Halloween 2024

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

It'll be a very quick report for last week's Dragon Folk Club session I'm afraid. Perhaps back to normal service next week. Being in the full flow of themes season, we were going all spooky for Halloween and we seem to have met the theme pretty well most of the time. This Friday the theme is related to Bonfire Night, so anything about Guy Fawkes, fireworks, campfires, camping, scouts and guides or anything tenuously related would work just fine, and as always it's an optional theme so anything really goes as long as it's acoustic.

Colin started us off as usual, this time with Hallows eve (Chris Hoban). Simon offered his only real Halloween song with The souling song (roud 304). Bob went all ghoulish with Ghost trains (Famous Lashua) from the singing of Hank Snow and Sue finished the first rotation with Hotel California (Don Felder, Don Henley, Glenn Frey).

The one song of the evening not on YouTube and therefore not included in the playlist linked from "a selection" below was Sue's own composition A chilly song, written in the depths of winter with some reference to our venue.

There were four songs new to the Dragon database last week though not necessarily new to the club:

• Bob - See that my grave is kept clean (roud 7382, Blind Lemon Jefferson)
• Bob - Walking to New Orleans (Bobby Charles, Fats Domino, Dave Bartholomew)
• Colin - Father Frankenstein is behind your pillow (James Warren)
• Colin - Fifteen men on a dead man's chest (Robert Louis Stevenson, Young Ewing Allison)

It fell to Sue to close the session which she did with Make you feel my love (Bob Dylan).

Now listen to a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 4 of whom 4 performed)

Lancashire Day 2023

The flag of the historic county of Lancashire

It wasn't meant to be an official theme at last week's Dragon Folk Club session, but the suggestion of marking 27th November's Lancashire Day was so well followed that the title has been adopted for this report. For the purposes of the evening we assumed "Lancashire" to mean the historic county, including therefore the cities of Manchester and Liverpool, which made things a little easier.

This Friday's session (1st December) will have an official theme, which will be St Andrew's Day. The actual event falling just one day before on 30th November. Scotland is the obvious direction to go, but bear in mind Andrew's other patronages, which include: Barbados, Georgia, Ukraine, Russia, Greece, Cyprus, Romania, and Prussia; fishermen, fishmongers, rope-makers, textile workers, singers, miners, pregnant women, butchers, farm workers, and the Russian Navy. He is also said to offer protection against sore throats, convulsions, fever, and whooping cough. That should give you plenty to go on.

As always the theme is something to aim for, but it's better to sing off-topic than not to sing at all.

Back to last week's session Colin was MC over a good crowd of nine singers and it was Simon who started things off wholly on topic with Uncle Joe's Mintballs (Mike Harding). Colin also followed the theme with Fivepenny Piece's Ee by gum (* John Meeks, Colin Radcliffe, Eddie Crotty). This latter song was the first of a whole eighteen performances of the evening not previously entered into the Dragon database - though some may have been sung at the club before. These are all marked with an asterisk (*).

Sue and Bob had both penned their own songs earlier in the day, contemplating how much they enjoyed coming to the Dragon, but how cold it could be through the winter. If you're coming to the club around this time of year do wrap up well. Sue's song from this effort was A chilly song (* Sue) which understandably clearly isn't available on YouTube.

Bob sought to warm us up a bit with Fireball Mail (Fred Rose, Floyd Jenkins). Note that "Floyd Jenkins" is a pseudonym for Fred Rose.

Stan reintroduced us to Jim Reeves with Welcome to my world (* Ray Winkler, John Hathcock).

Paul returned us to Lancashire with Old Pendle (* Milton Lambert, Allen Lambert, Ted Edwards) and Denny moved us on to Blackpool with The Lion and Albert (Marriott Edgar).

Stuart and Carrie performing as a duo were asked to sing two songs so they gave us When the levee breaks (* roud 21698 - Kansas Joe McCoy, Memphis Minnie) and Rain and snow (* roud 3634).

This brought us to the end of the first rotation. I will list some of the songs that need to be mentioned, but you can listen to most of these and the rest via the YouTube playlist linked from "a selection" below.

• Simon - The transplant squad was written by Richard Stilgoe, who was brought up in Liverpool. The song is not yet on YouTube
• Bob had just written Polar bear blues (*), another song obviously not available on YouTube
• Stan - I can't help it (if I'm still in love with you) - (* Hank Williams)
• Paul - The Wyre Waterside (* Alan Bell)
• Denny - Albert's return (* Marriott Edgar) - like its prequel, based in Blackpool
• Stuart and Carrie - I almost lost my mind (* Ivory Joe Hunter)
• Colin - Last train (* Stanley Accrington)
• Stan - I'd really love to see you tonight (* Parker McGee)
• Carrie - Johnny has gone for a soldier (* roud 911)
• Colin - If you ever go across the sea... to Liverpool,  a parody of Galway Bay which is not available on YouTube
• Sue - Eleanor Rigby (* John Lennon, Paul McCartney)
• Bob - Sweet little Lisa (* Hank DeVito, Donivan Cowart, Walter Cowart)

Stan was asked to finish off the evening, which he did with You don't know me (* Eddy Arnold, Cindy Walker).

Now listen to a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 9 of whom 9 performed)