If you have come to this page from a search engine click here to visit our home page.

Seán 'ac Dhonncha (Johnny Joe Pheaitsín) (Galway)
(1919 – 1996)

  (photo: courtesy of  Pádraig Mac Donnchadha)

        Seán was born in An Aird Thoir, Carna. The son of a fisherman, he had three brothers and seven sisters. He married Bríd Ní Eidhin in 1956 and they had five children. He spent most of his working life as a primary school teacher, teaching in County Cavan from 1947 and later spending twenty five years as principal of Ahascragh national school in east Galway. Music and singing was always in the family and his mother influenced him greatly. He earned a reputation as one of Ireland's finest traditional singers, and had a wide repertoire of songs in both Irish and English. He won the Oireachtas Sean-Nós
Competition in 1953 and was awarded the 'Gradam Shean-Nós Cois Life' in 1995.

        He was the first singer to be recorded by Gael Linn on their series of 78rpm recordings in 1957: these recordings are now available on 'Seoltaí Séide' (Gael Linn CEFCD184). Other recordings include 'An Aill Bháin - The White Rock' (Claddagh CC9) and 'An Spailpín Fánach' (Cló Iar-Chonnachta CICD006) plus tracks on various compilations including, 'Grand Airs Of Connemara' (Topic 12T177), 'More Grand Airs of Connemara' (Topic 12T202) and 'Amhráin ar an Sean-Nós' (RTÉ CD 185).

        Rugadh Séan san Aird Thoir, Carna. Iascaire a bhí ina athair agus bhí triúr deartháireacha agus seachtar deirfiúracha aige. Phós sé Bríd Ní Eidhin in 1956 agus bhí cúigear clainne acu. Chaith Seán bunáite a shaoil ina mhúinteoir bunscoile. Thosaigh sé ag múineadh i gContae an Chabháin in 1947 agus chaith sé cúig bliana fichead ina dhiaidh sin mar phríomhoide i Scoil Náisiúnta Áth Eascrach in oirthear Chontae na Gaillimhe.Bhí ceol agus amhráin ag a mhuintir riamh agus bhí an-tionchar ag a mháthair ar a chuid amhránaíochta. Bhain sé cáil amach mar dhuine de na hamhránaithe traidisiúnta
ab fhearr sa tír agus bhí stór mór amhrán aige i nGaeilge agus i mBéarla. Bhuaigh sé Comórtas Sean-Nóis an Oireachtais in 1953 agus bronnadh Gradam Shean-Nós Cois Life air in 1995.
        Ba é an chéad amhránaí riamh a thaifead Gael Linn dá shraith de cheirníní 78rpm in 1957: tá na taifeadtaí sin ar fáil ar 'Seoltaí Séide' (Gael Linn CEFCD184). Tá taifeadtaí eile de ar 'An Aill Bháin - The White Rock' (Claddagh CC9) agus 'An Spailpín Fánach' (Cló Iar-Chonnachta CICD006) agus tá rianta eile dá chuid amhránaíochta ar bhailiúcháin ar nós 'Grand Airs of Connemara' (Topic 12T177), 'More Grand Airs of Connemara' (Topic 12T202) agus 'Amhráin ar an Sean-Nós' (RTÉ CD 185).

Seán 'ac Dhonncha can be heard on VT162CD

Pádraic Ó Conghaile (Pat Phádraic Tom) (Galway)
(1922 - 2010)

  (photo: Terry Yarnell)

        Pat was born in Leitir Péic, Spiddal (An Spidéal). He married Máire Ní Mhaoilchiaráin in 1959 and they had six children. He worked as a farmer and always enjoyed meeting people and telling stories. He became interested in traditional songs from singing at weddings and oícheanta airneáin (social nights) in his youth.

        He took part in the Oireachtas na Gaeilge sean-nós singing competitions for the first time in 1954, after winning a local sean-nós competition. He won second place in Comórtas na bhFear (the men's competition) in 1955 and he was awarded first place in 1956. Later he taught sean-nós singing to young children in an Gaelacadamh in Spiddal (An Spidéal) from 1980 until 1992.
        There were only two previous published recordings of his singing: on 'Tógfaidh Mé Mo Sheolta' (Cló Iar-Chonnachta CIC088) and 'Pat Phádraig Tom' (a CD released privately by his family in 2013).

        Rugadh Pat i Leitir Péic sa Spidéal. Phós sé Máire Ní Mhaoilchiaráin i 1959 agus bhí seisear clainne acu. Feirmeoir bhí ann agus thaithigh comhluadar daoine agus scéalaíocht go mór leis i gcónaí. Músclaíodh a spéis sna sean-amhráin le linn a óige trí a bheith ag gabháil fhoinn ag bainiseacha agus ag oícheanta airneáin.
        Ghlac sé páirt i gcomórtais sean-nóis Oireachtas na Gaeilge den chéad uair in 1954, i ndiaidh dó comórtas áitiúil sean-nóis a bhuachan. Ghnóthaigh sé an dara háit i gComórtas na bhFear in 1955 agus tugadh an chéad áit dó in 1956. Mhúin sé an amhránaíocht ar an sean-nós do ghasúir óga ina dhiaidh sin sa nGaelacadamh sa Spidéal idir 1980 agus 1992.

        Níor foilsíodh roimhe seo ach dhá thaifeadadh dá chuid amhránaíochta: 'Tógfaidh Mé Mo Sheolta' (Cló Iar-Chonnachta CIC088) agus 'Pat Phád
 

Pádraic Ó Conghaile can be heard on VT162CD

Cáit Uí Chonluain (Ní Choisdealbha) (Kate Sheáin Tom) (Galway)
(1886 - 1973)

   (photo: Terry Yarnell)

        Cáit was from Baile an tSagairt, Spiddal (An Spidéal) and was a cousin of Tom Pháidín Tom. She married Micheál Ó Conluain, an Irish-language teacher from Mullingar, and they had ten children. Over the years, many people wishing to learn Irish came to stay in their house. Micheál was also very musical and played violin, piccolo and piano.

        In the early 1930s Cait was taken to University College, Galway and recorded on phonograph. Over the ensuing years many RTE radio producers and presenters visited her including Pádraig Ó Raghallaigh, Ciarán Mac Mathúna and Pádraig Dolan, and recordings of her from the archives are still often played on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.

        During Seamus Ennis's collecting trips in the 1940s, he collected material from their daughter Gráinne, and her son Feistí gained considerable fame as a tin whistle player, particularly for his playing of slow airs. He was recorded by Topic Records whilst living in England in the 1960s: 'Grand Airs of Connemara' (Topic 12T177 ), 'More Grand Airs of Connemara' (Topic 12T202). The only recording available of Cáit's singing is one track on 'Amhráin ar an Sean-Nós' (RTÉ CD185).

        Ba as Baile an tSagairt, an Spidéal, do Cháit agus ba cholcheathrar léi Tom Pháidín Tom. Phós sí Micheál Ó Conluain, múinteoir Gaeilge ón Muileann gCearr agus bhí deichniúir clainne acu. Thar na blianta d'fhanadh go leor daoine leo a thagadh go dtí an ceantar chun an Ghaeilge a fhoghlaim. Bhí féith an cheoil go láidir ag Mícheál agus chasadh sé an veidhlín, an fhlúiteog agus an pianó.
        Tugadh Cáit chun na hOllscoile i nGaillimh go luath sna 1930idí agus taifeadadh í ar fónagraf. Thar na blianta ina dhaidh sin, thugadh go leor leirtheoirí agus láitheoirí ó Raidió Éireann chuici, Pádraig Ó Raghallaigh, Ciarán Mac Mathúna agus Pádraig Dolan ina measc agus craoltar taifeadtaí cartlainne dá chuid amhránaíochta go minic ar RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.
        Bhailigh Séamus Ennis ábhar óna hiníon Gráinne le linn a thuras bailiúcháin sna 1940idí agus cuairteoir eile chucu ab ea an craoltóir Ciarán Mac Mathúna sna 1960idí. Bhí cáil nach beag ar a mac Feistí as a chumas ar an bhfeadóg stáin, go háirithe as a fheabhas agus a chasadh sé foinn mhalla. Rinne Topic Records taifid de sna 1960idí nuair a bhí cónaí air i Sasana, 'Grand Airs of Connemara' (Topic 12T177 ), 'More Grand Airs of Connemara' (Topic 12T202).Níl ach rian amháin d’amhránaíocht Cháit ar fáil, ar 'Amhráin ar an Sean-Nós' (RTÉ CD185).
 

Cáit Uí Chonluain can be heard on VT162CD

Rita Keane (1923 - 2009) and Sarah Keane (1918 - 2010) (Galway)

  (photo: Terry Yarnell)

        The Keane sisters were from the townland of Carragh, Caherlistrane in north County Galway. The daughters of Matt Keane and his wife May (née Costello), they grew up in a musical household with their six brothers and sisters. May was an assiduous collector of traditional songs and tunes, and passed on her passion to her children. In the 1930s, Rita and Sarah played accordion and fiddle with the family (Keane's) Céilí Band, which continued until the 1980s.
        They were the paternal aunts of renowned singers, Seán, Matt and Dolores Keane. Dolores came to live with Rita and Sarah when she was four years old and it was from her aunts that she absorbed her first songs. Dolores subsequently gained worldwide recognition both as a solo singer and with the band Dé Danann. During the late 1960s, the broadcaster Ciarán Mac Mathúna made a series of programs for Raidió Teilifís Éireann which featured his recordings of Sarah and Rita. This eventually led to them making the seminal album 'Once I Loved' (Claddagh CC4CD). This was followed in 1985 by a family album 'Muintir Chatháin' (Gael Linn CEFCD107) and in 1996 a second album of Rita and Sarah, 'At The Setting Of The Sun' (Demon FIENDCD771). 
        They gained national and later, international acclaim, and in 2006 Rita and Sarah received the TG4 Gradam Saoil, Lifetime Achievement Award for traditional song.

        B'as baile fearainn Charraigh, Cathair Liostráin, i dtuaisceart Chontae na Gaillimhe de na deirfiúracha Rita agus Sarah Keane. Ba iníonacha iad le Matt Keane agus a bhean May (Ní Choisdealbha), agus d'fhás siad aníos i dteaghlach lán de cheol in éineacht lena gceathrar deartháireacha agus a mbeirt deirfiúracha. Ba bhailitheoir dúthrachtach May d'amhráin agus foinn thraidisiúnta agus d'fhág sí an díograis sin don cheol mar oidhreacht ag a clann. Sna 1930idí, chasadh Rita agus Sarah an cairdín agus an fhidil le banna céilí an teaghlaigh, an Keane Céilí Band, banna a mhair anuas go dtí na 1980idí.

        Ba aintíní iad ó thaobh a n-athar leis na hamhránaithe iomráiteacha Seán, Matt agus Dolores Keane. Tháinig Dolores chun chónaithe le Rita agus Sarah nuair a bhí sí ceithre bliana d'aois agus b'uatha a d'fhoghlaim sí a céad amhráin. Bhain Dolores cáil dhomhanda amach ina dhiaidh sin mar amhránaí aonair agus leis an ngrúpa ceoil Dé Danann.

        I ndiaidh na 1960idí, rinne an craoltóir Ciaran Mac Mathúna sraith de chláir i gcomhair Raidió Teilifís Éireann inar chuir sé i láthair taifeadtaí a rinne sé de Rita agus Sarah. Thug sé seo orthu a gcéad fhadcheirnín a dhéanamh 'Once I Loved' (Claddagh CC4CD). Tháining fadchéirnín teaghlaigh amach in 1985 'Muintir Chatháin' (Gael Linn CEFCD107) agus in 1996 a rinne Rita agus Sarah an dara halbam s’acu 'At The Setting Of The Sun' (Demon FIENDCD771).

        Ghnóthaigh siad cáil náisiúnta agus idirnáisiúnta agus in 2006, bronnadh Gradam Saoil TG4 as a raibh déanta acu ar a feadh a saoil ar son na hamhránaíochta traidisiúnta.
 

Rita Keane and Sarah Keane can be heard on VT162CD

Tomás Ó Coisdealbha (Tom Pháidín Tom) (Tom Costello) (Galway)
(1894 - 1979)

  (photo: Terry Yarnell)

        Tomás was born in Baile an tSagairt, Spiddal (An Spidéal) and his family were small farmers. He never married, but lived in the cottage where he had been born, and worked the family farm. He was a cousin of the singer Cáit Ní Chonluain.

        His father, Pádraic Ó Coisdealbha, who was born in 1834, played the flute mainly at home, although he was known to have been invited to play at 'the big house', the Bunbury family summer residence in Spiddal (An Spidéal).

        Tom's songs didn't come from his parents but many came from his cousins in Maigh Cuilinn, while others were learned from the wireless and from magazines such as 'Ireland's Own'. There is little of Tomás's singing available apart from tracks on 'A Story I'm Just About to Tell' (Topic TSCD658) and the Dé Danann LP 'The Mist Covered Mountain' (Gael Linn CEF 087). An LP record was released of his singing by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in 1977 but is unfortunately no longer available.

        Rugadh Tomás i mBaile an tSagairt, sa Spideal do fheilméaraí beaga. Níor phós sé riamh ach chónaigh sé ar feadh a shaoil sa teach inar rugadh é agus é ag saothrú fheilm a mhuintire. Ba chol ceathrar leis Cáit Uí Chonluain.

        Fliúiteadóir ab ea a athair, Pádraic Ó Coisdleabha a rugadh in 1834. Casadh sé sa mbaile den chuid is mó ach d'fhaigheadh sé cuireadh chun ceol a chasadh sa teach mór sa Spidéal, mar a chónaíodh muintir Bunbury sa samhradh. Ní bhfuair Tom a chuid amhrán óna mhuintir ach d'fhoghlaim sé go leor acu óna chol ceathracha i Maigh Cuilinn agus cuid eile acu ón raidió agus ó irisleabhair ar nós 'Ireland's Own'.

        Níl mórán taifead de chuid Thomáis ar fáil cé is moite de rianta ar 'A Story I'm Just About to Tell' (Topic TSCD658) agus ar fhadchéirín de chuid Dé Danann 'The Mist Covered Mountain' (Gael Linn CEF 087). D'eisigh Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann fadcheirnín dá chuid amhránaíochta in 1977 ach, ar an drochuair, níl an céirín sin ar fáil a thuilleadh.
 

Tomás Ó Coisdealbha can be heard on VT162CD

Colm Ó Caoidheáin (Colm Keane) (Galway)
(1893-1975)

  (photo: Terry Yarnell)

        Colm was from Glinsk (Glinsce) a few miles northwest of Carna. His father Máirtín was from Glinsk (Glinsce) and his mother, Máire was from the island of Inis Ní. Colm was their eldest child. He made his living as a fisherman and farmer and married Bairbre Pheaits from An Aird Mhóir in 1939.

        He was second cousin to the renowned sean-nós singer Seosamh Ó hÉanaí (Joe Heaney) and Joe was said to be very proud of his relationship to Colm because of his prodigious repertoire. In the 1940s, Séamus Ennis collected over 200 songs, tunes, and items of folklore from him while working for the Irish Folklore Commission and later Séamus recorded additional material for the BBC.

        Surprisingly there is little of Colm's singing available, with only two tracks on 'Ireland - World Library of Folk and Primitive Music, Volume II' (Rounder CD1742), and a single track on 'Amhráin ar an Sean-Nós' (RTÉ CD185).

        Ba as Glinsce do Cholm, tuairim agus cúig mhíle ar an taobh thiar thuaidh de bhaile Charna. Ba as Glinsce dá athair, Máirtín agus tháinig a mháthair Máire ó Inis Ní. Ba é Colm an duine ba shineden chlann. Iacaire agus feilméara a bhi ann agus in 1939, phós sé Bairbre Pheaits ón Aird Mhóir.

        Ba chol seisear é leis an amhránaí cáiliúil Seosamh Ó hÉanaí agus bhí an-bhród ar Sheosamh as a ghaol le Colm toisc an stór olmór amhrán a bhí aige. Nuair a bhí Séamus Ennis ag obair do Choimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann sna 1940idí, bhailigh sé breis agus 200 d'amhráin, d'fhoinn agus de míreanna seanchais ó Cholm agus ina dhiaidh sin, thaifead sé ábhair bhreise ó Cholm i gcomhair an BBC.

        Aisteach go leor, níl mórán d'amhránaíocht Choilm ar fáil. Níl ach dhá rian ar 'Ireland - World Library of Folk and Primitive Music, Volume II' (Rounder CD1742), agus rian amháin ar 'Amhráin ar an Sean-Nós' (RTÉ CD185).

