Pioneer of pub folk music dies after battle with cancer

Tributes were paid last night to Dorothy Taylor, 67, who was landlady of the Royal Oak bar in Edinburgh for almost a quarter-century.

The pub is widely credited with playing a major part in the genre's renaissance.

Ms Taylor took over the nightspot in 1978 with her sister Sandra, and introduced regular live music sessions and "singer spots".

Before long the pub was famous for hosting live music every night of the week, at a time when it was said to be impossible to hear live traditional music in the capital.

Many big-name musicians learnt their craft in the Infirmary Street bar - regarded as a mainstay of the city's traditional music scene.

Among those to have performed there over the years have been Billy Connolly, Dick Gaughan, Brian McNeill, Ian Bruce, Karine Polwart, Kris Drever and Robin Laing.

The sisters were familiar faces behind the bar for almost 25 years until they decided to sell up in 2003 after doctors advised Sandra - a star of the celebrated White Heather Club TV show - to take time off after a brutal attack outside her home.

Sandra, 63, said: "When we took over the pub, there was nowhere putting on traditional music at all in Edinburgh.

"For a long while it was only us. I do believe we were responsible for the folk revival in the city.

"Dorothy was the actual licensee of the Royal Oak, as I was still very much involved in showbusiness when we started out, and she was a hugely popular figure in the pub."

Simon Thoumire, organiser of the annual Scots Trad Music Awards, said: "The Royal Oak was always the place to go late at night because it was open later and it was always such a timeless place. It was a fantastic place because you knew there would be music on every night."

Singer Nancy Nicolson, a close friend of Dorothy, added: "Dorothy and Sandra provided such a splendid welcoming ceilidh atmosphere and they ensured that the Royal Oak had a hugely loyal following."