The 80’s will be remembered for many things – royal weddings, Live Aid, Thatcher and some dreadful fashions.

But the feat of one man from Dunfermline to make guitars sound like bagpipes and take that into the charts right up there with the best memories.

As Stuart Adamson brought the curtain down on Big Country in Glasgow this week, he reflected with pride on his amazing musical career.

After 19 years, 23 singles and five albums, the group are going their separate ways and signed off with a farewell gig at the Barrowland on Wednesday attended by all their families and friends.

Singer Adamson has become increasingly disillusioned with the fickle music business in Britain and last year he vanished from his new home in Nashville, US, seemingly feeling the strain of keeping the group afloat.

That incident sparked a massive hunt for him amid concern from the group’s fans and cemented Adamson’s desire to get out.

Now that desire has become reality, the 41-year-old admits he’s sad – but has no regrets.

“I’ve been touring for eight months out of every year since I was 19 – it’s time to move on,” he said.

“I want to keep making music, but I’m tired of living out of a suitcase. My priorities are different now. I owe it to my family to devote more time to them.

“I can say with 100 per cent honesty I’ve no regrets that this is the end of Big Country.

“I’ve had so many great times and have so many fond memories of the group, I’ll always look back on what we achieved with real pride.”

Next to Simple Minds, Big Country were Scotland’s supergroup of the 80’s. Adamson – backed by guitarist Bruce Watson, bass player Tony Butler and drummer Mark Brzezicki – achieved incredible success at home and in America.

The band got together in Dunfermline in 1981.

Although a proud Scot, Adamson was born in Manchester and joined up with Ontario-born Watson and born and bred English pair Butler and Brzezicki to start a band and pioneer that bagpipe-style twin guitar sound. Within a year they had a record deal.

After signing to Phonogram, the boys started work on their first album – The Crossing. It was to contain the epic hits Fields of Fire and In A Big Country and launch the group into the big time.

With the benefit of hindsight, Adamson admitted he was never in any doubt his band would take off.

“Right from the moment we scored our first hit in 1983 with Fields of Fire, I knew this group was gonna be big.

“When the four of us got together it just felt so right, so exciting, so powerful and focused.

“I wanted Big Country to be a loud rock band with folk and country overtones and that’s exactly how we turned out.”

With their trademark guitar sound winning new fans all the time, the American market was soon cracked and the band received two prestigious Grammy nominations.

The albums The Crossing, Steeltown and The Seer were all critically acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic.

Not bad for a group who were kicked off their first tour – supporting Alice Cooper – for not being good enough.

“When we released The Crossing it blew everybody away…..including us,” recalled Tony.
“All of a sudden we were a success. I think it remains one of the most inspiring records of its time.”

By then Stuart and Co. were in big demand, touring with famous names like The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Queen and David Bowie.

For Stone’s freak Bruce, opening for his heroes Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood night after night was a career highlight.

Bruce said: “We did two European tours with The Stones – Voodoo Lounge and Bridges To Babylon – and I’ll never forget them.

“It was amazing. Just to shake hands with Keith Richards was a blast.” But success did not go to their heads and Big Country – together with other supergroups of the time Simple Minds and U2 – were always keen to show they had a social conscience.

In 1988, the band played one of the first ever pop concerts by a western band in Moscow, to promote their album Peace In Our Time.

Mark recalled: “Going to Russia was a massive event. Of all the gigs we played, it was one I will always remember.”

Last summer, the lads helped raise £250,000 for refugees in Kosovo by appearing at a massive charity concert – organised by the Sunday Mail – at the SECC.

Later, Stuart and the boys travelled to war-torn Pristina to play a gig amongst the ruins.

Bruce said: “From the moment we set foot in Kosovo it was very emotional. I’d seen the bombed buildings on TV, but when we actually got there I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

“I’d like to think that by performing in Pristina we brought a bit of happiness into people’s lives. I don’t know if we managed it, but I hope we did.”

Now Stuart will return to his home in Nashville. He moved to the US country capital to be with his American wife, Melanie.

Bruce, Tony and Mark will pursue different musical projects on this side of the Atlantic, but the lads are all sure that the bond between them will never be broken.

Bruce said: “We’ve lived in each other’s pockets for nearly 20 years. It was like being married to three people at the same time.”

The group’s latest album – Driving to Damscus – was one of the peaks of Big Country’s careeer so it’s fitting they are going out on a high.

Stuart said: “I’m going to miss the guys. I don’t think we had more than five or six big arguments in all the our years together.

“But even though we won’t be touring any more we’ll always be close and that’s what counts.”

by BILLY SLOAN