 Colm Ó Caoidheáin can be heard on VT162CD

Manny Aldous (Suffolk)

(photo: courtesy of Mrs Aldous)

        Manny is one of the few singers I have recorded who almost discovered himself. At least, a phone call from his daughter-in-law, who had heard of my folk-song collecting activities, put me on his trail and a meeting was arranged at her house in Needham Market.
        Maurice Sidney Aldous was born at Lower Farm, Offton in 1906 and after leaving school at 12 he had many jobs including working on farms, on the roads and in the local tannery, iron foundry and sugar beet factory, finally working in the kitchens at RAF Wattisham.
        Like many singers who had sung all their lives, Manny was a song collector himself. He told me, "When I was right young, when I used to go to Offton Limeburners, 'Hay' Plummer was there, he sang, The Sages from Somersham, they also had lots of songs and they played accordeons there. You used to get a lot of old boys and they used to sing one against the other. That's where I got a lot of my old songs."
        Another pub he visited frequently was Whatfield Horseshoes. "I used to sing in the Horseshoes. There was a man named Thorpe there then. Before the war that was. As soon as I got in the pub the old landlord would say "We'll have a song tonight. There's a pint as soon as you sing a song! The old stagers they used to really love those old songs. In fact in that time, them that couldn't sing in the old pub, they'd pass around a hat and they'd have to put something in. I never had to put anything in!"
        Manny told me that he had a list of song headings in a little red book which he used as a reminder. He had unfortunately mislaid it and I only had the chance to meet him three times before he died in 1988. I am pleased I was able to record some of Manny's songs so they will not be lost.  (John Howson)

Manny Aldous can be heard on: VTC2CD & VTC3CD

Norman Alford (Cumberland)

    (photo courtsey of David Hay)

(Norman Alford on the left)

        Born at Low Hesket, south of Carlisle, Norman and Robert Forrester were friends from boyhood and were apprentices together in an art studio in Carlisle before going to the local art school to study painting. Norman joined the army as an artillery officer during the Second World War and was wounded in Normandy. After the war he and Robert Forrester got together again, biking around the countryside, fishing, drawing and painting, and hunting out singers and songs in the many pubs they fetched up in. Gauging the right moment to take up their instruments, playing quietly at first, until the old men chose to join in: according to Forrester "Norman had a nose like a bloodhound. He would whisper to me "I think we'll be reet tonight." In the recordings he plays the tin whistle on a number of tracks. Tragically, Norman died of leukaemia in 1954 aged only 39. (Sue Allen)

Norman Alford can be heard on: VT142CDR

Bert Allen (Suffolk)

 (photo: John Howson)

I met the singer Bert Allen in Wade House, a care home in Stowmarket, Mid-Suffolk. He was born in Thurston and grew up in Tostock, and sang in the Gardeners' Arms and the Woolpit Wheatsheaf where he stepdanced to local accordeon player Jack Balaam, who was known for playing hornpipes. Bert moved to Drinkstone when he was twenty three and worked at the windmill, where he said he used to sing all day.

Bert Allen can be heard on: VTDC8CD

Clifford Arbon (Suffolk)

 (photo: John Howson)

      Clifford Arbon was born in 1908. I first heard of him when singer Tony Harvey rang to tell me of an old boy who had turned up at one of the regular Tuesday night music sessions at the Earl Soham Victoria. He'd sung a couple of comic songs and really impressed and amused everybody there. Tony had found out his name for me and off I went on his trail, to the remote village of Monewden. Clifford was in fact well known in the area, and not just for his singing and starring role in the film 'Akenfield', but because he was the local wheelwright for most of his life: an important job when most of the traffic on Suffolk lanes was horse-drawn. His workshop was still intact, complete with the tools he had used for many years, situated at the bottom of his cottage garden: the cottage he had lived in since he was two. As Clifford said, "I was born just the other side of this garden so I haven't moved far in my life, have I?"
        In his early days he was a keen melodeon player and played in many pubs in the area, including Ashfield Swan where he met up with the renowned Alf Peachey. "Cor! he could play. A champion."
        He learned several songs around the pubs in those days, and he also learned several for village concerts, which were an important feature of the village year. It was often the comic songs which appealed most at such events. (John Howson)

Clifford Arbon can be heard on: VTC3CD & VTDC11CD

Andy Austin /Jimmy Gladwell's Band (Suffolk)

     (photos: courtsey of Andy Austin)

Andy Austin origanlly play melodeon but changed to piano accordion. He was born in Hessett in Mid-Suffolk in 1916 and moved to Tostock when he was about nine. His father, Frank Dore Austin, played both one-row and two-row melodeons and Andy followed in his father's footsteps. As a young man he would gather with his friends on the street corner and play. Later he played in Tostock Gardeners' Arms, Woolpit Swan and Woolpit White Elm and for four or five years he played regularly in Badwell Ash White Horse. When he started playing in dance bands he took up the piano accordion. He remembered they played the Veleta, the Barn Dance and the Boston Two Step and he was proud that he never played from written music. The earliest band was known as The Tostock Dance Orchestra, then The Harmony Brothers, then The Rhythm Stars, but the band he played with longest was Jimmy Gladwell's Band with whom he sometimes played three or four times a week.

Jimmy Gladwell's Band was based in Stowmarket, although their popularity meant they were asked to play in village halls all over Mid and East Suffolk including as far afield as Southwold and Halesworth. Jimmy Gladwell led the band on piano and the rest of the line-up was: Andy Austin (piano accordion), Russell Kellas (trumpet), Charlie Gladwell (saxophone) and Bob Levitt (drums).

Andy Austin and the Jimmy Gladwell Band can be heard on: VTDC8CD
 

Ernest Austin (Essex)

(photo: courtesy of Topic Records)

In November 1973 when Ernest Austin was recorded by Tony Engle for Topic Records he was 83 years old. The recordings were made in his home at Great Bentley, half way between Colchester and Clacton-on-Sea, and were released the next year on the LP (12TS243) 'Flash Company'. The sleeve notes on this album tell us that he left school at 12 to work as a kitchen boy in a farmhouse, earning 3/6d in return for a 60-hour week and for most of his early life he worked on the land as a farm labourer until, with experience, he became an agricultural engineer, retiring at the age of 70. Some years later Phil Heath - Coleman visited Ernest in a retirement home at Greenstead, Colchester and Ernest told him how when he was young he and his friends would walk to Colchester to the Hippodrome and sometimes come home with printed songs they had bought. He also mentioned that he used to sing in the local pub (probably The Plough) until he was in his forties when his wife became ill.

Ernest Ausrtin can be heard on: VT135CD
 

Reg Bacon (Essex)

(photo courtsey of Neil Lanham)

Reg was said to be about 68 when he was recorded in 1959, so he was born around 1890. The family originally lived at Redoaks Hill, Essex and his father Elijah played the fiddle. They then moved to Radwinter, near Saffron Waldon, Essex where Reg lived in Water Lane until his death.

He was always known as a true countryman who was very proud of his garden, offering vegetables to anyone who visited him. He sang in the Plough in Radwinter and was always a popular character there. His songs had come from many sources but those from the Music Hall probably came via gramophone records, and there are family memories of him playing records over and over again to learn the words and then going down to the pub to sing his new song to the gathered crowd. Apart from Sam Steele, other collectors also visited Reg,including Russell Wortley and Neil Lanham.

Reg Bacon can be heard on: VT150CD

'Sugar' Bailey (Essex)

(photo Miles Barrett)

Herbert Bailey was born in the hamlet of Shellow Bowells, near Chelmsford in December 1923. His nickname 'Sugar' comes from the Essex dialect pronunciation of his surname 'Old Barley (Bailey) Sugar'. He worked at the local farm until 1951, when his already poor sight failed totally. Sugar then took to factory work, travelling daily by public transport to Barking, and then working in Ongar until retiring in 1991. Although blind he was a good darts player, played dominoes and was the captain of his local pub's crib team. After matches he would be persuaded to sing from his repertoire of over 150 songs. These ranged widely from old songs learnt from his grandfather and father, to music hall to country and western. A number of these songs, including the two on this CD, were recorded at The Compasses in Littley Green in 1989 and released on a private label cassette called ‘Who’s Going to Hold My Horse?’

'Sugar' Bailey can be heard on: VT135CD

Bampton Traditional Morris Dances (Oxfordshire)

  (photo: John Howson)

        Bampton Morris Dancers are one of the few sides who have an unbroken tradition of dancing, which they can trace back for hundreds of years. Members of the team still have to live in the village to be able to dance. When this recording was made the squire of the morris was Francis Shergold who had taken over after the death of their renowned fiddle player ‘Jinky’ Wells. Francis has now retired himself and has been made the honorary president of the team. The present squire is Tony Daniels who comes from another family of dancers within the village. The musician on the recording is in fact Francis' nephew, Jamie Wheeler. (John Howson)

Bampton Traditional Morris Dancers can be heard on: VTC1CD VTC4CD & VT111CDR

Cyril Barber (Suffolk)

  (photo: John Howson)

        Cyril was born into a large family in 1922 and his three brothers Sonny, Rip and Royal all played, danced and sang. The eldest brother, Sonny, was first to have an accordeon. As Cyril said, "When he was out of the way we'd all steal a tune on his music." Many of Cyril's songs he grew up with, as both his mother and father sang. The family home was Wingfield and it was around that area he first started to sing, play and stepdance. He told me, "Yes there was a lot of singing in the pubs around Wingfield. There was one old man who lived to be a hundred and he used to sing about 'shot and shell flying across the battle field' from the 1914 war. The folk used to sit there and tears came into their eyes."
        He would often keep company with the Whiting family, "Old Charlie Whiting, he could dance and sing a song!" and favourite pubs in those days would have been the Hoxne Swan and the Ivy House at Stradbroke.
        Cyril worked mainly on the land and he moved around quite a lot to find farm work, including a period in Cambridgeshire. In the sixties he moved to Felsham and worked for the council before retirement. In these later years he had almost stopped playing and singing: "Nobody wanted to hear those old songs any more" he told me. I'm pleased to say that many people are still interested in the old music and Cyril is always pleased to oblige with a tune, a step or a song.  (John Howson)

Cyril Barber can be heard on: VTC2CD VTC3CD VT130CD OH1CD & VTC10CD VTDC11CD 

Sonny Barber (Norfolk /Suffolk)

  (photo: John Howson)

        Sonny was born in 1908 in Wingfield, Suffolk but moved to Briningham, Norfolk in 1950. He was the oldest brother of Cyril Barber who is also featured in this collection. His was a musical family with mouthorgans and melodeons being the chosen instruments and their father had a host of old songs, some of which Sonny learned. Apart from picking up tunes from other musicians he met in local pubs, he also had an old gramophone and learned jigs and hornpipes from 78 rpm records. When he moved to Norfolk he soon met up with other local melodeon players like Pat Chesney and Billy Smith as well as stepdancer Dick Hewitt from Melton Constable. He said the The Hastings Arms in Melton Constable was a regular haunt for music and stepdancing until they put in a juke box.

Sonny Barber can be heard on: VTDC11CD 

Mark Bazeley (Devon)

(Mark with Bob Cann - photo:John Howson)   

(photo: Maggie Hunt)

        Mark Bazley is the grandson of the one of England's greatest melodeon players, Bob Cann. He grew up with his grandfather love of their native Dartmoor in Devon and with his encouragement to the play the concertina and melodeon and Mark became the fifth generation of family players. In 1988 when Mark was just 15 he recorded many tunes with Bob which can be heard on VT138CD.

        Apart from a large family repertoire Mark has continued to learn new tunes and in recent years has teamed up with accordion player Jason Rice, himself the grandson of another Dartmoor legend Jack Rice. They along with banjo player Rob Murch now lead the Dartmoor Pixie Band who play village halls all over their region. And increasingly the three 'lads' venture to venues all over the country gaining them a well deserved national reputation for their own traditional music led by Mark's powerful melodeon playing. (John Howson)

Mark Bazeley can be heard on: VTC1CD VTC4CD VT138CD VT139CD VT144CD  VT146CD

Billy Bennington (Norfolk)

 (photo: John Howson)

        Born in Norfolk in 1900, Billy spent most of his life as a gardener. His father kept the King's Head public house at Barford and it was he who gave Billy his first dulcimer. In 1912 he went to Hingham show and Billy Cooper was playing dulcimer there. Cooper's father was the bandmaster of the Hingham and Watton band, and Billy Bennington took lessons from him. 'Old Cooper's' rigid discipline made Billy practise hard.
        After the First World War, Billy Bennington teamed up with Billy Cooper and they played in Barford King's Head. It was there they joined up with fiddle player Walter Bulmer. On Saturday nights they would play in village pubs all over Norfolk, travelling around on a motorbike combination which had a basket on the front, where they would carry the two dulcimers and the fiddle. Later, Billy played with a banjo player and he busked at Great Yarmouth, which he described as "the best paid game going!" After the war he entered a national talent competition and reached the eastern region final. Unfortunately, he caught a hammer on a bridge and it landed in a judge's lap, thus preventing him winning! (John Howson)

Billy Bennington can be heard on::

 VTDC12CD (6 tracks on CD & 9 on DVD) 

 VT152CD (24 tracks)

Bob Blake (Sussex)

   (photo: Mike Yates)

        Bob was born in Tooting, south London, in 1908. Holiday visits to an uncle in Gloucestershire soon made Bob realise that he preferred the countryside to the city and he moved to the area around Horsham in Sussex when he was nineteen. He began working as a coach trimmer in a garage before he was able to work as a farm labourer and a gardener. Later he became a bee-keeper, with hives in Sussex and the New Forest.
        During the 1930's Bob began to spent his holidays cycling throughout southern England, picking up songs and tunes - he also played the fiddle - whenever he could. A quiet, thoughtful man, he sang mainly for his own pleasure (and, no doubt, for the pleasure of his bees!) although he did sometimes visit local folk clubs in company with Bob Copper, Bob Lewis and other Sussex singers. (Mike Yates)

Bob Blake can be heard on: VTC4CD
 

David Blick (Gloucestershire)

        The Roy Palmer book 'What a Lovely War' (Michael Joseph 1990) aimed to show the songs that were actually sung in the forces during war time and he collected songs from ex-service men and women to include in the book. David Blick was one of his sources. He lived in Newent, Gloucestershire and served in the REME in Germany in the late 1950s. (John Howson)

Bob Blake can be heard on: VTC1CD

George Bregenzer (London)
 

      George came from a Shoreditch family. He learned a number of songs before 1939 from a friend who was a T.A. member of the Royal Engineers. So, curiously, George took them into the army with him when he was called up. A tape he sent me (now in the British Library National Sound Archive) contains The Codfish, Hurrah for the CRE, a couple of fragments: A Soldier and a Sailor and I'm the Ghost of John James Christopher Bing plus two songs George learned in the 1920s, Maidstone Football Song and Vote, Vote, Vote. (Roy Palmer)

George Bregenzer can be heard on: VTC6CD

Brian & Darren Breslin  (Fermanagh)

Brian Breslin was born in 1931 and his grandson Darren Breslin was born in 1985 and they live in Lisnaskea, Co. Fermanagh, where Darren was born. Brian was born in Rosslea, and his father always had a fiddle in the house. His first influence was the renowned piper Sean McAloon who wrote out some notes for him. In the late 1950s Brian played with the Pride of Erin Ceili Band, then after a break he got back into playing, mainly at pub sessions. The fiddle he plays now was made locally for him by an old fiddle maker called John Gunn from Derrylin.Darren has been playing tin whistle and then the button accordion since he was eight. Apart from his grandfather, who was probably his strongest influence, he also greatly admired two local players Sean Nugent from Fermanagh and Sean McCusker from Tyrone. Darren comes from a large musical family and his father Tommy would play tunes with him every evening. Darren has won many provincial fleadh medals and in 2008 he won the Senior All-Ireland button accordion competition. He can also be heard on his solo CD 'All Ireland Champion'.

Brian & Darren can be heard on: VTC10CD 

Charlie Bridger (Kent)

(photo courtsey of Andy Turner)

        I was taken to meet Charlie in Kent by Andy Turner, a good singer in his own right. We recorded a number of songs from Charlie, including 'The Birds Upon the Tree', 'Little By Little', 'The Folkestone Murder' and 'The Zulu Wars'. Charlie had worked for most of his life in a near-by stone-quarry and had picked up his songs from his parents and work mates. (Mike Yates)

Charlie Bridger can be heard on: VTC4CD  VTC6CD

Jumbo Brightwell (Suffolk)

  (photo: Mike Yates)

         William ‘Jumbo’ Brightwell was one of Velvet’s eleven children, born in 1900 in Little Glemham. It was there he met an old sailor called Jumbo Poacher from whom he got his nickname. After the war in 1919 he returned to Leiston where he worked as a bricklayer’s labourer and then eventually started at Garrett’s and served twenty years as a shunter before retirement. He rarely missed a Saturday night in the 'Foot', where he would go with his father and brother, Bob. He learned his songs from local and visiting singers as well as, of course, from his father Velvet, although he told Keith Summers that 'The False Hearted Knight' came from his mother. E J Moeran seemed to think that Jumbo was not allowed to sing ‘out’ until he was fifty, but local thinking is that this was a wind-up and many remember him singing as a young man in the pub. He was also a champion quoits player and he would hear songs when playing at other pubs in the area. There is some confusion about the 1939 recordings as the BBC credited 'Pleasant and Delightful' and 'The Indian Lass' as being sung by him while it is clear that it is actually Velvet singing. Also, Jumbo does not appear on any of the 1939/40 photographs. Jumbo had a vast repertoire of songs and his wife Cathy (whom he married late in life) talked about a large book of songs of which he knew every one. He was visited and recorded by several collectors over the years, including Peter Kennedy in the 1950s, Neil Lanham in the 1960s, and Keith Summers and Tony Engle (Topic Records) in the 1970s. (John Howson)

Jumbo Brightwell can be heard on: VT140CD  VT154CD

Emma Briggs (Suffolk)

 (photo: John Howson)

When writing about Gordon Syrett in Mendlesham Green I mentioned the name Ted Thorpe and I met his daughter Emma Briggs in Thwaite. She learned to play melodeon by borrowing her father's when he was out, but it was her mother, Betsy Cooper from Battisford, who taught Emma the songs she sang, although they only ever sang at home. Emma's husband Harry Briggs also played mouthorgan and melodeon in several local pubs including another lively pub, the Thwaite Buck's Head.
 

