The Kimbos

Matthew McGuigan asks, “Who remembers The Kimbos?. Massively popular in Scotland in the early sixties before classically trained Andy Ross left to form The Andy Ross Orchestra and went on to national UK fame. Later, Andy was to become musical director of Come Dancing which he did for 30 years. I remember them well as they played all the largest dance halls of the era.

Andy Semple ( a Blantyre lad) was the vocalist and rythmn guitarist of whom it was said “Andy Semple, a happy-go-lucky sort of young chap who played rhythm guitar. He was at pains to point out that the Pavilion was one of the best ballrooms in the country, saying it was like a palace compared to some of the places they had to play in down south.

What made the Kimbos stand out among many modern pop groups of the time was that they were versatile enough to play ballroom and old time equally as well as the twist and the shake!