Sandy Bell's is abar inEdinburgh,Scotland. It is located on Forrest Road, in theOld Town area of the city. It is known locally and internationally for its live traditional music sessions.^[1][2]

Sandy Bell's original name was 'The Forrest Hill Buffet', later becoming 'The Forrest Hill Bar'. The bar's current name derives from the building’s 1920s owner Mrs Bell; the origin of the name 'Sandy' is, however, uncertain.^[3]

Sandy Bell's gained notoriety during theScottish Folk Revival of the 1950s-1970s, when musicians playing traditional Scottish music would regularly take part in music sessions there.^[4] Musicians who frequented the bar at this time includedPhil Cunningham,Barbara Dickson andBilly Connolly.^[5]

A fortnightly magazine called 'The Sandy Bell's Broadsheet' was published during this period by pub regulars including Ian Green, founder ofGreentrax Records. Editorial meetings took place in the pub, which also served as its correspondence address.^[6]

During the revival, and until his death in 2002, Sandy Bell's was regularly visited by the folkloristHamish Henderson.^[7] Sandy Bell's is located close to theUniversity of Edinburgh, where Henderson worked at theSchool of Scottish Studies. A bust of Henderson is displayed above the bar in Sandy Bell's.^[8]

During the 1970s an album entitledSandy Bell’s Ceilidh was recorded on the premises, including performances byAly Bain,Dick Gaughan andThe McCalmans.^[9] The McCalmans and Aly Bain lived nearby during this period, and musicians who wanted to keep playing after Sandy Bell's closed would sometimes congregate in their flat to do so.^[10]

55°56′46″N3°11′29″W / 55.9461°N 3.1913°W /55.9461; -3.1913

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