Emma Briggs can be heard on: VTDC8CD

Velvet Brightwell (Suffolk)

(photo courtsey of Keith Summers)

         William ‘Velvet’ Brightwell was born 1865 in Little Glemham, he went to sea for a year or two in his early days but moved the family to Carrs Cottages then Archway Cottage, Leiston, in 1916 and worked as a plate-layer on the railway. He was a well educated man compared to his colleagues and could read and write very well, soon becoming foreman. He told Peter Kennedy that he had done forty-eight years and ten months ‘on the line’. He got his nickname of Velvet because of the velvet waistcoat and suit he favoured. He was a member of the ‘Royal Order of the Buffaloes’ and it was at their meetings that he enjoyed singing. He had a large repertoire of songs, was a regular at the Eel’s Foot, and at the centre of the 1930s recordings. Apart from these BBC recordings, the only others seem to be those he made at the age of 91 by Peter Kennedy in 1956 when he sang "Scarboro", "The Faithful Plough", "The Foggy Dew" and (learned from his father Robert), "The Loss of the Ramillies". Velvet died at the age of 95 in 1960. (John Howson)

Velvet Brightwell can be heard on: VT140CD
 

Tom Brodie (Cumberland)

(photo courtesy David Hay)

        Tom "Copper" Brodie, born at Cargo, near Carlisle, in 1906, sang 'The Birds Upon the Trees'. He was a fisherman and later a water bailiff on the rivers around Carlisle, until his retirement in the late 1960s. He learned from one Jack Hind of Rockliffe, another great fisherman. (Sue Allen)

Top Brodie can be heard on: VT142CDR
 

Percy Brown (Norfolk)

  (photo: Dave Arthur)

        Percy, a one-time woodman, chimney sweep and level-crossing keeper, had a large repertoire of song tunes, stepdances, polkas and other dance tunes and hymns. It was a hymn 'Here we suffer grief and pain', which Percy first learned to play as a small boy alongside his mother on an old single-row, four stop 'music', which he later discarded for his two-row Hohner melodeons. Percy always said that he liked 'to find the corners of a tune'. In common with the vast majority of traditional musicians, he learned all his music by ear and felt that written music 'flattened out the tune'. (Dave Arthur)

Percy Brown can be heard on: VTC5CD  VT150CD VTDC11CD
 

Alec Bloomfield (Suffolk)

(photo courtsey of Keith Summers)

        Alec was a tall man who worked as a gamekeeper. He lived in Westleton, then Benhall and then moved away to Nottingham. He became a favourite singer at the 'Eel's Foot' at Eastbridge, and a story that is still in circulation recalls the night when some ‘boys’ from Leiston were in the pub and landlady Mrs Morling couldn’t get them to leave. Alec was outside and she explained the problem. He went in, rolled up his sleeves and said, “Now who’s going to leave by the door and who’s going to leave by the window!” He was also recorded by Peter Kennedy in 1950 when he sang 'The Old Couple in the Wood', 'Stand You Up', 'The Old Mole Catcher', 'Burlington Fair', 'The Poor Little Soldier’s Boy', 'Bold General Wolfe', 'The Highwayman Outwitted', and 'The Ship that never Returned', Kennedy also recorded him for the BBC at Benhall in 1952, when he sang 'The Foggy Dew', 'The Cunning Cobbler', 'The Wild Rover', 'Young George Oxbury' (which came from his father, George). (John Howson)

Alec Bloomfield can be heard on:  VT140CD & VT154CD

Charlie Buller (Norfolk)

  (photo: John Howson)

        Charlie was born and lived all his life in Erpingham, Norfolk. Growing up in the heart of a melodeon playing area he reckoned every village would have someone who could play one and he could rattle off a list of local players: Ernie Barstead, Percy Davidson, George Sandle, one called Wickmere and one called Scarfe. Then there was the highly regarded players like Albert Hewitt and Percy Brown. Charlie and his brother-in-law played together and they bought matching melodeons to take around the local pubs. He also travelled out on a Saturday night with an old singer called Billy Cook who would sing in every pub they visted, like Trimingham Crown & Anchor, Mundesley Ship and Bacton Duke of York. Other outings ended in Cromer where he would play for the fishemen to stepdance and he reckoned Dick Davies was the best. In village halls in his locality he would also play for the Long Dance and other old dances like the Veleta, ‘The Boston Two-Step’ and the old Schottische.
 

Charlie Buller can be heard on: VTDC11CD 

Walter & Daisy Bulwer (Norfolk)

(photo courtesy of  Reg Hall)

        Walter Bulwer was born in 1888 in Shipdham, Norfolk and following an apprenticeship he worked as a self-employed tailor. He also cut hair and was well known for his taxidermy! His father played the fiddle and Walter was taught to read music at the age of four and played violin, viola, cello, piccolo, clarinet, tin whistle, trombone, mandolin and drums.

        He became heavily involved in the musical life of Shipdham and was a member of various bands. He also played in all the pubs in the village, sometimes with another fiddler called Brown. From an early age Walterpreferred to play by ear and enjoyed improvising and playing second parts.

        He liked to have piano accompaniment and when he met and married Daisy Hart, who was from the neighbouring village of Bradenham, she accompanied him on the piano. Over a period of forty years they played for hundreds of weddings in their locality. In later years they mainly played at home and it was there that Mervyn Plunkett and Reg Hall took Bill Leader to record them in the 1960s.

Walter & Daisy Bulwer can be heard on VT150CD
 

Edgar Button (Suffolk)

(photo courtesy of  Keith Summers)

        Edgar came from Middleton and then lived in Theberton and was a regular at the 'Eel’s Foot', Eastbridge. He was a strong singer and was recorded by Peter Kennedy in 1956 when he sang 'Blow the Candle Out', 'The Oak and the Ash', 'The Larks they sang Melodious' and 'The Foggy Dew'. That visit led to Edgar being invited to sing in London, taking the place of Jumbo Brightwell who would not go as he thought that he would be made fun of. Neil Lanham also recorded Edgar when he sang 'Ramble Away', 'Female Cabin Boy' and 'Swinging in the Lane'.  (John Howson)

Edgar Button can be heard on: VT140CD

Jack 'Dot' Button (Suffolk)

  (photo courtesy of Wilf Goddard)

        Lenny Button said that his father could play for hours and knew hundreds of songs. In early life Jack worked in insurance and then as a gardener at Lower Abbey Farm, near Leiston. He had a damaged leg, giving him a limp which accounts for his nickname. One of his daughters was recorded by Keith Summers under her married name of Aline Stollery (Topic 12TS375) and her son Eric recalled that Jack used to wear long leather buskins and ride a high old bike with his walking stick tied to the cross bar with a pair of boot laces and his accordeon on the back. He died in1955 aged 83. (John Howson)

Jack Button can be heard on: VT140CD

Packie Byrne (Co.Donegal)

  (photo: Brian Shuel)  

(photo: Doc Rowe)

        Packie Manus Byrne was born on 17th February, 1917, on a farm in Cockermore near Ardara, County Donegal. “Aye”, says Packie, “I was born in the heart’s blood of the mountain, seven miles from the nearest village or town.” He was the youngest of four children.... “We’d to walk four miles over the mountain to get to school, and my feet didn’t see a pair of shoes till I was nine!” The farm was one of few in a small community of Gaelic-speaking tenant farmers on land ravaged by brutal winters. “If they’d squeezed the water out of our land we’d have but ten acres out of thirty.”

        Music was the main form of entertainment wherever people gathered together. “Well, there was little else to do to keep you out of trouble. I remember going away over to my sister’s farm to see the cattle. I took Charlie Waters with me expecting to be but an hour or two. We were holed up for four days in a deserted house 'till I had every damn song he ever knew, and vice versa!”
        Packie’s life was filled with the songs and stories of those around him. His mother was a fine singer, as was Gran-Uncle Pat and Gran-Aunt ‘Big’ Bridget Sweeny. Every household had a musician in those days and there’d be a sooty, blackened fiddle hanging on the flag across the wall over the hearth. Packie’s father, Con Byrne was a matchmaker and would often be called across the mountains to discuss the merits of a suitable woman over a drink. “He was bred into compulsive talking and could always persuade any listener of the virtues of a particular wife: ‘That woman’d take music out of a fresh loaf!’ he’d say.” He was himself a fine singer though he preferred comedy songs and supplied plenty of comic material for Packie’s stories. He gave Packie many songs, amongst them a marathon with twenty four verses to it that Packie had once sung as slowly as he could while his dad was waiting to get away to a Poteen gathering, until he leapt up saying, “That’s not a song, that’s a bloody endurance test!” (John Howson)

Packie Byrne can be heard on: VT132CD

The Cantwell Family (Oxfordshire)

The Oxfordshire family the Cantwells came from the village of Standlake and were well known locally for their singing. Raymond and Frederick Cantwell were recorded by Peter Kennedy in 1956 when Frederick was 73 years old and a recording of them can be heard on RCD1778 ‘Songs of Seduction’. The next generation, John and Aurbrey Cantwell, have continued the family tradition and Gwilym Davies recorded John in the 1970s. (John Howson)

The Cantwell Family can be heard on: VTC7CD

Chagford Merrymakers (Devon)
 

  (photo courtesy of Ruth Askew)

(photo courtesy of Ruth Askew)

        Chagford is a small Devon  town on the edge of Dartmoor. Each year, in common with many other rural towns around the country,  they had a carnival. Originally known as a Jazz Band, the carnival was the reason  for the creation of the Merrymakers after the second world war. Peter Kennedy recorded them in the 1950s. Two of the key player were Jack and Les Rice, playing along side other local musicians like Ruth Askew, George Allen and Bob Cann. In  the 1980s a revival of the the Merrymakers took place with several of the original members including the Rice brothers. (John Howson)

The new Merrymakers can be heard on: VT144CD

John Campbell  (Co. Armagh)

(photo: Pete Heywood)

John Campbell was born in 1933 and lived most of his life in Mullaghbawn, Co. Armagh. He was brought up by his grandfather, gaining his early inspiration from the older generation of storytellers who gathered in his house. At fourteen he started work as a barman and then took a clerical job, rising to site manager, only to be made redundant in 1980. He also kept sheep and took first prize at the Royal Dublin Show. Apart from his exceptional storytelling he was also a fine singer, expert lilter and played the Jew's Harp. In the mid 80s he teamed up with traditional Armagh singer Len Graham and together they made two CDs, 'Ebb and Flow' (1998) and ‘Two for the Road' (2001). John died in 2006 and obituaries appeared in the Guardian and the Independent newspapers.

 John Campbell can be heard on: VTC10CD (1)

Bob Cann (Devon)

  (photo courtesy of Mark Bazeley)

  (photo courtesy of Mark Bazeley)

        Bob Cann's Dartmoor family is one of the few in England whose music making tradition spans five generations. He was always keen that one of family continued their musical tradition and when his grandson was ready he wanted them to be recorded together. At the time Bob was seventy one and his grandson, Mark Bazeley just fifteen years old. Mark continues to foster the family traditions and he now leads the country dance band Bob formed, the Dartmoor Pixies. (John Howson)

Bob Cann can be heard on:  VTC1CD  VTC4CD  VTC9CDR  VT138CD  VT144CD 

Charlie Carver /'Gypsy' Charlie (Suffolk)

 (Charlie Carver - second from the left -photo: courtsey of Freda Largent)

Charlie Carver was recorded by Desmond ans Shelagh Herring in 1960, inging in his local pub the Garndener’s Arms in Tostock. As we have been unable to contact any members of his family, we know little about him except that he worked on the land. Another Tostock family, the Everitts, did have memories of him and Charlie was a contemporary of Alfred Everitt who used to sing regularly in the Gardeners' Arms. His son George remembered Charlie singing one about ‘boring a hole went the cobbler, then up the wall went the painter and in and out went the tailor'. George’s sister, Freda Largent, who played the melodeon in the pub, also had memories of the old boys singing, particularly another local songster 'Shucker' Clarke' and her memory of Charlie was singing 'The German Watchmender' - including the rude bits! The Gardeners' was, like many pubs in the area, a lively hostelry on Friday and Saturday nights, and when the Herrings visited, there was another singer they recorded who was unnamed, as well as a stepdancer and singer who was known only as ‘Gypsy' Charlie.

Charlie Carver and 'Gypsy' Charlie can be heard on: VTDC8CD

James Carty (London)

(photo: John Howson)

        James Carty is the son of one of the stalwarts of the London Irish music scene, flute player John Carty.  James is one of those rare musicians born in London, who feels strongly about home in Ireland and who feels equally strongly about the old-style traditional music. Born in Whitechapel in the East End of London in 1969, he has the strongest of attachments to his father's home in Knockroe near Boyle, Co. Roscommon, where his brother John now lives, and his mother's place in Rosrue, Cashel, Connemara, Co. Galway. As a child he was brought up with the sound of his father and his elder brother John playing the flute and banjo at home, but he reckons he only began to take notice when he was about seven. He had a few tin whistle lessons at Brendan Mulkere's class in Whitechapel, and then he gave up playing for years, though as a teenage he hung about where the music was played. At twenty-three, at a significant point in his life the day after his mother died - Gregory Daly gave him a boxwood flute - a bag of gold dust - and, like many sons of flute players, he worked out how to play on his own. About seven years ago, he was taken down to the Crescent, and it was Joe Whelan and Liam Farrell who really got him going and had him playing there regularly for a couple of years.  James plays every Sunday in one of London's finest Irish music session at the Auld Triangle, Finsbury Park. (Reg Hall)

James Carty can be heard on: VT141CD

Harry Chambers (Suffolk)

(photo: John Howson)

        Although born in Laxfield, Harry Chambers is a Dennington man, having lived in the parish for over fifty years, where he worked on various farms before retirement. He actually lived in Owl's Green (which is a couple of miles from the centre of the village) not far from the famed melodeon player, Dolly Curtis's old cottage, and the Dennington Bell pub. Years ago, in most rural singing pubs, not everyone had a vast repertoire of songs but many of the company would have a couple of items ready in case they were called upon. Harry filled this role well with his classic drinking toast ' The Barley Mow' which was often used to end an evening. He told me that he learned the song "a lot of years ago at a farm worker's Union meeting held at Saxmundham.” (John Howson)

Harry Chambers can be heard on: VTC2CD

Ted Chaplin (Suffolk)

(photo source unknown)

        Ted was born in Eye but then made his home in various parts of the county. After living in Cranley Green he spent thirty years in the Henley and Barsham area, where he worked as a horseman and then as a farm manager. His next move was to Bacton, where he operated a coal business for twenty years, followed by a couple of years in Mendlesham and four in Wingfield. He finally settled in Mellis, although he didn't stop working as he spent a lot of his time at Tony Harvey's stables. From there he drove parties of vistors around the lanes in a horse-drawn carriage to sample a couple of hostelries and then back to Tannington for a meal.

        Ted sang a lot in his younger days, as he told me, " Well we used to get down to old Redlingfield Crown; what else was there to do? There was an old boy there used to come and play the accordeon: Wallie Harpie. He weren't an expert at it but he'd play a tune or two, but one night his boss came in and we said, 'Come on Wallie, strike up!' but he wouldn't play in front of him so that's when we started singing a song or two. The first song I ever sung in there was 'Nellie Dean', and I haven't sung it since. Then I moved over to Henley and got in with a chap there, worked at Cobbold's brewery, and I used to go about with him, down in Ipswich and about. Then village pubs we'd go sing a song in, like Coddenham Duke, Coddenham Crown and I suppose Henley Cross Keys was the main pub where we were known.

        There used to be an old boy, Herbert Page used to get in there with a fiddle and he'd sit in a corner, and rasp away. Well he couldn't play and I'd encourage him and everyone there would curse me. 'Play up Herbert: that's beautiful!' I'd say. Now I was in Swilland Half Moon and two chaps came in and sang several funny songs and the next night I went into Coddenham Duke and I sang those songs!"

