Jack was born in Cambusnethan, near Wishaw in Lanarkshire, a year after his brother. Alongside Stewart and Scottish country dancers, they performed on the BBC's The White Heather Club, and hosted their own shows on Scottish Television (STV). They performed at the Sydney Opera House alongside Shand and at Carnegie Hall in New York.
The Alexander Brothers' style of performance may not have appealed to traditional folk music enthusiasts – it owed more to the variety theatre than the folk club – but they enjoyed widespread popular success in Scotland (on television and in concert halls) as well as Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand. Jack has died aged 77 following a stroke. Tom Alexander was the master of the piano accordion, but it was Jack Alexander whose tenor voice, good looks and personal charm on stage endeared the duo to their audiences. Their easy-listening, singalong repertoire found a ready audience in their native country, and with Scottish expatriates around the world. Their style owed much to performers such as Jimmy Shand, Kenneth McKellar and Andy Stewart, happily mixing Scottish folk songs and tunes with popular songs, all dressed up in kilts and accompanied on the accordion.
For more than 50 years, the Alexander Brothers were among the most popular Scottish musical entertainers.
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