Hughie Dougie MacDonald

From Glengarryceltic

Hughie Dougie was born in 1930 in Vankleek Hill, Ontario, the third of four boys raised in MacCrimmon by Dougie MacDonald and his wife Margaret F. McLeod. Hughie started playing the fiddle in 1948 with his brothers and soon the Dougie Boys were a fixture at local dances, lawn socials and house parties. Hughie learned to play the fiddle, and later the piano, by listening to 78 records and slowing the speed of the turntable to 45 to pick up the tune. Playing by ear came naturally. His favorite fiddler was Don Messer, and his tunes were quickly mastered by Hughie. As the Macdonald Brothers Orchestra became more and more in demand, new and traditional Celtic tunes were added to the band’s repertoire, and Hughie became renowned for his ability to play B flat tunes. Hughie stopped playing with the orchestra in 1958 but has continued to play for house parties and guest appearances. Throughout his life, and even now in his retirement years, is still busy and active playing music and doing his part to preserve the Celtic culture.