MacPherson moved to
Victoria, British Columbia, as a child. He learned piano, clarinet, and alto and tenor saxophones. After moving to
Vancouver to continue a commerce degree, he played in bands led by
Ray Norris,
Dave Robbins, Paul Ruhland, and Doug Parke. He led his own groups and eventually took over the leadership of the Cave supper club band. He took a year's leave in 1958 to study in
New York City, adding flute to his list of instruments. He played on the
CBC and won a
Juno Award for Best Jazz Album in 1983. He was awarded the
Order of Canada in 1987. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s MacPherson was a first-call studio player in Vancouver, as well as leading the house band at the Cave supper club. He also taught briefly in the Jazz and Commercial Music department at
Vancouver Community College, where his students included future
Powder Blues Band baritone saxophonist
Gordie Bertram and New Orleans–based saxophonist and jazz educator
John Doheny.
Live at the Planetarium, MacPherson's first album as leader of a small jazz group, was recorded for broadcast on the French-language CBC radio network. He leased the master tapes and released them on his own independent label, West End Records. The album was re-released by
Concord Records, and MacPherson went on to record several other releases for them. He also recorded for
Sackville Records in Toronto and
Justin Time Records in Montreal. In the summer of 1993, Pacific Music Industry Association (PMIA) created the Fraser MacPherson Scholarship Fund which annually awards grants of $2000 to four to eight aspiring music students. Later that year MacPherson died in Vancouver at the age of 65. ==Gallery==