“It was a Thursday night in September last year,” writes Gordon Neish of Dr Hip and the Blues Operation, “and we were all looking forward to a show in the Clutha in Glasgow on the Saturday.

“Then I got a message from Ross – the youngest and fittest member of the band.

“It said: ‘I’ve had a stroke. I can’t sing.’”

That was a shock to all the band. The Clutha show, and a few others, were cancelled.

His stroke left Ross with sensory difficulties, memory problems, communication issues, and severe fatigue. 
Ross, a 47-year-old father of three at the time, five months into tying the knot with his long-time partner, Angela, says he first dismissed the signs as a severe food allergy. While eating a family dinner, his lips went numb, then his finger and thumb. 

A day later there was no change, so he decided to go to Cowal Community Hospital where he was diagnosed with a stroke. The following day, he was transferred to a specialist stroke unit at Inverclyde Royal Infirmary. 
Ross felt relatively fortunate in the stroke ward compared to other patients, but the full effects began to take hold – things he had previously taken for granted became very difficult, and the fatigue was immense. 

On leaving hospital, the post stroke fatigue was “awful”. Ross’s physical abilities remain restricted to this day. 
The band had a gig at Inveraray’s George Hotel in December, and doubted if Ross would be up for it so soon after his episode. Dr Hip, known for having two excellent singers, were ready to get back to gigging, but with Lucy as the band’s sole voice.

However, Ross had other ideas.

He wanted to sing at the show, even if in a limited capacity.

There was one problem though – he hadn’t tried singing since his stroke and had no idea what kind of noise would come out of his moth on his first singing cue.

There was real apprehension in the band as it played the introduction to the Wyche and  Watts jazz standard ‘All Right, OK, You Win’ – but Ross’s voice was just as sonorous and powerful as ever.

Although the gig left him exhausted he loved it.

Fast forward to spring 2025, and Ross began to contemplate using his love of singing to raise money for the Stroke Association, which is Scotland’s leading stroke-specific charity. He says he saw a Stroke Association TV advertisement that showed a young person affected by stroke and he didn’t feel so alone. 

Ross says: “My stroke was a terrible shock and adjustment, but I wasn’t going to let it beat me. My family has been through the wringer and my emotions are still raw. However, I’ve always been driven to contribute, and fundraising has given me a renewed sense of purpose. I really hope that people will support us and turn out for a fantastic event in a fantastic setting, for a very worthwhile cause.” 

John Watson. Associate Director of the Stroke Association in Scotland, adds: “Stroke is one of the leading causes of adult disability in Scotland and it’s more common in young people than you might think. I’m delighted to hear that Ross is fundraising for us to bring back something he felt he had lost, and we wish him all the very best for a successful day.”

There is already a fundraising page for Dr Hip’s Garden Party, with everything donated going directly to the Stroke Association.

At their spot at this year’s Bluebell Festival last month Dr Hip recorded their arrangement of Eric Bibb’s inspirational song ‘Don't Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down’ as part of the Sing for Stroke initiative.

You can watch the video below.