        Ted's singing career then lapsed for thirty years, and I was fortunate enough to meet him just as he was starting again. That was in Brundish Crown: somebody said, 'Old Ted'll give you a song!' Up he got and gave us. 'The fellow that played the trombone' and he never looked back. (John Howson)

Ted Chaplin can be heard on:  VTC2CD  VTC3CD  VTC7CD

Jack Clark (Suffolk)

(photo courtesy of Eileen Morling)

        Jack was a thick set man and over six foot tall. He lived up the ‘Drift’ in Eastbridge and worked as a builder’s labourer, including several years working for Read’s of Aldeburgh. Eric Stollery worked with him and he said, ”Yes big Jack, he’d sing at work, we’d often have a rendering in the shed!” (John Howson)

Jack Clark can be heard on: VT140CD

Charlie Clissold (Gloucestershire)

(photo courtesy of Mrs E Clissold)

        Charlie was originally from Moreton Valence, Gloucestershire. His father was a farmer and when Charlie was left the farm he rented it out and then worked for the council. He was famed locally for his version of the song 'The Ledbury Clergyman', and, incidentally, for the quality of his home-made wine. His sister-in-law, Eileen Clissold remembered that wherever he went he would entertain everyone. A real character! (Mike Yates)

Charlie Clissold can be heard on: VTC4CD

Ted Cobbin (Suffolk)

(photo courtsey of Richard Cobbin)

      Ted Cobbin was born in 1906 in Parham but spent most of his life in Great Glemham. The family originally lived at the timber yard which was opposite the village pub, the Crown. Ted’s working life was spent as a general stockman on Lord Cranbrooke’s estate at Great Glemham where he tended the pigs, cows and sheep. Then in later years he looked after the horses, a job he continued with even after retirement. He was thought of very highly on the estate and when he died in 1975 they named a barn - ‘Cobbin’s Barn’ after him. Ted Cobbin played melodeon with Peter Plant in Great Glemham Crown and sang several songs sometimes, accompanied by Peter. He didn’t play anywhere else much, very rarely played at home and never sang there. His son Richard remembers: “My earliest memories of Dad’s music was when I was a boy. He’d be in the Crown here in the village and he’d ask me to get his accordion from home, because he didn’t want to see my mother ‘cos she wouldn’t want him to go back with it.”
 

Ted Cobbin can be heard on: VT154CD

John Cocking (South Yorkshire)

(photo: John Howson)

        John Cocking was born in Marsden, near Huddersfield in the South Pennines on 25th February 1938 and has lived there all his life. He was brought up to hill farming as a boy, where his greatest pleasure was working with heavy horses. He has for many years made his living as a dry-stone waller. He has also been the kennelman for the Colne Valley Beagles and hunted with them and with the Holme Valley Beagles.
        The old tradition in the area of making one's own entertainment at Hunt Suppers and Shepherds' Meetings also appealed to John, and soon he began making regular contributions, singing mainly hunting songs and performing comic monologues, particularly those he heard on the radio as a boy, performed by Stanley Holloway.
        Locally he was influenced by Arthur Howard of Mount Farm near Holme village. Arthur had a large repertoire of songs and monologues and although it is said that he was ‘discovered’ too late in life for the public at large to have the best of him, John met with him frequently at various gatherings and remembers him and his friend Frank Hinchcliffe (also of Holme village) bringing the house down at the end of evening after everyone else had done their bit. The other local performer of monologues teller was Ernest Dyson whom John met some thirty years ago and who continued learning new material into his seventies. (John Howson)

John Cocking can be heard on: VT143CD  VT147CD
 

Albert 'Diddy' Cook (Suffolk)

(photo courtesy of Wilf Goddard)

        ‘Diddy’ lived in Eastbridge in a cottage next door to Edgar Button and was one of the best known singers in the 'Eel's Foot', being highly rated by Jumbo Brightwell. He was a horseman and worked on Ropes Farm. He was once leading a pair of Suffolk Punches and was struck by lightning. He survived, although in a ragged state with the soles burned off his boots. Both horses were killed. (John Howson)

Albert Cook can be heard on: VT140CD

Harry 'Crutter' Cook (Suffolk)

        ‘Crutter’ (not directly related to the other 'Eel's Foot' singer ‘Diddy’ Cook) was described as a short fat man, who looked after the sluice gates when they were operated manually down at the marshes at Eastbridge. He lived in the sluice-man’s cottages and walked up to the Eel’s Foot every Saturday night. Apart from 'Duck Foot Sue', he was also remembered as singing 'Ramble Away' and 'Blow the Candle Out'. Also, Jumbo Brightwell said that he had learned 'Newlyn Town' from him, and Tom Goddard remembered him stepdancing. (John Howson)

Harry Cook can be heard on: VT140CD

Billy Cooper (Norfolk)

(photo: Eastern Daily Press)

        William Frederick (Billy) Cooper was born in 1883 in London but his family moved to Hingham, Norfolk when he was one.

        His father Frederick William Cooper became the bandmaster of Hingham and Watton Band. He also played euphonium but it was dulcimer playing for which he was particularly renowned. He taught Billy to play and when he had learned a couple of tunes, bought him a dulcimer of his own. Billy spent some time living with his brother in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk and played fiddle with his sister-in-law for local dances. He also played one-string fiddle, auto-harp and anglo concertina. In 1915 he joined the Suffolk Regiment and was put in charge of the fife and drum band and played the dulcimer for army services.

        Over the years he teamed up with other local musicians including fiddle player Walter Baldwin, auto-harp (later, guitar) player Jack Bunn and the younger Billy Bennington who had also been taught to play the dulcimer by Billy Cooper’s father.

        He was brought together with Walter and Daisy Bulwer by Mervyn Plunkett and Reg Hall to record for Bill Leader and the recordings were released on a limited edition LP in 1965.

Billy Cooper can be heard on  VTDC12CD & VT150CD

Dinks Cooper (Suffolk)

  (photo courtesy of the Walberswick Bell)

(Dinks Cooper - left)

        ‘Dinks’ Cooper was born in Walberswick in 1914 and was a longshore fisherman working in Sole Bay. He would sing in the local pubs particularly the Harbour Inn, accross the river in Southwold, which attracted many visiting musicians and singers.
        As he told Keith (from ‘Sing, Say or Pay’): “Those Seamans used to come down from Darsham here to Southwold a lot. They used to record down at the Harbour Inn by the BBC. We often used to hear them on the radio - Wilfred Pickles, that sort of programme. When they had the big flood (1953) I got stranded in that pub. The water was up to the top window and there was me and Ernie and a couple of others. When the water came in we only had time to grab twenty Woodbines and leg it upstairs. That's all we had between us for four days. I used to go round with them quite a lot at one time - all round Halesworth, Yoxford and up to the Buck (Rumburgh) - Ernie's cousin kept that.”
        He is still well remembered in his village as a local character, particularly in the bar of the Bell where, after he died in 1988, a brass plate was attached to the wall, which proclaims ‘Dinks' Leaning Post!’

Dinks Cooper can be heard on: VT154CD

Bob Copper (Sussex)

(photo: John Howson)

        Born 80 years ago in the village of Rottingdean, Bob is rightly regarded as one of the most important of England's traditional singers, coming from the countries foremost singing families. His own life story is well known through his books and his many radio and television broadcasts, but he remained a very approachable, down-to-earth man who was an inspiration to all who come in contact with him. His many talents also include painting and poetry and he could still be seen seasonally as Old Father Christmas in the Rottingdean Mummers. Since his retirement, he has even taken up musical instruments, playing concertina and melodeon. Former Life Guard and policeman and barber, Bob was a publican for most of his working life, mostly in Sussex, but briefly in Hampshire.  Bob Died in 2004. 

Bob Copper can be heard on: VT131CD 

John Copper (Sussex)

(photo: John Howson)

        John must have been one of the youngest traditional singers to be collected from as there are recordings of him aged 8 singing 'Hey He Sing Ivy' in the BBC Archives! By the time he was 16, he was able to start singing the bass line in the family's songs alongside his uncle Ron. When Ron died some 11 years later, John started to lead the bass line to his father's "treble". On the Coppersongs album he is joined in turn by his own children Ben, Lucy and Tom. As a solo singer, John is best known for spirited and beautifully timed interpretations of the humorous items in the family's repertoire, but he plays a leading part in the famous Copper family harmony singing, which these days is usually John with father, Bob, sister Jill and brother-in-law, Jon Dudley. John took over the running of The Central Club in Peacehaven after his father's retirement. (John Howson)

John Copper can be heard on: VT131CD 

Harry Cox (Norfolk)

  (photo courtesy of EFDSS)     (photo courtesy of Reg Hall)

        Harry was born in 1885 at Barton Turf, Norfolk and was a farm worker in the Barton and Catfield area all of his life. He was best known as a singer but he also played fiddle and melodeon. His grandfather stepdanced and his father, who sailed as a fisherman out of Yarmouth, played fiddle in local pubs, often being paid by the landlord to draw in the customers. Peter Kennedy and Alan Lomax recorded Harry’s playing in the 1950s and his repertoire included polkas, schottisches, waltzes and hornpipes. The recordings of his meldoeon playing were made three years before his death in 1971.

Harry Cox can be heard on: VTDC11CD

George Craske (Norfolk)

        George lived most of his live in Sustead, Norfolk. George learned to play melodeon from his father who was said to have several unusual tunes. When these recording were made he no longer played at home, but still kept a melodeon in the shed on his allotment and another at his friend Frank Ward’s house in the village. Frank was a good stepdancer and he and George would bike to pubs like Erpingham King’s Head and Alby Horseshoes or sometimes to Cromer. He played in village halls in his locality for dancing, usually along with a drummer, and had wide range of polkas, waltzes and barn dance tunes. He played the ‘Keel Row’ for a dance involving a poker or a rope laid flat on the floor and had jigs for the Long Dance and a score of hornpipes for stepdancing.

George Craske can be heard on: VTDC11CD

Bob Cross (Gloucestershire)

        A retired business man from Gloucestershire hardly fitted the perceived stereotype of the country singer - modern house, the latest expensive car. But, as a young man, Bob had learnt a number of songs, including a version of an ancient song that Cecil Sharp called 'Balaam and Egg', and which Bob called 'Green Lived Upon the Green'. As well as singing, he was also adept on the electronic keyboard, although I never heard Bob sing and play at the same time. (Mike Yates)

Bob Cross can be heard on: VTC4CD

Dolly Curtis (Suffolk)

(photo: John Howson)

        Dolly was the queen of Suffolk melodeon players with a very rhythmic style and an usual repertoire of tunes.. Dolly was discovered by Keith Summers during his researches in 1977 at Owls Green, Dennington, where her father used to keep the Bell Inn. It was there, as a young girl, that she heard the regular Saturday night music in the bar. The sources of her tunes were such notables as blind melodeon player Walter Read, and the Seaman family. Often added drive was provided by the pounding piano accompaniment of Brian Felgate who played regular engagements with her in various pubs all over the county.

Dolly Curtis can be heard on: VT130CD VT154CD & VTDC11CD

Charlie Cutmore (Essex)

  (photo courtesy of Neil Lanham)

        Charlie kept The Plough at Belchamp St Paul, Essex and learned the tune on this CD from his father, who was a step-dancer who had a square board with a cross in the centre and he would cross his feet over in various patterns while stepping. Like Monty Chapman, Charlie was a valued entertainer at local concerts.

Charlie Cutmore can be heard on: VTDC11CD

Dartmoor Pixie Band (Devon)

(photo: John Howson)

        Bob Cann led his own country dance band for many years in the 1950 and in the 1960s it became known as the 'Dartmoor Pixies' with an early line-up of melodoen, mouthorgan, drums and banjo doubling on Hawaiian guitar. A couple of decades later Bob was joined by his grandson Mark (Bazeley) on concertina. The line-up seen hear is Kath Mortimer (accordion), Bill Murch (mouthorgan), Bob (melodeon), Cyril May (drums), Mark (concertina) and Rob Murch (banjo). Rob was actually taught by the Pixies original banjo player Tom Barriball. (John Howson)

The Dartmoor Pixie Band can be heard on: VTC1CD & VT113CDR

Bob Davies (Norfolk)

  (photo courtesy of Richard Daives)

Bob was born in Cromer, Norfolk and lived there all his life. He was a fisherman and a member of the life boat crew in the 1940s when the coxwain was the famous Henry Blogg. He was taught to play melodeon by his uncle Jack and his cousin Taffy Thompson also played. Bob regularly played for the stepdancing which was a popular pastime with the Cromer fishermen in the Albion pub and the Lion and Bath Hotels in Cromer.

Bob Davis can be heard on: VTC5CD & VTDC11CD

Harry De Caux (Essex)

  (photo: Simon Ritchie)  

        Harry was born around 1910 in Norfolk and he learned to play melodeon from his mother when he was seven years old. Unlike many of the players in collection he player far and wide and became involved in the International Dance Scene in London and played at the Albert Hall in the 1920s. He moved to the Thaxted (Essex) area in 1960 and played for morris dancing as well as social dancing, when he would call the dances while playing. Harry also played in the pubs in the town, particularly for the carol singing. He played a Hohner Corona III melodeon which was claimed to be the first to come into Britain in the 1950s.
 

Harry De Caux can be heard on: VTDC11CD

Johnny Doughty (Sussex)

(photo: Doc Rowe)

        Johnny was born in Brighton, Sussex, in 1903, where he was brought up by his grandmother. Most of his early life was spent on the beach, rather than at school, where he helped out on the cockle and whelk stalls before he was strong enough to help the fishermen unload their catches. Johnny felt an affinity with the older sailors who spent their time net-mending at the St. Margaret's Net Arch, close to the Palace Pier. Here he learnt navigation rhymes and the rudiments of sailing, as well as many of the songs that he was to sing for the rest of his life.
        Johnny left school when he was thirteen and began herring fishing until he joined the Royal Navy in 1919. Leaving the Navy, he was forced to spend six years working in the Portslade gashouse - there being little work available at sea - until he had saved up enough to buy his first boat, the 'Lady Ethel'. Johnny had a succession of boats which he used for fishing in winter and for taking holiday trippers around the bay in summer.
        After the Second World War, Johnny was asked to take a boat to Rye Harbour and, liking the place, he stayed and made Rye his home. There he fished from his two boats, the 'Ocean Reaper 'and the 'Helen Mary', until he was no longer able to work. He did, however, continue to make shrimp nets and he even built a small smokery at the back of his house where he continued to smoke all manner of fish.
        During the last few years of his life Johnny was discovered by the folk revival and, having made a solo album for Topic Records, was invited to any number of festivals throughout the country, where he became something of a celebrity. (Mike Yates)

Johnny Doughty can be heard on:  VTC1CD  VTC5CD  VTC6CD  & VTC7CD 

Lucy Farr (Co. Galway, Ireland)

 (photo courtesy of Rambling House)    (photo courtesy of Reg Hall)  

                                                                                                                   (Lucy Farr plays a session with Joe Whelan)

        Lucy Farr was born in Ballinakill, County Galway and it was there she took up the fiddle. Between the mid-1930s, when she left home, and the early 1950s she stopped playing due to the demands of bringing up a family and working as a nurse. Then with the encouragement of her husband she re-discovered her musical interests and subsequently, figured prominently in London Irish music circles from  the 1960s on. She was thought by many to be one of the inspirational music to come out of these times. (John Howson)

Lucy Farr can be heard on   VTC1CD  VTC10CD  & VT123CDR

Liam Farrell (Co.Tyrone)

(photo: John Howson)

(photo courtesy of Reg Hall)

(Liam with the Raymond Roland Quartet)

        A complete account of Liam Farrell's musical activities would cover just about every social aspect of Irish traditional music-making, not only in London but in Ireland and America, too. It would be no exaggeration to say he has known and played with pretty well every musician of note during the 1960s, seventies and eighties, and perhaps just as importantly, everybody has known him and held his music in high regard. Set against a life of hard physical work on the buildings and in civil engineering, while priding himself that he has never failed to turn up for work in the morning, he has always found time for the informal session, a singsong with his work mates, a wedding here, a tune with a visiting musician there. Always ready to appreciate and praise other musicians to their face and behind their back, he has great tales and he knows how to tell 'em. He has hardly ever missed the annual Fleadh Ceoil in Ireland and, like Joe Whelan, he has kept up with what's going on in the music through Irish radio and television, the latest cassettes and CDs and generally keeping his ear to the ground. Concert hall tours of Ireland and America with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann presented opportunities for him to associate with the top musicians in New York and Boston and so on, and, though there wasn't any money in it, the after-hours craic was wonderful. There were invitations up north to play with the Liverpool Ceili Band and the fiddle player Jimmy Power chose him as his partner for his trip to Australia. Back in the 1970s, Liam was part of Le Cheili, a group of powerhouse musicians including Danny Meehan on the fiddle, P. J. Crotty on the flute, and the accordeon player, Raymond Roland. They made a couple of long-playing records, and Liam made other records with Bobby Casey and Vincent Griffin. It is good to have their artistry saved on vinyl, but it was all transitory; there's a great time to be had today and there's another session tomorrow.

Liam Farrell can be heard on: VT141CD

Hockey Feltwell (Norfolk)

 (photo courtesy of Keith Summers)

        Arthur ‘Hockey’ Feltwell, was born in the Fens near Southery, Norfolk and later moved into the town. After leaving school at ten he worked first as a horseman with his father, then with steam traction engines, but for most of his life he was a lorry driver.

