Here s a fine carol from George Dunn, Quarry Bank, Staffordshire. It was recorded in 1971 by Roy Palmer, and included by him in an article entitled George Dunn. Twenty-one Songs and Fragments , in the 1973 Folk Music Journal. Some of George Dunn s songs recorded by Bill Leader with Roy Palmer in December 1971 [ ]
The short version Download Shepherds Arise from https://andyturner.bandcamp.com/track/shepherds-arise All proceeds will be donated to Cancer Research UK. Download the track on Friday 5th December, and every single penny will go to the charity, as Bandcamp will be waiving their usual commission. The longer version For me, Christmas and communal singing have always been inextricably linked. [ ]
50 years a folky? Well, that’s maybe not strictly accurate, but 50 years ago today, on 13th November 1975, something happened which not only changed my musical tastes, but fundamentally altered the way my life would develop. And it all came from watching Top of the Pops… I was 15 years old, and although my [ ]
The title track from the 1974 Topic LP, featuring Mike Yates recordings of George Spicer, and one of several songs which I learned when I first heard the record, circa 1979 (had it not been for this version, I d have almost certainly learned the Harry Cox version, which I d heard on the Peter Bellamy LP [ ]
For some reason, I ve never had a version of Roud number 1 in my repertoire, despite having been familiar with the song for many many years from the classic Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick LP Prince Heathen, the first Planxty album, and John Kirkpatrick and Sue Harris s excellent version on the LP Shreds and [ ]
I would have first heard this song in the late 1970s on the Leader LP Our Side of the Baulk, which alongside the first Walter Pardon LP A Proper Sort, was included in the stock of the record section of Ashford public library. I was very attracted to Walter s gentle singing style, and even more [ ]
Ten and a half years ago I posted a recording of the song The Gentleman Soldier which had been collected by Anne Gilchrist from a Mr Thomas Coomber, at Blackham in Sussex. At the time I failed to register that, although he lived in Sussex, Thomas Coomber had been born at Penshurst, in Kent. However [ ]
Following on from yesterdays post about KentTrad.org, here s a song which you ll find on the site: Bold Fisherman , collected by Cecil Sharp at Warehorne, Kent, on 23rd September 1908. Unsurprisingly, it was not the only time this song was collected by the early 20th century collectors in Kent: George Butterworth noted down a version in [ ]
Regular visitors to this site will be aware that I sing quite a number of songs collected in my native county of Kent. My interest in songs and singers from Kent dates back to my 18th birthday when I was given a copy of Maud Karpeles collection The Crystal Spring. This book contains the song [ ]
I ve been spending a lot of time recently looking at songs collected in my native county of Kent. This song was mentioned by Anne Gilchrist in the Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, Vol. 5, No. 1 (December 1946). Her source was a letter in Notes and Queries, Series 3 Volume 3, [ ]