New faces

Sheep shearing at the North Somerset Show
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

We're doing really well for new faces at the Dragon Folk Club recently and last week was no exception. I don't believe either Kevin or Sarah had been to a folk club before. Sarah decided not to sing, but after observing the first rotation Kevin offered us a song on the second and on each subsequent one. Well done Kevin! Your efforts were appreciated.

Colin, our regular MC, started off with a song previously sung at the club by our friend Terry Cock, but not previously recorded in the Dragon database: John Willie's ferret (* Larry Kearns, Gerry Kearns). Larry conceived the idea for the song after John, a deer-stalker friend of the Oldham Tinkers, told how he used to take his ferrets to parties and of the havoc they caused. It is a fun song, a bit of aural slapstick. Larry wrote the words and Gerry wrote half the tune but adapted the chorus from Sur le Pont d’ Avignon (the linked version is an interesting mix of French and German).

Paul gave us Thousands or more (roud 1220) and Denny contributed Byker Hill (roud 3488).

Simon followed Colin's example by singing My grandfather's ferret (Derek Jolly) about another mischievous mustelid.

Bob's first of the evening came from his blues repertoire and was Brownie McGhee's So much trouble. Sue thought she would cheer us up with Swinging on a star (Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke), and so finished the first rotation.

Denny sang a version of the Sheep shearing song (roud 812) collected quite locally, in the Mendips which I assume to be the version collected by Cecil Sharp from William ‘Farmer’ King.

As usual I will mention all the songs of a newcomer to the Dragon, and Kevin's debut was Drill ye tarriers drill (roud 4401 - Thomas Casey, Charles Connolly).

Sue sang Low bridge, everybody down (roud 6598 - Thomas S Allen) "I've got an old mule and her name is Sal, Fifteen miles on the Eerie canal". Colin assures us that he had already planned his next song, which was therefore coincidentally The Ee-rye-ee Canal (roud 6599).

Kevin's second song transported us to Botany Bay (roud 3267).

Denny, like Colin earlier, sang a song from the repertoire of Terry Cock without knowing it; I believe she has come across Terry only once. The song was Ted Edwards' Weepin' and wailin' (*).

Kevin's third song introduced us to Henry Russell's last words (* Diana Jones), a mining disaster song made famous by Joan Baez. His final song of the evening was Carrickfergus (roud 17556 - Dominic Behan).

The final song of the session, coming from Denny, was Good English ale (roud 1512).

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

(Number of people present - 8 of whom 7 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though no always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

Friends and neighbours

Sam Cooke in 1963
(Photo from Billboard)

It was a theme-less evening at the Dragon Folk Club last week and we were pleased to see seven singers gather including occasional visitor Malcolm who hopped over the bridge from Wales.

It was Malcolm who started off the session with Dion DiMucci's Here in America, written following the killing of fellow singer Sam Cooke in 1964.

There are 34 songs in the YouTube playlist linked from "a selection" below. There were 35 songs sung, which included a brand new song by Paul on its debut outing. It tells of his experiences several years ago with cancer and is entitled "Fathom my bowel". I have cheated somewhat by including a recording of the source song, obviously Fathom the bowl (roud 880).

The other song missing from the playlist was sung by Colin and is Harry Brown, written by our friend Mike Starkey, together with Pete McNab and tells the story of the last days of the Bristol sand dredger of that name and its final journeys to Barry and then to Bahrain.

The final song of the evening also came from Colin and provided a good opportunity for some singing along. It was Botany Bay (roud 3267).

This Friday's session (9 February) will be theme-less again in preparation for the Valentine's Day of the following week. See you at either of those sessions or on any Friday night except when occasionally notified here.

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

(Number of people present - 7 of whom 7 performed)

Tunes help you breathe more easily

With your regular scribe away on the road to Gallivant, I find myself thrown off the comfortable subs' bench to report the pre-Easter meeting of the Dragon Club. [With notes like this from the regular scribe]

The unfortunate incapacity of Maggie, who broke her wrist in a dog-walking-related incident, meant that Indie (apparently not suffering any Maggie-walking-related injuries) arrived accompanied only by Mike. Mike surveyed the book to count the shell holes put into his repertoire during last week's Mikeless free-for-all, but had no difficulty in beginning with a couple of Keith Marsden songs – Idlers and Skivers and The Drovers.

We welcomed our old friend Joe, accompanied by his chauffeuse [Josci], on their first visit to the new site. Although he had not brought any song texts with him, he took the lead in singing Swing Low Sweet Chariot, eked out by other verses contributed by assorted (probably) ex-rugby players. This was enough to qualify him as one of 8 performers among the ten people present.

New songs and old

St Nicholas' church,
King's Norton

I'll get the big news out of the way first. Last week's fund raiser for BUST raised a total of £52.65, including donations and the raffle.

I was also pleased this week to see Helen, who contacted me back in March about coming to the club. She is a singer/songwriter guitarist and was concerned that the club might be too traditional and not accepting of her style. I assured her that despite the jokes levelled at guitarists, she would be very welcome, and I hope she felt she was - she seemed to have had fun at least.

So, we were treated to three of Helen's own songs: Lost, Time is Ticking and I would stand. Derek joined in that strand in his own style with his song, Lament for the Fishing.