        He learned songs from his father and other horsemen, and his five brothers sang and his eldest brother, Piper, also played the melodeon. He sang, often at darts matches, in all seven of the pubs in Southery but the Nag's Headwas his pub. It was the gathering place for singers in the town and Hockey was usually the leader. He was a great singer, but would change key during choruses! Sam Steele thought this was to confuse the other singers, and so remain the loudest. It was in the Nag’s Head that the recordings on this CD were made. Hockey also once sang on the radio from the BBC studio in Norwich, but there is no record of when this happened.

        Hockey Feltwell can be heard on: VT150CD.

Septimus Fawcett  (Teesdale)

Septimus Fawcett was born in 1928 at West Birk Hatt Farm, Balersdale, Co. Durham. His grandfather had moved there from Swaledale. Septimus was the seventh of eight surviving children and his grandfather and father (Simon, known as Sam) played the English concertina. They had a family band which played for dancing and included his brother Dick who still plays piano accordion around the Dales. Their grandmother used to stepdance and she taught one of their uncles who stepped in fell boots. Sam was recorded by Peter Kennedy in 1953 and the family are mentioned in the 1973 book 'Hannah' about the isolated life of Hannah Hauxwell. When Septimus started playing, his main source of tunes was his father’s repertoire and several of these tunes are now rarely heard elsewhere. Now in his eighties, he still plays in his local pubs.

Septimus Fawcett can be heard on: VTC10CD

Cecil Fisk (Suffolk)

         Cecil was born in 1920 in Bedingfield, where his family ran a building firm. When the Second World War broke out he was not called up, as building was a reserved trade, but in 1939, he volunteered aged 19, for military service. His army career was an eventful one which included travel to Nigeria and Sierra Leone, seeing action in Egypt. While in Libya he was captured and spent 2 years in an Italian prisoner-of-war camp before he and a friend escaped, crossing the Alps into Switzerland. The whole remarkable story can be found on www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar.
         In 1945 Cecil married his childhood sweetheart, May, while he was stationed in Aldershot. When they returned home they lived for many years in a cottage on Southolt Green before moving to a council house in Worlingworth.
         Locally, Cecil was best known for playing the drums which accounts for his strict timing with a dancing doll. He mostly played in Southolt Plough with piano player Eddie Stevenson, but also played in Brundish Crown, Dennington Bell and Worlingworth Swan with other local musicians.

Cecil Fisk can be heard on: VT154CD

Robert Forrester (Cumberland)

  (photo courtesy of Pam Forrester)

        Born in 1913 near Carlisle, Bob lived in the city and worked as a commercial artist for the Metal Box Company. He painted and sketched all his life, exhibiting in London as well as in Cumbria. His best known works locally are his two large, dramatic mountain murals, one showing 'Ancient Britons' at Castlerigg stone circle and the other a railway scene at Carlisle's Citadel Station, which are both exhibited prominently at Tullie House Museum in Carlisle. His songs and tunes came to him from his grandfather Joe, a well-known fiddler in the Bewcastle area at the end of the 19th century. Joe apparently enlivened the proceedings at many a wedding, christening and kern supper in that remote part of Cumberland. Robert Forrester died in 1988. (Sue Allen)

Robert Forrester can be heard on: VT142CDR

George Fradley (Derbyshire)

(photo: Mike Yates)

        George was born at Woodstock Farm in the village of Goldenhill, near Kidsgrove, Staffordshire, in 1910. When he was seventeen the family settled at Cubley Carr Farm, near Sudbury, in Derbyshire. Just about all of his family were musical and during the 1920's and '30's they had their own concert party, which performed throughout the neighbourhood. George learnt 'The Two Sisters' from his Aunt Bessie, who would sing it while milking the cows, and 'Last New Year's Eve' from his father. George first came to the attention of the folk revival through Roger Watson and John Tams and their group Muckram Wakes, who had performed at Sudbury Hall in 1972. In 1978 he teamed up with Tufty Swift and appeared at several Festivals before his death in 1985. (Mike Yates)

George Fradley can be heard on: VT114CDR  VTC1CD  VTC4CD  VTC6CD  VTC7CD  VTC7CD & VT114CDR

Eli Frankham  (Norfolk)

Eli Frankham was born in 1928 in a horse-drawn vardo at Chanctonbury Ring in Sussex. For much of his young life, he travelled in southern England, until his family bought land in the Hampshire village of Horndean, which is close to Petersfield where in 1908 a Mr E. Frankham sang the 'The Ups and Downs' to folk song collector George Gardiner (Marrowbones p.97 EFDSS 1965). Eli became a professional boxer, starting his career in fairground boxing booths and he
kept and traded horses all his life. The family moved to the Wisbech area of Norfolk and Eli founded the National Romani Rights Association. He became known to Travellers across Britain and Europe, being a gifted linguist with a fine command of the Romany language. Eli enjoyed singing and telling stories and collected and wrote poems about Romany life. He died in 2000 aged seventy two and an obituary appeared in the Guardian.

Eli Frankham can be heard on: VTC10CD

Hubert Freeman (Suffolk)

 (photo: John Howson)

        Hubert was born in 1925 at Ashfield in mid-Suffolk and moved to Monk Soham at nine. At twenty-three he married and moved to Bedingfield where he worked as a farm manager until his retirement in 1990's.
        He comes from a family of singers: his father and mother both sang, as did his uncle 'Hack' who used to be landlord of Bedfield Dog. Hubert's father Jim sang in many pubs in the area and one of his favourite songs was 'I came home one night' (Seven Drunken nights'). When I asked Hubert how he started singing he told me, "Well I used to sing at different parties and that, but I never sung in the pubs. The only time I used to sing in the pubs - well I'll tell you what happened. I knew several little songs and when I was about fifteen or sixteen I used to go to Monk Soham Oak on a Saturday night. I used to have half a pint, and I was only a little old short boy, and they'd say, 'Stand old Hubert on the table.” (John Howson)

Hubert Freeman can be heard on: VTC3CD & VTC4CD

Louie Fuller (Sussex)

(photo: Maggie Hunt)

(Louie in the Volunteer Inn Sidmouth with George Withers)

        Louie was born in Woolwich in 1915 and came south to Copthorne after being bombed out during the second world war. She is a singer of great spirit and style and her enthusiastic, smiling delivery of her songs won her admirers wherever she chose to perform them. As Louey Saunders, she was collected from in 1960 by Ken Stubbs and her version of 'Hopping Down in Kent' enjoyed enormous popularity. She remembed her yearly visits as a youngster to the hop-fields as great place for singing and story-telling as well as family parties and other celebrations. She learned her songs from both her parents and always looked for any opportunities to share them with a range of audiences, from between the bingo games at her local old people's club to pub sessions and folk clubs and festivals. (John Howson)

Louie Fuller can be heard on: VT131CD

Charlie Giddings (Cambridgeshire)

     (photos courtesy of Viginia Smart)

        Charlie Giddings was born in Scaldgate near Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire in 1875. He moved to Fen Drayton in the 1930s where he became horseman on a land settlement. This was a scheme that enabled unemployed people, particularly miners from the North and Wales, to have three acres of land to work on. There were 54 holdings in Fen Drayton.

        Charlie sang mainly in the village local, The Three Tuns. He had his own seat which nobody else was allowed to sit in. He would visit the pub most nights for a couple of beers and that was where he did his singing. He did sing at home, but his wife was very religious and not keen on drink and would say ‘Drink comes in and wit goes out!’

       He was a real ‘fen tiger’ and knew all the well known fen skaters like Turkey Smart, Fish Smart and George See. During the winter, water was let out of the dykes to flood the fields, leaving the silt on the ground to act as a fertiliser. When the water-logged fields froze over, Fen men (known as ‘Fen Tigers’) put on their special skates, and held speed skating
competitions. For most of the year, in order to visit Peterborough they would have to walk, but in the winter, when the dykes were frozen, Charlie would skate from Whittlesey to Peterborough. They would also make the trip competitive with a prize of a hundredweight of coal or a bag of oranges: an exotic prize in those days! Charlie died in 1964.

Charlie Giddings can be heard on: VT150CD

Fred Ginger (Suffolk)

 (photo courtesy of Brian Ginger)

        Fred maternal grandfather Mr Rous kept the Eel’s Foot in Eastbridge from 1906 to 1922, and Fred’s mother met his father when she was working in service in London. His mother and father kept the pub for seven years before the Morlings took it over. Fred was born in 1910 and married one of Velvet Brightwell’s daughters, Dora, and lived in a cottage in Eastbridge. He worked for the river board and then on the railway at Leiston as a plate-layer. He didn’t seem to have many songs but his star turn, 'The Old Sow', was the only song broadcast by the BBC from the 'Eel's Foot' in both 1939 and 1947. Fred died in 1984. (John Howson)

Fred Ginger can be heard on: VT140CD

Tom Goddard (Suffolk)

  (photo courtesy of John Goddard)
 

        Tom, who lived on the common at Eastbridge, was a poacher cum gamekeeper whose last job before retirement was as a rat catcher for the council. He told Keith Summers that he had learned some songs in Lowestoft when he went fishing. “I like a good fishing song!” Alec Bloomfield learned 'Buttercup Joe' from him, and mentioned that he also sang an American song called 'Swinging in the Lane'. Jumbo Brightwell remembered him singing 'Three Hebrews' and 'Australia'. Tom died in 1977 at the age of 75. (John Howson)

Tom Goddard can be heard on: VT140CD

Archer Goode (Gloucestershire)

        Although resident in Cheltenham for the last forty-odd years of his life, Archer Goode - 'Goode by name and nature', according to his friends - had been born in Abergavenny and was a farm-worker for most of his life. He had loved to work with horses and had many fond memories of his days in rural Wales. During the 1930's Sam Bennett, the well-known Morris Dancer from Ilmington in Warwickshire, would visit Abergavenny. Archer became friendly with Sam and soon picked up a number of Sam's songs, including 'Jan's Courtship'. (Mike Yates)

Archer Goode can be heard on: VTC4CD

Watty Graham (Cumberland)

        Wat Graham was a native of Longtown in the north of Cumberland, almost on the Scottish border. The border country is full of Grahams, and when recorded Watty tells about the clan and plays the 'Cumberland Reel' on his melodeon. (Sue Allen)

Watty Graham can be heard on: VT142CDR
 

George Green  (Cambridgeshire)

  (photo courtesy of W. H. Palmer)

        George Green was born in 1895 and died in 1975 and lived in Little Downham, Cambridgeshire.

        George Frampton’s booklet ‘Necessary to Keep up the Day’ tells us that George Green never married and worked as a farm labourer. He also trapped linnets and finches, which were sent live to London, probably for sale as singing birds. He and his brother were also engaged in ‘trammelling’ larks at night-time, by sweeping across the fields with a net held between two poles, a light being used to frighten the birds into flight and into the nets. The light would also disturb hares, and needless to say, these were bagged as an added bonus and also dispatched to London. During the Great War he was employed to dig acres of fruit gardens for local grower "Daddy" A.W. Chambers.

        He was the melodeon player for the Little Downham Molly Dancers and was photographed with them in 1932. Molly dancing was usually conducted on Plough Monday (the first Monday after Epiphany) and was at one time widespread in the Fens. It was usually danced by men but with of the team dressed as a woman who was known as the molly. The
other dancers wore ordinary working clothes which were decorated with ribbons, as the photograph shows. The dances were quite simple compared to Cotswold morris dances and the music was what you would expect for country dancing.

Watty Graham can be heard on: VT150CD & VTDC11CD

Harry Green (Essex)

             (photos courtesy of Chrissie Andrews)

Harry Green was born in 1874 and lived in Essex all his life. In 1899 he moved into the farm cottage in Tilty where these recordings were made, and it was there that he died. He and his wife married on the same day as one of his sisters and each couple had nine children. His last surviving daughter Chrissie looked after him for 32 years after her mother died in 1937. Chrissie told me that in his younger days Harry used to travel to Chingford with his father, to mow the grass. He used to say that he'd been to 'hay country'. After that he worked on a farm before working for the council for forty years. He would trim the sides of the road and clear out the gulleys and ditches with a set of rods and the gang he worked with were known as 'Lengthmen'. He would have a sing-song with his old friends mostly in 'The Rising Sun' at Duton Hill and if was there that he learned The Merchant's Daughter and the Highwayman from an old boy called Bill Patient. Harry rarely sang at home, he was a pub singer and Chrissie remembered that the two old mates he used to go out with were 'Hunch' Legerton and George Perry. Occasionally there would be an accordion player and somebody would get up and stepdance. Then there was 'Buster' Brown who used to sing lots of songs particularly when there was a coach outing. When Fred Hamer visited to record his songs, Harry would limit him to five songs each visit almost as if he was rationing them out so that Hamer would return. Harry told him that The Nutting Girl came from old 'Singing Jimmy' around sixty to seventy years ago (in 1967), but he wouldn't sing it if there was a lot of women about, particularly as he would often sing the last line as: 'Perhaps he'll make your belly swell and break your apron strings.' Harry Green was obviously a real old character, and you can almost see the sparkle in his eye when he recites The Pear Tree or the epilogue to Down in the Fields and Ladies Won't you Marry. He is still fondly remembered in the Great Dunmow area and it is good to know that some of his songs are being sung once more.

Harry Green can be heard on: VT135CD

Glynn Griffiths (Suffolk)

 (photo: John Howson)

Master of the chromatic mouthorgan Glynn Griffiths was originally from Wales before settling in Cockfield Green, Mid-Suffolk. He played in Thorpe Morieux Bull and Felsham Six Bells, where on a Saturday night he would meet up with Tom Williams as well as lots of local singers including Billy Goddard, George Gooch and Jack Smith. The Bells was always a lively pub and it is, of course, where the title of ‘Many a Good Horseman’ comes from.

Glynn Griffiths can be heard on: VTDC8CD
 

Charlie Griggs (Suffolk)

 (photo: courtsey of the landlord of the Unicorn)

The best known four stop one-row melodeon player around the pubs of Stowmarket in Mid-Suffolk was Charlie Griggs. He worked for much of his life as a farm labourer and played in just about every pub in the town, although his favourites were the Greyhound, the Walnut Tree and the Unicorn. He started playing at home at an early age for sing-songs with his
brother Frank, who played violin. Their father, Tom Griggs, stepdanced and played melodeon and Charlie apparently learned dance tunes such as jigs and hornpipes from him. Charlie's daughter Mrs Miller, who gave me information about him and provided the recordings, remembered that he'd be playing in the pub, then he'd stop and play 'How Dry Am I?' and someone would get him a pint. He died in 1975 when he was in his early eighties.

Charlie Griggs can be heard on: VTDC8CD
 

Gordon Hall (Sussex)

(photo: John Howson)

        Gordon Hall, the son of Mabs Hall, was born in south London in 1932. Seven years later the family moved to Leeds, then Swansea, before settling in Horsham in Sussex, where coincidentally, their first home, (34, The Bishopric) had once been home to Henry Burstow, one of the great Sussex folksingers. Old Henry would, I'm sure, have been smiling in his grave had he known that another singing family had taken over his old house. Gordon's love of singing was nurtured in Horsham and he picked up songs wherever he could. In 1984 Gordon and Mabs met Bob Copper, who encouraged them to sing in public. Sadly, Gordon died in the year 2000 and is missed by all who knew him. He was, as Bob Copper has said, "a one off...(who was) absolutely irreplaceable." (Mike Yates)

Gordon Hall can be heard on: VTC4CD VTC5CD VT131CD & VT115CD

 
Mabs Hall (Sussex)

(photo courtesy of Mike Yates)

        Mary Josephine Hall (Mabs, as she was always known) was born on 12th October 1899 at Cheal Cottage, Wivelsfield, West Sussex. Her earliest memory of singing in her family was her mother, who sang snatches of hundreds of songs and her father, who knew many long songs: the first songs she remembered them singing were Cecilia and Come Write Me Down. Then there was her Uncle Dick, who played mouthorgan and mandolin and Harry, her sister’s husband, who played accordeon. Dick was not really an uncle but a lodger with her sister and Mabs first heard A Sailor from Dover sung by him, and Harry would sing McCaffery. Another singer she remembered was an early boyfriend of hers called Sam Starr who lived on a farm at Ripe, near Lewes, East Sussex. When Mabs visited him he would sing ‘There was a country blade who loved a country maid’ usually in the barn while cutting chaff.Mabs had a remarkable memory but reckoned that she had forgotten more songs than she could remember. She spent her life singing, whether it was at work, at home on her own or even walking down the street. She often remarked that when she was younger if she heard a song once, she could sing it. Mabs died on the 16th November 1992.
 

