Or, more accurately, who was Robert? Contrary to popular belief, none of the members of the band (not even the women) are called Robert Fish. The band was named in homage to a little-known contemporary of Robert Burns, the poet and scoundrel Robert Fish. We are deeply grateful to Jim Weir, whose detailed research brought the life and works of Fish to a wider audience in 1983.
Robert Fish was born in Alloway, Ayrshire on the same day as Burns, and they grew up together. Controversy has reigned ever since as to which of these poets plagiarised the work of the other. We humbly offer a selection of Fish’s work below so that you can decide for yourselves….