Bruce Findlay honoured with 'outstanding contribution to music'

The founder of the famous independent music store, Bruce’s Record Shop and former manager of Simple Minds was presented with the award at the launch night for the Scottish Alternative Music Awards on Wednesday evening.

Sponsored by the Academy of Music and Sound, the inaugural award honours the biggest names in Scottish music for their work in the industry. Our Scotland academy’s attend the event each year.

The 71-year-old said: “I am thrilled to receive the first Outstanding Contribution to Music award at this year’s Scottish Alternative Music Awards.

“The Scottish Alternative Music Awards pleases me because I’ve always felt alternative to the mainstream and I am genuinely humbled by this award being given by a relatively new and useful organisation to the music industry.”

Bruce Findlay with Edinburgh band Bwani Junction who performed live at the SAMA launch.

Bruce first ventured into the world of music in 1967 when he and his brother opened their own record shop in Falkirk. Famous for their unique red carrier bags emblazoned with the caption ‘I Found It At Bruce’s’, Bruce’s Record Shop quickly became a favourite for music fans with a taste for underground rock.

By the mid-1970’s Bruce had launched a record label named Zoom Records, where he signed local teenage band Simple Minds in 1978 and helped set them on the road to becoming global stars.

He recently appeared on STV’s Grass-Roots Music to talk about his time working with the band. Richy Muirhead, founder and director of the Scottish Alternative Music Awards said: “Bruce Findlay is a massive national and global legend, what he has achieved, it’s remarkable.

“For someone of my age, which is 26, that’s really inspiring and I think what we need to do is inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs, marketers, managers and artists and hopefully this award [for Outstanding Contribution to Music] will do exactly that”.