Mabs Hall can be heard on: VTC4CD  VTC5CD & VT115CD

Reg Hall (London)

(photo: John Howson)

(Reg Hall playing piano with Joe Whelan, Liam Farrell, and James Carty)

(photo: John Howson)

(Reg Hall -with sound restoration expert Charlie Crump)

        Reg Hall has lived most of life with some sort of involvement in traditional music. He played melodeon with Sussex concertina player ScanTester and with other influential English traditional musicians in Norfolk like Walter and Daisy Bulwer and Billy Cooper. He plays fiddle for Bampton Traditional Morris Dancers and is a musician for the Blue 'Oss May Day dancers in Padstow Cornwall. In the 1950s he was at the core of the vibrant Irish music scene in London, becoming known as a rock steady piano player. He was the editor of the important Topic 'Voice of the People' series working closely with the sound restoration expert Charlie Crump who he knew through his other great interest in New Orleans Jazz. In recent years he has been a visiting research fellow at the University of Sussex from where he has now been awarded  his doctorate. (John Howson)

Reg Hall can be heard on: VT141CD 

Ray Hartland (Gloucestershire)

       Mike Yates was taken to the village of Turley by Gwilym Davies to meet Ray Hartland: a true Gloucestershire character, he had a broad local accent and ran a dairy farm. He also made cider and the local delicacy ‘Plum Jerkin’. On a Saturday afternoon his friends, including local singers Roger Lewis and George Boucher would meet in his cider house and sing songs while sampling his wares in horn mugs. Ray had a repertoire of about twenty songs and he enjoyed writing parodies of songs. One of his best known was about fishing for elvers (eels). Ray died in the 1980s and the cider business continues but unfortunately the singing doesn’t!  (John Howson)

Reg Hall can be heard on: VTC7CD

Charlie Hancy (Suffolk)

(photo: John Howson)

        During a discussion about old singers in an Oulton Broad pub I was told that I should pay a visit to Charlie Hancy in Broad Street, Bungay as he would sing me some songs, and he certainly did. In fact within minutes of me entering his home he was singing to me with that wonderful rich voice and immaculate pacing. Apart from singing me some interesting and unusual songs he also told me much about his life:
        "I never did live anywhere else than Bungay. I was born in Bungay in the next street from here in 1899. Well the town's changed, like when I was going to school there was only about two bicycles, old penny farthings. Then motorbikes came along. I knew the first motor car in Bungay, old Doctor Ransome had it.
        "My people were in the hay trade, they did nothing else only in that trade. Well we supplied Norwich, Lowestoft, Yarmouth or Southwold. Where ever we needed to go to. I've been to the barracks in Norwich and all the brewers in Norwich. I used to drive a horse then, I'd drive three. We'd sometimes leave at one o'clock in the morning. I used to sing like hell in the morning. I was done seven times for being asleep in charge of the horses. Bloody policemen would wait up for you, they'd wait in one of these old cart sheds.
        "I've been to just about every fair in England after horses. That's where you used to hear old songs from the old gypsy boys. Then there would be ploughing matches and afterwards they'd get up and sing a song and someone else would get up and sing one. That is how it used to be. There used to be one regular at St James' White Horse; all around the villages, Rumburgh - they had drawing matches. There'd be prizes of money or a spade or a fork and the old farmer would get his bloody field ploughed up for nothing!
        "In the pub opposite here they used to tap dance on the tables. I remember one old boy would take a watch out of his pocket and dance over it and never break it. They used to call him old 'Lively' Hood. Then there was those old boys the Parravani, the Italian ice-cream people. Their father first came about here in the thirties. He'd play accordion and go from one pub to another. Then Walter Nobbs, he was real good on the accordeon. He had an old squeeze box first, then a piano accordion."

Charlie Hancy can be heard on: VTC2CD  VTC7CD  &  VTC3CD

Tony Harvey (Suffolk)

 (photo: John Howson)

        The Harvey family have lived and farmed in Tannington since the turn of the century on what became one of the largest farms in the county. Tony has been keen on singing all his life and he used to love to hear his grandfather sing to him. In may ways he has been a song collector himself, but always in the belief that songs are for singing. I have often heard him say of a song he's never heard before, "Now there's a good song", and I'd know he would want the singer to write the words out for him. If it had not been for Tony's enthusiasm I am sure many of the songs sung locally would had been lost. Several of his local pubs have been good for singing, like Brundish Crown, Dennington Bell and Laxfield Low House, but the nights I will never forget were those he organised at Framlingham Hare and Hounds in the days when the late Jimmy Finbow was landlord. Well into his nineties, Jimmy would sit in his old chair by the fire surveying a gathering of some of the finest local singers crammed into his tiny bar.
        Apart from singing, Tony's other great love is for his horses: he has been the master of the local hunt, Easton Harriers, and for many years has collected horse-drawn carriages, carts and gypsy caravans, undertaking several charity drives in them to Appleby horse fair and to the Derby at Epsom He has run a business providing horse-drawn outings from Tannington Hall. Several local pubs would be visited and if you were lucky you might have got a song or two from the driver! (John Howson)

Tony Harvey can be heard on: VTC2CD  VTC3CD 

Mary Ann Haynes (Sussex)

(photo: Mike Yates)

        Mary Ann Haynes was born in a caravan behind the 'Coach and Horses' in Portsmouth, Hampshire, in 1903, the daughter of a horse-dealer. As a young girl she travelled throughout southern England with her family to fairs and markets, and as she told Mike Yates, "We used to go to the vinegar and pepper fair at Bristol, then to Chichester, Lewes, Canterbury and Oxford, then up to Appleby and back down to Yalding." Later she settled in Brighton, Sussex, where, following the premature death of her husband, she brought up a large family single-handed on her earnings as a flower-seller. Mike Yates recorded nearly a hundred old songs from her and, while precise details of where she learned and performed them is not known, it is almost certainly within the close-knit traveller community. (Reg Hall from the 'Voice of the People')

Marry Ann Haynes can be heard on: VTC1CD  & VTC6CD

Len Heyward (Gloucestershire)

     When Mike Yates visited Gloucestershire in 1975 he was taken by Gwilym Davies to meet and record Len Heyward who was then well into his eighties. Mike remembered that Len lived in a house which was in imminent danger of flooding from the rapidly swelling river Severn. Wassail was the only song that was recorded. (John Howson)

Len Heyward can be heard on: VTC6CD

Dick Hewitt (Norfolk)

  (photo: John Howson)

        I first met Dick Hewitt at his home in Briston, near Melton Constable, after some trusty advice given to us by Anne Marie Hulme and Peter Clifton about whom we should visit on our first sortie into North Norfolk. Within minutes of entering Dick's house a tape was playing of his late father Albert Hewitt, a great melodeon player who had been recorded by the BBC in the 1950’s. Dick got the step-dance board out and away he went! He was probably the best East Anglian stepdancer I ever saw. (John Howson)

Dick Hewitt can be heard on: VTVS05/06 & VT150CD
 

Ivor Hill

Another Gloucestershire singer introduced by Gwilym to Mike Yates was Ivor Hill of Bromsberrow Heath. The Hills were a singing family and they favoured local carols. They can be heard singing The Holly and the Ivy on another of Mike’s recordings, ‘The Birds Upon the Tree’ (MTCD333). The village of Bromsberrow Heath was also known for morris dancing and the Hill family certainly had associations with it. Sadly Ivor was killed on his bicycle just after these recordings were made.  (Gwilym Davis & John Howson)

Ivor Hill can be heard on: VTC7CD

Frank Hinchliffe (Yorkshire)

(photo Mike Yates)

        Frank was born in 1923 at Fulwood, near Sheffield in south Yorkshire. He had a large repertoire of songs and local carols. The songs came originally from his family and his community. He was a quiet, introspective singer, his gentle voice almost hiding his mastery of vocal story-telling. According to scholar Ian Russell (who has written much about him) his singing had an appealing, almost plaintive quality that reached out to his audience. This recording was made late at night, after Frank had spent the day gathering hay, when he must have been quite tired. Nevertheless, it does show a true a craftsman at work. He was, I think, one of the finest singers that I have met. (Mike Yates)
 

Frank Hinchliffe can be heard on: VTC7CD

Mrs Howard (Suffolk)

(photo courtesy of Eileen Morling)

(Mrs Howard 2nd from the right)

        Louisa’s father was a sailing fisherman from Thorpeness known as ‘Khedi’ Wilson, who always wore a fisherman’s jersey and was said to tar his feet! He was a renowned stepdancer and had two other daughters, Maud and Nora who could also step, but that was mainly at weddings, not in the pub. The melodeon player who plays for Louisa on the 'Eel's Foot' recording was not identified by the BBC but it couldn’t be Jack Button as he had moved to Hampshire to live with his son in 1946. Louisa Howard’s daughter, Flo (now Flo Ling) suggested that it was her father Ernie Howard playing.
        Louisa also sang and Peter Kennedy recorded her in Thorpeness in 1956 singing "The House of Ill Fame" and "Scarboro". On that occasion she was accompanied by Ernie on melodeon. She died in 1972 aged 79. (John Howson)

Mrs Howard can be heard on: VT140CD

Ray Hubbard (Norfolk)

(photo courtesy of Ray Hubbard)

        Ray Hubbard was born in 1933 at Langmere, South Norfolk, a true countryman who has spent his life playing music, singing songs and entertaining across East Anglia. Ray remembers lots of music at home, “Well it was in the days before television.” His father played the accordeon as did his mother. They also both played the mouthorgan, and his father could play the mandolin. “So it was Saturday nights, not so much during the week. It was get the musics out and have a sing-song. I suppose I wanted to play from just about when I was born.”

        Some of Ray’s earliest musical memories were when he visited his grandfather and grandmother on his mother’s side. His grandfather played the concertina and was also a steel quoits player and would often take his concertina with him for an after match sing-song, particularly to Oakley Green Man and Billingford Horseshoes where the quoits bed was just behind the pub next to the windmill (see cover photo). Ray remembers being taken as a youngster by his mother to see his grandfather play quoits. His grandmother played the mouthorgan and he recalls that it was kept in the knife and fork drawer underneath the table. It was always, “Come on Granny, get the mouthorgan” and she did, and that was that”. His grandfather took more persuading however, and wouldn’t get up and get his concertina from the cupboard behind his chair - grandmother would have to get it out and then he would play it.

        Ray’s grandparents on his father’s side weren’t musical as far as he was aware but his uncles were, and so there was always an accordion there standing on the top of the chest of drawers alongside the gramophone and it was that accordion that his father learned on, alongside his brothers. Ray remembers that they would go up to their house and his uncle would play the accordion and then he would put a record on the gramophone and would dance Ray around the table. His grandmother, who was getting old then, would say, “Now you can cut that out now George, he don’t want that, he’ll hurt himself.” But he carried on and would say, “You’re all right, ain’t you boy?”

        In 1954 Ray wed his childhood sweetheart Pamela, who had lived just up the road from him in Langmere. In fact she was the daughter of the retired horseman at Langmere Hall he'd worked for. Ray and Pamela started the Concert Party that was known as ‘Norfolk Bred’ and which of course gave us the name for his album.

 Ray Hubbard can be heard on: VT155CDR

Stan Hugill (Merseyside)

(photo: David Williams and Beryl Davis)

        Stan Hugill was born in 1906 at Hoylake in the Wirral, where his melodeon playing father was coastguard. Stan inherited from his seafaring grandfather the texts of the shanties he had noted down, forming the starting point of the collection that Stan subsequently made.
        His first ship, a steamer, was wrecked, whereupon Stan vowed to transfer to sail! His voyage on the 'Gustav' made him a Cape Horner for the first time, and a passage on the Liverpool registered 'Garthpool' in 1929 became his first as a shantyman, the man for the job being the one confident enough to do it and able to gain the respect of his shipmates. The 'Garthpool' was a very leaky ship and Stan's rendition at the pumps of 'Fire down below', shortly before the ship was wrecked, gave him the honour of being the last man to sing a shanty in action on a British vessel.

        Stan's formal education ceased at 14, though he never stopped learning, teaching himself at least nine languages and writing or compiling numerous books and articles, including 'Shanties of the Seven Seas', the shantyman's bible. (Tony Molynieux)

Stan Hugill can be heard on: VTC5CDR & VT127CDR

Len Irving (Cumberland)

        Len Irving, who sings 'The Lish Young Buy-a-Broom' on VT142CD 'Pass the Jug Round', was born at Wreay in 1889, and was station master there for 12 years.  (Sue Allen)
 

Len Irving can be heard on: VT142CDR

Fred Jordan (Shropshire)

(photo: Doc Rowe)

        Fred Jordan was born on 5th January, 1922 in Ludlow, Shropshire. He was one of England's finest singers of traditional songs, and his ability to tell a story through song was second to none. He first came to the attention of the folk revival in 1952 when only thirty years of age, and over the following fifty years he entertained audiences from his native Corve Dale in Shropshire to concert halls throughout the country. He learnt his songs from his family, from his work-mates and from travellers, and he sang them in the pub on a Saturday night. Then he was invited to sing in folk clubs, concerts and festivals, and his repertoire grew as he heard more songs and singers at these events. His occupation, his life-style and his songs were of the nineteenth century, yet his singing context became the twentieth-century folk revival. (John Howson)

Fred Jordan can be heard on: VTD148CD 
 

John Kennedy (Co. Antrim)

(Photo: Dave Humphreys)

John Kennedy was born in the townland of the Craigs in Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland on 31st August 1928. His mother was a very fine singer as was his grandmother and it was from her that he learned his first two traditional songs at the age of eight. In the area around the small town of Cullybackey the rivers  tumbles down the hill side into near by Lough Neagh providing power for the flax and other mills. The people who lived there were obsessed with music and song and it continued in both the home and in the factory. Not only does John have a wide and varied repertoire of songs he is also a masterful fife and whistle player and many of his tunes are from the strong tradition of Orange marching bands. (John Howson)

John Kennedy can be heard on: VT137CD

Jimmy Knights (Suffolk)

(photo: Mike Yates)

     Jimmy Knights was born in 1880 in the same house in Debach where his father and grandfather had been born. When the First World War erupted he spent four years in France. Returning unscathed, he travelled the country particularly Scotland and Yorkshire, as a stallion leader, a job he did for twenty years. Keith described his first meeting with him in 1975: ‘Holy Jim’ is Suffolk's answer to Charlie Wills - a tiny, red-faced man with a white moustache and trilby hat, Jimmy, well into his 90s, still enjoys his beer at his favourite pub, still has an eye for the girls, and can still give out with some great songs in a beautiful clear voice. I first met Jim on a bitterly cold day, thumbing back home. I noticed this little old chap walking down the road followed by his pet duck, and we soon got chatting. I told him I had just recorded a singer in a nearby village. "Cor blast" he said "I've forgotten more songs than he knows". At this point my first lift in two hours arrived and I had to go. Luckily the driver knew Jimmy and told me where I could meet him, which I shortly did. Jimmy played a banjo which he had bought in Hull during his travels. He had learned to play fiddle a bit as a boy and then found he could knock out local tunes he knew on the banjo like Jack's the Lad, Devil and the Tailors, but it was his songs he was best known for. He sang in many of his local pubs like Bredfield Castle, Clopton Crown, Charsfield Horseshoes and Hasketon Turkey (Turk's Head) and said that he had first visited a pub when he was ten. He met and heard a lot of the older singers and it was from them he gathered his large and unusual repertoire of songs; singers like Charlie Stiff, Charlie Chaplain, Harry Finch, Lom Archer, Jim Baldry who had been recorded singing Radcliff Highway by the BBC in 1956. When asked about songs like The Dark-eyed Sailor and The Foggy Dew, he said, “Well, every bugger used to sing those round here - I used to, but I prefer to sing something different - something people haven't heard before.”

Jimmy Knights can be heard on: VT154CD
 

Roy Last (Suffolk)

(photo: John Howson)

        When Roy was recorded he rarely sang out in company, but in earlier days he was a regular at Stonham Brewer’s Arms (known locally as the Tap) and the Green Man at Mendlesham Green. His grand-father was a singer and Roy learned 'William Rufus' from him: Roy’s father, Fred used to sing every Saturday night in Rickinghall Cross, and Roy learned 'Botany Bay' from him. 'The Costermonger’s Song' came from an old uncle on his mother’s side who moved from Suffolk to London to work on the railway. 
        One of Roy’s father’s sisters was also very keen on collecting songs and used to write them down in an exercise book. It was she who bought 'Peter the Paynter': a true story from the 1840s, on a broadsheet from a man who used to sell them in Walsham-le-Willows. When Roy was a boy, she used to sit him on her knee and sing 'Little Cock Sparrow ' with the emphasis on the naughty” as Roy recalled. Roy’s excellent version of 'John Barleycorn' was learned from Bill Lockwood, who used to sing it in the Needham Market Three Tuns and the Creeting King’s Head in the 1920s. (John Howson)

Roy Last can can be heard on: VT130CD & VTDC8CD

Ted Laurence (Norfolk)

  (photo: Eastern Daily Press)

        Ted Laurence was born in East Bilney in North Norfolk in the late 1890s. His fatherwas the groom for the carriage horses where he worked and Ted was brought up amongst horses, often helping his father by taking the horses around the estate to exercise them. He worked with his father until he was fourteen when the First World War broke out, and he joined the Irish Guards. After the war he moved to Billingford to work as a stallion leader with Shire horses, then to Langmere where he looked after Suffolks. When the first horse there died on the way to the Suffolk Show, the owner, Mr Raynham took Ted to get a replacement stallion and Ted chose ‘Admiral John’ (see cover photo). In the 1930s Ted moved to Winfarthing, again as stallion leader with Suffolks, but eventually he changed to the French bred Percherons. Ted stayed there until he retired, when he moved to live at Shelfhanger, where Keith recorded him. Ted gave all of his stud books and horse paraphernalia to fellow horseman, singer and melodeon player, Ray Hubbard of Dickleburgh before he died and Ray has fond memories of Ted. “I heard him sing years ago and then when we had the Concert Party and we were going his way near Shelfhanger, we’d pick him up, and he’d join us and sing on the stage. That would be 1955 to about 1965. He’d sing the Dicky and Cart and I’d play for him and some times he’d bring his accordeon and play that. He sang in whatever was his local pub at the time like the Winfarthing ‘Old Oak’. He’d sing here in the Crown in Dickleburgh when he was at Raynhams. My father, when he was a young man, heard him sing there. He sang several songs but it was Dicky and Cart that stuck in my mind and he wrote that one out for me.“Three weeks before Ted died in 1981 I went over and he got the accordeon down: that used to sit on top of the chest of drawers. Then he said ‘I can’t play now, so you play it; and I played seven waltzes like Believe me if All Those Enduring Young Charms and he sung the words to every one.

