
1996 Old New England Old New England Old New England CD
1997 Bob McQuillen, Laurie Andres, Cathie Whitesides Hand It Down: Contra Dance Tunes by Bob McQuillen Avocet CD
1999 Compilation including Old New England Choose Your Partners! Contra Dance & Square Dance Music of New Hampshire Smithsonian Folkways CD
2000 Rodney Miller and Bob McQuillen Pure Quill Great Meadow Music CD
2002 Old New England ONE: TWO Old New England CD
2005 Old New England ONE: III Old New England CD
2008 The Rhythm Rollers Grand Right and Left Avocet CD
2010 Old New England ONE: IV Old New England CD
Guest appearance with Sarah Bauhan Chasing the New Moon
Guest appearance with Sarah Bauhan The Untamed Grasses
Guest appearance with Sarah Bauhan Lathrop's Waltz

See also

References
  1. Carlson, Brady (February 7, 2014). "Remembering Bob McQuillen, An "Old-Fashioned Contra Dance Piano Player"". NHPR. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  2. "NEA National Heritage Fellowships 2002". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. n.d. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  3. "Bob McQuillen: Contra dance musician/composer". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. n.d. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  4. Anderson, Dave (February 5, 2014). "Loss of a legend: McQuillen was a musical master". Concord Monitor. Concord, New Hampshire. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  5. David Millstone (2001). Paid to Eat Ice Cream: Bob McQuillen and New England Contra Dancing (VHS). Lebanon, New Hampshire: Farnum Hill Productions. OCLC 50266584.
  6. Millstone, David (2009). "CDSS Lifetime Contributor–Bob McQuillen" (PDF). CDSS News. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  7. Laufman, Jacqueline & Dudley. "Canterbury Orchestra". Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
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