Ray remembered

Last week's session mustered only two singers, but they each sang thirteen songs, which isn't bad going. Twenty three of them are represented in the playlist linked below.

Colin started the evening by singing Granny's old armchair (roud 1195) which he said he knew from the singing of our late friend Ray Croll and nowhere else. It turns out that it was written around John Read 1879 by John Read and was popular in the music halls. It returned to fame in the folk revival of the 1960s having been being kept alive among others by traditional singers Fred Jordan and Walter Pardon.

Simon had been listening to Radio 4. One programme was about people who have been influenced by the singing of Kate Bush, one of which was Bristol singer Katy J Pearson. Although her styl;e may resemble Bush, Simon thought Pearson's voice was more like that of Nanci Griffith. Another programme was Last Word which featured an obituary of Loretta Lynn. Simon brought these two (and indeed listening to the radio albeit talk rather than music) together by singing Griffith's song Listen to the radio.

Colin continued by consciously and unconsciously singing songs from the repertoire of Ray Roll and his wife Vee. I won't catch them all, but the next, from Vee, was Get a little table (Harry Linn, William Sim - 1882). Another from Ray's singing was Girl from the hiring fair (Ralph McTell).

Colin sang Come by the hills (W Gordon Smith) which we thought may have been one in Ray's repertoire, but we weren't sure.

Simon had been notable in not singing any Ray Croll songs. He often sings Rudyard Kipling's The smuggler's song, but wasn't prepared. When asked to close the session it was only after deciding which song to sing that he realised it was in fact from Ray's repertoire: Wee dark engine room (Harry Robertson).

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

(Number of people present - 2 of whom 2 performed)

Strange times

Coventry Cathedral's Chapel of Christ in Gethsemane seen through
a crown of thorns made from iron (Photo:Simon Meeds)

There will be no Dragon Folk Club Session this Friday or until further notice because of government advice relating to the CORVID-19 pandemic. We will use all the usual channels to keep people informed when we reopen.

Last Friday's session involved just the core members and there was no theme. Colin kicked things off with Steve Knightley's Galway Farmer, partly because it was the last day of Cheltenham Festival and partly because Mike likes it.

Simon had been carrying Harry Robertson's Wee Dark Engine Room (the words that is, not the room nor the stove) around with him since St David's day since "whales", "coal" and "gold" all provided very tenuous links. He didn't sing it then, so he brought it out now.

Geoff's first song of the evening was the The Lakes Of Ponchartrain (Roud 1836, Laws H9) and Mike gave us Keith Marsden's Bring Us A Barrel.

Derek said he had looked down the listings of Radio 4's Sunday programmes and noted that the theme of the Sunday Worship programme was "The Woman at the Well of Living Water", which he interpreted as "The widow at the well". He hoped therefore to find something of interest, maybe a performance by a traditional singer? He was disappointed to find that the hymns would be "I heard the voice of Jesus say" and "Tell out my soul". He made up for this omission by singing The Well Below The Valley (Roud 2553, Child 21).

Colin pointed out that it was the sixteenth anniversary of the death of Sydney Carter, and therefore sang three songs written by him: My Last Cigarette, Crow On The Cradle, and The Ballad Of George Fox.

Geoff added some brightness to proceedings with UK one hit wonder, Jerry Keller's Here Comes Summer.

Derek was meanwhile going for a body count. He claimed a million from a song which seems to be related to the Whiffenpoof Song and Kipling's Gentlemen Rankers, but is neither of those - similar in some ways to though Gunboat Sailors which is also derived from them.

Anyway, back on the body count, his research suggested adding about 300,000 from The Bonny Bunch Of Roses (Roud 664, Laws J5).

Mike also claimed a large body count, though at the time of singing he wasn't aware of the game, from The Battle Of Sowerby Bridge. He claimed indeed that it was the anniversary of the battle but the song claims it was on the 44th March! The historical event however seems to have occurred on 4th January 1644.

Simon's poor effort added only two bodies (not really a laughing matter) with Bob Geldof's I Don't Like Mondays. Recently retired teacher, Derek pointed out that this song didn't resonate with him in quite the way it had done when it was sung previously.

Mike continued to unwrap the body bags with his own song, Away To The Western Front. He claimed all the deaths at the front in the First World War. It was then suggested that he might add all those who died subsequently in the Spanish Flu pandemic, started as it was among the soldiers - and incidentally had nothing to do with Spain or the Spanish.

Geoff's voice took us for a tour of his boots, much to Mike's delight since his voice is always happiest in the depths, singing Wandr'in' Star (Alan J Lerner, Frederick Loewe). Finally, it was Mike who finished the evening off with Roll Alabama Roll (Roud 4710).

Keep safe in these strange times. Look after yourself and keep singing, even if it's only to yourself.

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

(Number of people present - 5, of whom 5 performed)

Three into 50 doesn't go

Upton station, Co.Cork (Photo: Ralph Rawlinson)

Oh dear! We're still celebrating the club's 50th anniversary (two more weeks to go) but last week's turn-out was very meagre, not strictly quorate, but we carried on regardless, at least up to a slightly early finish.

Colin, MCing as usual, sang the first of three Woody Guthrie songs of the evening, This Land Is Your Land (Roud 16378). His second Guthrie was Hard Travelin' (Roud 13926). Derek made up the hat-trick with a song that Woody apparently wrote when challenged to sing about the Ladies' Auxiliary. This linked recording appears to be an extended version since printed lyrics usually agree with Derek's rendition that it consists only of a sort of chorus of four lines. Guthrie had in fact earlier sung about the same subject in his song Union Maid (and Pete Seeger finishes this recording off with the original short version).