Ted Laurence can can be heard on: VT154CD

Sophie Legg (Cornwall)

  (photo courtesy of Vic Legg)

  (photo courtesy of Vic Legg)

        Shopie Legg was born in 1918 into one of the best known West Country travelling families, the Orchards. She is Vic Legg's mother and was source of many of his songs as were her two sisters (Vic's aunts) Charlotte and Betsy Renals.

        Their father Edwin was born in 1879 and was married to Susan (also an Orchard) when he was twenty and she was sixteen. At that time they run a coconut shy at local fairs until Edwin became a fairground bare-knuckle fighter, taking on all-comers for three weeks. He earned good money, in fact he earned enough to buy themselves a wagon, enabling them to give up the fair life to go on the road. They hawked  haberdashery and when they stopped at night they would often meet up with other Gypsy families and songs would be shared around the camp fire.

        Sophie continued travelling with her parents until about 1936 before settling with her husband George Legg who was from Gloucester. (from Pete Coe's notes)

Sophie Legg can be heard on: VT119CD

Vic Legg (Cornwall)

    (photo courtesy of Vic Legg)               

(Vic with his aunties Betsy and Charlotte and his mother Sophie)   

     (photo:  Maggy Hunt)

 ( Vic and Chris Ridley's in the Volunteer Inn, Sidmouth)

(photo Glynn Masters)

(Viv, Vic, Sophie and George Legg)

Bob Lewis (Sussex)

  (photo: Mike Yates)

  (photo: John Howson)

        Originally from Midhurst in West Sussex, Bob learnt most of his songs from his family and friends. For some reason, "Many of the singers (there) were either builders or undertakers! Don't ask me why, though." He also has a great interest in local customs and traditions.

        Following a spell of national service, Bob worked with engines for many years, servicing cars and all manner of agricultural machinery. He has now retired to East Sussex and is a regular stalwart at many folk clubs and festivals. (Mike Yates)

Bob Lewis can be heard on: VTC1CD  VTC4CD  VTC5CD  VTC6CD  VTC7CD  & VT131CD  

Geoff Ling (Suffolk)

(photo John Howson)

        The Ling family of Blaxhall must be one of the best known singing families in the county, and Geoff has certainly kept that tradition alive. His mother Susan and father Oscar were singers and his older brother, George became known as 'a rare old singer'. George moved from Blaxhall to Croydon, but as Geoff relates, "If George came back to the Ship, say on holiday, there were certain songs that the rest of the family wouldn't sing because they were his, although we would sing them the rest of the year."
        This is how it has been for years with song ownership. How often have I heard someone say, "You don't sing that one if 'so-and-so' is here: that's his. " What is interesting now, is that Geoff is able to sing many of the family songs and much of the local repertoire because he is now the main carrier.
        Geoff worked mainly on farms, and he told Keith Summers that he started singing in pubs when he was eighteen. "I'd go around with Dad to steel quoits games at pubs like Marlesford Bell, Aldeburgh Mill Inn and Eastbridge Eel's Foot. But the most singing was at the Ship in Blaxhall, and that's how we'd pick up those old songs, by hearing them so often." (John Howson)

Geoff Ling can be heard on: VTC1CD  VTC2CD  VTC3CD  VTC6CD  & VT154CD 

George Ling (Suffolk)

(photo from Sing, Say or Pay))

(George Ling with his wife Rose)

        George Ling who was known as ‘Spider’ was born in Blaxhall in 1904 and was the elder brother of Geoff Ling. His grandfather Aaron, mother Susan and father Oscar were singers and everyone in the family had a go at stepping. George told Keith (from ‘Sing, Say or Pay’): “All those Smiths and Picketts and Taylors originated from Blaxhall. They used to make pegs and work as tinsmiths down at Camel’s Pit. We used to play there as boys and I'd help them make those pegs out of reeds. One old boy from Tunstall, Obediah Taylor, he played the fiddle and he taught me to step when
I was nine. I used to spend more time in that caravan with him than at home. He'd say "Come on, my son, I'll play Pigeon on the Gate" and off I'd go. Me and brother Geoff used to dance together down the Ship ‘in reels’, we called 'em. I could dance very well at one time of day but I could never beat those Smiths nor Bensy Hewitt - they were the masters.

        George’s first job was with his mother stone-picking in the fields, then at twelve he went to work with a dairy herd, then went to work at Snape maltings, where he did a bricklaying apprenticeship, with singer Bob Hart as his labourer.He moved to Croydon in 1926 and although he did play (melodeon) and sing in some of the back street pubs, when he returned to Blaxhall on holiday, he still took his place as one of the senior singers there, always remembering his early days:(From ‘Sing, Say or Pay’): “We were a happy-go-lucky lot those days - sing a few songs, have a dance, and wherever we went someone would bring an accordeon with a red spotted handkerchief around the stops. There was me, Freddy Ling, Johnny
Richardson, Mike and Geoff Keble, and we all had mouth-organs and if we all walked out somewhere to a pub, you'd hear us for miles in those quiet old villages and they'd say "Here come the Blaxhall boys" - used to sound all right too.”
        Apparently it was not always so friendly: “There were more fights than halfpennies that time of day. The pubs weren't supposed to open all day, but there was only one copper for miles and if he stopped by he'd come in for a drink. One night a bloke said to Wicketts (Richardson) "I can't, dance or recite but just to keep the company amused I'll fight the best man here.” Cor, there was some blood flying, I'll tell you. If ever a stranger came in the pub - oh dear, all eyes would be on him.”
 

Geoff Ling can be heard on: VT154CD

Fred List (Suffolk)

   (photo courtesy of Lennie Whting)

  (photo courtesy of Lennie Whting)

        Frederick John List was born at World’s End Farm, Saxtead, in 1911 and was brother to Billy List. He sang lots of songs with many coming from his father, Harry List, who was recorded by Peter Kennedy for the BBC in 1951. After Harry died in 1962, Billy’s mother lived with George Bloomfield, Alec’s father. Fred told Keith how he learned to play (from ‘Sing, Say or Pay’): “I first started playing the mouthorgan when I was at school - I lived at Saxtead then. Our family wasn't very musical, but my grandfather (John Ling) was a rare stepdancer. I never knew him - he died when I was only three - but I heard people say he could bring 'em both in. Well, when I was about 12 my sister sent off for an accordeon from Hastings - a three-stop one for 14/- and she got so she could play a few songs and I could play several hymns - Now the Day is Over - that sort of thing. Then a chap called George Scott, a bit older than me, he moved to Saxtead and he was a pretty good accordeon player. I was 15 and we'd play our accordeons round his little hut and in the summer we'd get on the street corner with a board and have a step. We stuck together and got so we'd start playing around the pubs - Charlie Page's (Railway Inn, Framlingham) was our regular Saturday night spot. George, he was friendly with Walter Read because they were both boot repairers, and sometimes we'd go round for Walter and go to Monk Soham Oak or Saxtead Volunteer, and Walter was the best playerI ever heard and a good singer, although I have played with Alf Peachey down Cretingham Old Bell and different places. He could play a good stepdance, and marches, that was his speciality - Cheer, Boys, Cheer, that sort of thing.”“Some of the best musicians I heard were some Irish chaps. They'd come over cutting sugar beet and get down Southolt Plough or Fram Queen of a night. One of them played the fiddle, holding it across his arm. All sorts of tunes they'd play and dance. I picked up some of my jigs from them. That was about 1938 and these chaps were all about 50 - then scruffy old bunch but good company. ”In later days Fred List became the house musician at Blaxhall Ship and was featured on the 1974 Transatlantic LP ‘The Larks they Sang Melodious’. Fred died in 1994.

Fred List can be heard on:  VT154CD & VTDC11CD

 

Billy List (Suffolk)

(photo courtesy of Lennie Whting)

      William Pearl List was born at World’s End Farm, Saxtead, in 1909 and was brother to singer and melodeon player Fred List and son of singer Harry List. Billy lived in Brundish and was remembered well by Charlie Whiting’s nephew Lenny Whiting: “Billy was a universal chap; he drove a steam engine, a steam road roller, and he drove one of those big old chain bucket cranes. He’d work round here or he’d have to go away to work for maybe two or three months and he’d work a sugar beet team. My old man and me used to meet up with Billy and his lad and we’d go rabbiting, that was when the hedges were twenty foot wide. That was Saturday and Sunday regular - well it was bit of extra spending money. They’d take them to the pub at night and raffle them off. I did hear him sing, but not a lot, because he was a Blaxhall Ship man, well in the later part of the time, because Fred List played accordeon there.” Billy got most of his songs from his father Harry and told Keith (from ‘Sing, Say or Pay’): “Once Dad got started you couldn't stop him. He'd do Banks of Sweet Dundee, With me Navvy Boots on, Knife in the Window. I learnt that one Paddy and the Rope from Bob Scarce - I used to see him in Blaxhall Ship when I'd go with Fred, and that one Murder of Maria Marten - I got that from a book, 'cos that really happened somewhere round here. Old Charlie Hinney, he was another good singer. He had hands as big as pails. He used to live near by me in Brundish. He was 90 when he died (in 1974). He'd sing All that Glitters is not Gold and The String Around me Old Pyjamas."
 

Billy List can be heard on:  VT154CD

Harry Litherland  (Lancashire)

Harry Litherland was born in 1931 in Aspull near Wigan, Lancashire. His father Tom had a concertina and played by ear, often in local pubs. Harry had been playing violin but his father wouldn't let him touch the concertina until he was thirty. He showed him the basics but it was an old chap called Silvester Halliwell who taught him most. Harry's concertina is a McCann system duet and although Halliwell's was a Crane system he was still able to put him on the right path. At one time the concertina was very popular in the Wigan area and Harry particularly remembers two brothers called Rigby who played the local music halls. I first met Harry when he was busking in Leigh in Lancashire and he spent many years making his living this way, often travelling hundreds of miles to find his next audience.

 (photos: John Howson)

Harry Litherland can be heard on: VTC10CD

Ernie Lyas (Suffolk)

 (photo: courtsey of Ernie Lyas)

Although the melodeon was extremely popular in Mid-Suffolk, some people who started with it later switched to the piano accordion and one such musician was Ernie Lyas of Stowmarket. He recalled that he used to play what he called a 'windjammer' but always wanted a piano accordion and bought his first one in 1939. He also played jew's harp, tin whistle and mouthorgan and at one time he played saxophone with a Haughley band led by Johnny Ransome. He mainly played in the Stowmarket Railway Tavern or Onehouse Shepherd and Dog usually with a drummer and piano players Billy Eaton or Vicky McClean and he was also a member of the Stowmarket British Legion concert party, along with Doddy Thorndyke.

Ernie Lyas can be heard on: VTDC8CD

Jimmy Lynch - (West of Ireland)

Jimmy Lynch was born in the west of Ireland. His mother played melodeon and the concertina and his father sang, particularly at threshing parties. He was one of five children, three brothers and one sister but only one of his brothers played music and he tragically died when he was just fourteen. Jimmy's mother played for crossroad dances which would start at four o'clock on a Sunday afternoon and continue until it was dark. In more recent years Jimmy lived in Worsley Mesnes, near Wigan and had a large collection of musical instruments. He took up busking and was a familiar figure with his rack of foot-operated dancing dolls which he transported in an old pram, often travelling by train or on visits back to Ireland, by ferry.

       (photos: John Howson)

Jimmy Lynch can be heard on: VTC10CD

John & Tim Lyons - (Co. Cork)

      (photos: John Howson)

      John Lyons was born on 31^st October 1933. Tim was born on 8^th December 1937. Both were born in Evergreen Road in Turner’s Cross, a suburb of Cork City. Their grandfather (whom they never met), was a stone-mason living in Mulcarthy’s Bridge, near Banteer, Co.Cork. He was a member of the Irish Land League, a political organisation which sought to help poor tenant farmers. As its aim was to abolish landlordism in Ireland, the family was evicted from their home and local people took them in to stay. John and Tim’s father, also called Tim, was fourteen years old at this time. One night, he and a friend made a plan. They packed a bag, climbed out the window, and walked to Cork city. There they signed on with the British Navy and their father, Tim Sr. became a gunner, fighting in The Battle of Jutland in 1916. On leaving the Navy, he met and married a Cork woman called Kathleen Buckley.

      As young children, John and Tim were known as Jackie, (a popular name in Cork) and Tadhg (Pronounced ‘Tige’ – Tiger without the ‘r’). They had two brothers, Richie and Patrick and a sister Nora. After his Navy service, their father got a job in Henry Ford’s motor works in Cork city as a machine operator, making con-rods. Later, as work became scarce, he tried his hand at anything he could, including photograph framing. He usually worked at home, but also visited people’s houses, carrying his carpenter’s tools and a large mitre block on the back of his Raleigh bike. At home, he also cut hair, turning the sitting room into a barber’s shop with a striped pole outside over the gate.

       The family moved to north Cork, near Banteer, the area where their father had been brought up. They rented a gate house on an estate in Dromtariffe owned by Captain Leader, which was named ‘Rosnalee’, situated between Mallow and Millstreet on the road to Killarney. The first music John and Tim remember was when their first cousin Paddy Kelleher visited the house and played piano accordion. They were actually living a short distance from Sliabh Luachra (The Rushy Mountain), an area rich in music, but were too young to realise it at the time.

      In 1946, their father moved to England in search of work and as an ex-Navy man he was able to get a council house in Wolverhampton, paying a rent of just 10d.  He eventually moved the whole family there. John moved over in 1949 when he was coming up to sixteen years old and his father got him an apprenticeship as an electrician with the Electric Construction Co. A year later,     Tim followed him over. He was then twelve and continued his schooling in Wolverhampton until he was fifteen. His father wanted him to become a tool-maker and he got him an apprenticeship at the Wolverhampton Die Casting Company.

      Whilst in England, the only music they came across was on the radio. On Sunday mornings, they would listen to ‘As I Roved Out’ with field recordings which had been recorded by Seamus Ennis and Peter Kennedy. Another favourite programme of theirs was ‘The Jimmy Shand Show’ on Radio Luxembourg, which was the nearest they could get to Irish music. Irish National Radio reception was very poor in those days as it was broadcast from Athlone (the centre of Ireland) and they couldn’t receive it in England.

      They would buy mouth-organs and try to imitate what they heard on the radio. On a Saturday afternoon, they would play music in their bedroom. Tim can remember that John made a set of drums out of Tate & Lyle tins (sugar containers) with some canvas stretched over them. Later, the brothers  clubbed together and bought a Hohner one-row melodeon between them.

      While they were all living in Wolverhampton, they still kept the house in North Cork, which they would return to for summer holidays. In 1954, John received his enrolment papers for the army, as conscription was still in place. His father had not had a good experience in the British forces and he told John to leave England. John moved back to Ireland and lived in the house in North Cork with his sister Nora. Tim spent his teenage years in Wolverhampton and then the same scenario arose. After finishing his apprenticeship at 21, he too received his conscription papers. Tim then, using a false name, left the factory where he worked and sought work elsewhere; he worked for a time on building sites in Birmingham but as he could not reveal his correct tax details, he had to use an emergency tax code, which left him financially crippled, so in 1959 he too went back to Ireland.

      By this time John was beginning to get involved with local musicians. There was a dance platform near to the house where they lived, under a large spreading chestnut tree. On a summer’s evening, musicians would arrive and play local polkas and slides for the dancing. John had bought a Paolo Soprani button accordion and was playing with Sean Lynch’s band from Kanturk. Around this time, he was meeting several Sliabh Luachra players including fiddle players Dennis Murphy known as ‘The Weaver’ and Morris O’ Keefe from Kishkeam, nephew of the legendary Padraig O’Keeffe. Also accordion player Johnny O’Leary from Maulykeavane, and he remembers John and Julia Clifford were also with them. When Tim returned home, in 1959, they both played with Tommy Doocey’s band from Banteer, and later with Mick Williams’ Duhallow Céilí Band which played all around North Cork and parts of Kerry.

      Irish railways were bringing in new diesel engines and John found work as a maintenance electrician in Dublin. Because of the erratic shift work, John soon left and started work with Unidare, maker of electric cables. Tim, now in Cork, trudged around the area looking for work, but to no avail. Eventually John managed to get him a job at Unidare also, working in the tool room and they lived together in digs in Dublin.

      They found lots of music in Dublin and were regular visitors to the Piper’s Club in Thomas Street and sessions at St Mary’s Music Club in Church Street. They remember this as being one of the great venues for traditional sessions. They were in self-catering digs and one day whilst buying some cutlery, they got talking to the shopkeeper, and got onto the topic of music. He turned out to be the great Clare fiddle and concertina player John Kelly, who had moved to Dublin in 1945. They remember him as one of the stalwarts of the Dublin traditional music scene along with flute player Dessie O’Connor, accordion player Sonny Brogan, Galway fiddle player Joe Leary and banjo player Barney McKenna. At that time, Barney was also playing jazz in a bar in Howth, County Dublin. He was soon to join the Ronnie Drew Group which later became the Dubliners.

      Ireland was building its first oil refinery at Whitegate in County Cork and advertised for electricians. They were offering high wages. John and flute player Mick Kelly found employment in Whitegate. However, after 6 months that job finished so they moved to England to find work.

      Tim had stayed in Dublin still working for Unidare until that job came to an end. He got another job in a small sheet metalworks but that didn’t last either, so after three years in Dublin, in 1963 he also decided to hit the road and headed for London. He wasn’t married then, but had met his future wife Anna and she went to London around the same time.

      While in England, John met his first wife Marian with whom he had six children; Martin, Dominic, Katie, Kieran, Eoin and Liam, all of whom are now adults and some of whom are following in John’s footsteps playing traditional music. John and his young family eventually moved to County Clare where work was plentiful. They rented a house in Newmarket-on-Fergus as there was work in Shannon and music nearby as well. Newmarket was close to Shannon which was booming, with an increasing number of factories being built. John recalls that they used to go to Clare before they actually went to live there, often to fleadhs and the festivals on the west coast. This was when Willie Clancy was still alive so it was, of course, before the famous Willie Clancy Week was going then. They loved Clare because of the great music, so when John decided to settle back in Ireland it was not his home county of Cork he chose, but County Clare where the work and the music were.

      Shortly after John arrived in Newmarket-on-Fergus, the Bunratty Cottage sessions started and for a number of years John became a regular member, together with Martin Talty, Paddy O’ Donoghue, Jimmy Flynn, Denis Doody and Tony Lynch.

      Meanwhile Tim was enjoying life in London where he spent the next eight years. He had found the Irish pubs and the folk clubs, in particular The Singers’ Club where he met Ewan McColl. Once it was realised that Tim had songs, he was regularly asked to sing and eventually he started getting bookings at the club. McColl invited Tim to his house in Kent where he was introduced (via McColl’s recording collection) to some of the great Irish singers like Elizabeth Cronin, Robert Cinnamond, Joe Heaney and Nicolás Tóibín. Around this time, Tim was also asked to join a group of singers, The Exiles, alongside Enoch Kent, Gordon McCulloch, Bobby Campbell and Paul Lenihan. They didn’t play together very often but Tim recalls a memorable open air ‘Ban the Bomb’ concert in Trafalgar Square and an unforgettable trip to the Isle of Arran to play at a midnight rave where he thinks the pop group ‘The Monkees’ also appeared. Tim was featured on the Exiles’ 1967 Topic LP “The Hale and The Hanged” (12T164) playing button accordion.

      He continued to keep in touch with the London-Irish scene attending  Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann meetings in the Greyhound, Fulham Palace Road. At a Fleadh Cheoil in Cecil Sharp House in Camden, he met Jim Doody, a singer and teacher who asked him to go on tour with him and that was Tim’s first foray into the English folk clubs. Their first bookings were in Devon and although they didn’t do much after that, the folk scene were starting to hear of Tim and he was getting solo work all over the country such as another ‘Ban the Bomb’ concert in Exeter Town Hall with Julie Felix and the Ian Campbell folk group, The Beaford Festival with A.L. Lloyd and Dave and Toni Arthur and in 1967, an appearance at the Sidmouth Folk Festival in Devon. In 1969, he was also included on a Topic compilation LP (12T184) ‘The Breeze from Eireann’ where he played alongside tin whistle player Festy Conlon.  During this time, he still had a full time job on a building site in Brixton. The young foreman there was a follower of folk music and a fan of Luke Kelly’s. When it was necessary for Tim to leave the site to catch an afternoon train to a venue, he would cover for him in return for a fiver in the pub on a Friday night. Tim remembers that the money from folk clubs was good then. He would get fifteen pounds for a night singing which was to him a week’s work in London. He had particularly gained a following in the North of England and came to know The Watersons, staying at Mike’s house when he sang at Hull. But it was the North East that took him to their heart and Tim often stayed with his good friend Tom Gilfellon. When he told them that he was going back home to Ireland in 1970, they organised a farewell concert for him. The night was a sell-out and Tim remembers he got a fee of £30, his highest ever fee in those times. Tim had, by then, decided to move to County Clare.

      John was certainly enjoying the local music in Clare with regular Ennis sessions in Hogan’s (now Brogan’s), Kelly’s and Paddy Arthur’s where he met a lot of local musicians and singers including John Joe Casey, Dessie Mulcaire, Séamus MacMathúna, Johnny Galvin, Paddy Murphy and Carl McTigue. He also made many trips west to Miltown Malbay and Doolin where he met and played with the Russell Brothers: Packie, Gussie and Micho, and he remembers that in those days it was a quiet little session with just the local musicians, usually in O’Connor’s pub. In Miltown, he would meet and play with Jimmy Ward and Willie Clancy and also J.J Talty, Martin Talty and the singer Mick Flynn. It was lively times, mainly in Queally’s pub. There was a little snug in the back where Willie Clancy would play, until he moved to Lynch’s which was then owned by Willie’s friend Tom Friel. This became a stronghold for traditional music in the town.

      Regarding the source of his songs, John remembers that they came from everywhere. He learned them from the radio, from singers he met and from books. Before he moved to Clare, he would cut songs out of the Cork Weekly Examiner (Carbury’s Column) which had a traditional song every week, and stick them in a scrapbook; he was always looking for new songs. He started entering singing competitions at the fleadhs and became Munster Champion, and he succeeded in coming 2^nd at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Boyle in 1960.

      Tim’s move to Clare in May 1970 gave him work in Shannon and the local music scene was of course a great attraction to him.  He recalls that there were sessions at the drop of a hat, often on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights with great local musicians. John was well ensconced in the music scene in Clare by the early 1970s, visiting fleadhs and festivals in Scarriff, Tulla, Feakle, Ennis and Ennistymon. In East Clare, sessions he would never miss were in Donnellan’s in Kilkishen, and the Blacksticks in O’Callaghan’s Mills where he would meet and play with Martin Rochford, Vincent Griffin, Paddy O’Donoghue and Eddie Duggan. John was also a co-founder of the Shannon Folk Club which booked many new and exciting acts that were emerging on the folk scene such as Paul Brady, Joe Burke, Stockton’s Wing, De Dannan and Stoker’s Lodge. At this time John didn’t travel much outside of County Clare but he remembers a coach load of musicians including Willie Clancy, Quilty tin whistle player Joe Cunneen and P.J Downes going to Dublin to do a television programme for RTE called ‘Bring Down the Lamp’.

       Around this time, Tim was playing music with singer, tin whistle and flute player Micho Russell on a weekly basis in O’Connor’s Pub in Doolin which was at that time the heart of the west Clare scene. This resulted in the duo being invited, by Leon Lamal the agent for the group ‘Rum’, to tour Belgium for two weeks including three gigs in France, two in Paris and one in Orléans. In 1972, Tim recorded an LP for the Leader label called ‘The Green Linnet’ (LER3036) and John was also recorded in 1974 for an LP on Topic called ‘The May Morning Dew’ (12TS248). There were few paid bookings in Ireland then. Although John recalls in earlier days when he played at Hogan’s in Ennis, the musicians were each given a bag of sandwiches at the end of the session which they ate outside under the archway of the pub before travelling home.

      The Topic LP that John made provoked an awareness of John in England and he was invited to do some folk club tours. In 1976, John went to America for three weeks. This was for the bicentenary celebrations of the United States and the party of twenty five who travelled there reads like a Who’s Who of Irish traditional music; it included Ollie Conway, Willie Keane and The Mullagh Set, Junior Crehan, Tom Munnelly, Ciarán MacMathúna, Denis Doody, Donal O’Connor, Paddy Tunney, Micho Russell, Maeve Donnelly, Sonny McDonagh, Sonny Murray and De Danann.

      Tim recorded another LP for the American label Green Linnet which was released in 1978 and called ‘Easter Snow’ (SIF1014). In the same year, Tim was asked to join De Danann, and they toured England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Holland, Belgium and Germany before embarking on a massive eleven week tour of America.

      In the 1980s Tim became very active musically. Gigs where his traditional songs were wanted started to increase, particularly in Dublin where new folk clubs were starting up, like the one at Slattery’s on Capel Street. Tim had tried to write songs when he lived in London but found himself too influenced by Ewan McColl. He recalls writing a song about the 1966 Aberfan disaster but after examining it, he realised it was a carbon copy of the song ‘The Gresford Disaster’. He didn't start seriously writing songs until 1985, twenty years later, and when he was increasingly getting bookings to sing his own, often comic, songs.

      In 1988, Tim and Anna moved to Galway and became involved in the music scene there. Then while on a visit back to Clare in 1989, Tim had a chance meeting with flute player and singer/songwriter Fintan Vallelly. It was in Friel's bar in Miltown Malbay, and after a little friendly altercation about one of Fintan's songs called ‘The Moving Statues’ which Tim sang, but thought it to have been written by Belfast singer, the late Brian Moore. Tim and Fintan got on very well. Fintan was intrigued that they were both writing similar satirical songs but in different styles and he asked Tim to join him on a tour of Scotland the following April. It went very well and in 1989 they released a cassette together called ‘Knock Knock Knock’ (UFMA tapes001) and in 2000 a CD under the name ‘Schitheredee’ called ‘Big Guns and Hairy Drums’ (WHN002) which concentrated on their own humorous songs. They also got themselves an agent, Frank Bechhofer, who organised tours all over England and Scotland which they continued  to do until around 1995.

      In 1997, Tim appeared on an American CD called, ‘Celtic Mouth Music’ (Ellipsis Arts CD4070) and in 1998 on a compilation of music and songs from 1798 uprising against British rule in Ireland called, ‘The Croppy’s Complaint’ (CRCD03).

      Back in Clare, John was playing on a regular basis with local musicians around the Shannon area including Pat Mullins, Pat Costello and Martin Breen. They were known as ‘Tradaree’ and toured in Ireland and in Brittany. John was recorded on two Shannon based tapes called ‘Down Our Street’ and ‘The Artful Dodgers’ and in 1993 he recorded a solo singing cassette called ‘The Troubled Man’ (WWOO2). This was the same year that John met his second wife Ann, also a singer, at the singing festival in Ennistymon. The following year he was included on a French compilation CD called ‘Voyage Musical – Irlande’ (YA225704). Around this time, the Ennis Singers Club was founded by the late Peadar McNamara and John was included on a compilation recording of the Club called ‘Clare Songs, Rare Songs, and Quare Songs’. In the early 2000s John played and sang with the late Haulie Moloney in Malachy's Bar in Quin and they recorded a CD appropriately titled ‘Malachy's Men’.

      As well as playing with local musicians, John continued to make occasional appearances at some of the English folk festivals such as Sidmouth and the National Festival Folk Festival at Loughborough, and English folk clubs such as the Swindon Folksingers Club.  In 2001, John performed with Sean Talty (son of the late Martin Talty) and Eamon McGivney at The Beethoven Festival in Bonn, Germany.

      John still lives near Newmarket-on-Fergus with his wife Ann. They have two children Aisling and Sean, who are award winning traditional musicians in their own right. Aisling plays harp and concertina and Sean plays tin whistle and uilleann pipes. The family are members of the Tulla Branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and John is a Patron of Cnoc na Gaoithe the new Tulla Comhaltas Cultural Centre.

      Tim and Anna now live in County Galway and Tim still sings and plays at various gatherings around Ireland. Recently he has been involved in an Irish Arts Council funded song writing project called ‘The Wild Bees Nest’, and has recorded his latest, and first serious, song on the CD which is the culmination of the project.

      After spending their lives criss-crossing the Irish sea for work, singing and music have been, and are still a very important part of what these two remarkable brothers do. Yet amazingly, apart from playing in so many sessions together, they have rarely shared a stage. The good news is that in recent years they have started to appear together and long may they continue to do so.

John & Tim Lyons can be heard on: VT158CD

   Sean MacNamara Eamon Coyne & Peggy Peakin (Liverpool)

    Liverpool Ceili Band 1960s                                                                                 1980s - Sean (middle), Peggy (left)          Eamon, Kit Hodge, Sean

        Sean MacNamara was an original member of the famed Liverpool Ceili Band, a band that had four fiddle players in it's front line including Eamon Coyne, Charlie Lennon and their original leader Kit Hodge. During the sixties they won the 'All Ireland' ceili band competition two years running and they visited America and appeared on the television show 'Sunday Night at the London Palladium'.  Peggy Peakin is Kit's sister and she has also been playing fiddle in Liverpool for almost half a century but didn't join the band until she became their regular piano player, replacing Peggy Atkins.

There is still a vibrant and continuing Irish musical tradition in Liverpool and these two musicians have influenced and inspired it. (John Howson)

Sean McNamara Eamon Coyne and Peggy Peakin can be heard on: VTC1CD & VT125CDR

Jim Matthews (Cumberland)

        Jim Matthews, born in 1878 at Chalkfoot near Dalston, was a retired rural overhead linesman with the GPO. He sings the nonsense song 'My Uncle Pete' on VT142CD 'Pass the Jug Round'. (Sue Allen)

Jim Mathews can be heard on: VT142CDR

Bert Mayes (Suffolk)

(photo: John Howson)

        Bert was born in Monk Soham, Suffolk in 1904, and never moved far from his home village. He worked on farms, first at Kenton Lodge, then at Kenton Hall and was not very keen on horse ploughing. He maintained that farm work today is like play compared to his time. Bert played a ten key melodeon for nearly thirty years, then moved onto a two row. He played a lot in local pubs, like Bedfield Dog, Worlingworth Crown, Brundish Crown and particularly the two in his own village the Oak and the Elm. He was friendly with Kenton fiddle player Fred Whiting and said that if anybody played a dance tune slowly Fred could ‘dot that down on paper’. “A clever old boy!” he said. Bert would also meet up with fiddle player Harkie Nesling, the Gifford brothers Walter and Sam and melodeon players Alf Peachey and Walter Read.
 

Bert Mayes can be heard on: VTDC11CD

Geoff Mayes (Suffolk)

(photo: John Howson)

        Geoff was born in Hepworth, Suffolk in 1924, and he worked on a local farm and lived in the same house all of his life. His first instrument was a mouthorgan which was bought for him by his mother in Bury St Edmunds where she would bike to do her shopping. When he was sixteen he bought his first melodeon, a ‘Viceroy’; at the time he was earning 11/4d a week. He stopped playing for many years until he met up with Ernie Chapman from Stonham who encouraged him to play again. Geoff recalled a time when every pub in the area had a melodeon player but his fondest memory was of the old Black Horse in Hepworth, there he remembered several melodeon players including Will Beals, known as Will ‘Woopsie’ and Edgar Howells who was the local saw sharpener. He particularly remembered him playing for the annual Slate Club payout night when all the family would go to pick up what they had saved for

Geoff Mayes can be heard on: VTDC11CD

John Mitchell (Suffolk)

 (photo: John Howson)

I met John Mitchell in Forward Green, Mid-Suffolk where his family had lived there for many generations. His father, Albert, had played melodeon in the village pub, the Shepherd and Dog. John learned to play many of his father's tunes but never played in the pub himself. He was in the army for four years and continued to play by buying a mouthorgan when he was in Germany.

John Mitchell can be heard on: VTDC8CD

Douglas Morling (Suffolk)

 (photo courtesy of  Ethal Morling)

        Douglas was born in 1910 and died in 1993 and was a quiet man of medium build who worked as a plasterer. He was Eileen’s (ex landlady of the Eel's Foot') brother-in-law and was married to Ethel, who was photographed by 'Picture Post ' magazine singing in the Eel's Foot' when she was a young girl. Douglas himself was not a regular singer in the pub. They lived in three places in Eastbridge: first in the ‘tin houses’ (near the sluice, now demolished), then in a cottage opposite the Eel’s Foot, and finally opposite the shop in Lydon Cottages. (John Howson)

Douglas Morling can be heard on: VT140CD