The Last Farewell

Roger Whittaker in 1971

At the Dragon Folk Club session last week it was great to welcome visitors Tricia and Tony. Tricia sings and plays the ukulele, though her instrument was conspicuous by its absence, and describes Tony as "an experienced audience".

Colin, as MC, started the proceedings with The good ship Ragamuffin (roud 10466). This is a music hall song written around 1882 by John J Stamford for William J "Billy" Ashcroft. Stamford also wrote McNamara's Band for Ashcroft. This (Ragamuffin) was the first song of the evening new to the Dragon database (usual disclaimer: not necessarily new to the club). There were many new songs for the database on this occasion, so rather than get repetitive I will mark them with an asterisk (*).

Tricia's first song was Race of long ago (*), based on a poem by Cicely Fox Smith called Racing Clippers.

Stan found us Waiting for a train (* roud 699, laws H2, Jimmie Rodgers). Simon gave us King of Rome (Dave Sudbury) before Sue took us to Big Rock Candy Mountain (roud 6696, Harry McClintock) and Bob returned us to the American railroad with Golden Rocket (Hank Snow).

Roger was showboating with Ol' Man River (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II) before Chris sang She's like the swallow (roud 2306) sweetly despite having a frog in her throat.

And so ended the first rotation. We went on to sing an impressive total of 38 songs during the evening. You can hear mostly other people's renditions of all but one of them by following the "a selection" link below. I will however mention a subset of them starting with those sung by newcomer Tricia:

• Green grows the laurel (* roud 279)
• Breaking wind suddenly (* Les Barker)
• The Nightingale (* roud 1093, laws M37)
• Here's a goodbye to you, dear Mabel (* Don Thompson) This is the only song of the evening not present in the linked playlist "a selection"
• Farewell to the Clan Line (* Ron Baxter, Ross Campbell)

Talking of "farewell", Simon noted the recent death of Roger Whittaker to whom he was originally introduced by his parents' record collection. He didn't sing The last farewell (Roger Whittaker, Ron A Webster) in the title of this report, but rather Durham town (Roger Whittaker), complete with the geographical inaccuracy which sees the River Tyne flowing through the city rather than the Wear.

Stan and Bob both sang several songs from the pen or the singing of Hank Williams with the effect of marking his recent hundredth birthday. Among them was Stan's rendition of Jambalaya (* Hank Williams, Moon Mullican).

Other songs sung during the evening included:

• Stan - Take these chains from my heart (* Hy Heath, Fred Rose)
• Sue - Gatherin' rhubarb (* Keith Hopwood, Phil Bush), from the mini-series Soul Music based on the Terry Pratchett novel of the same name
• Bob - Drivin' nails in my coffin (* Jerry Irby)
• Stan - Hawaiian sunset (* Sid Tepper, Roy C Bennett)
• Sue - Make you feel my love (* Bob Dylan)
• Colin - I married my Jenny Wren bride (* Shep Woolley)
• Stan - Poor little fool (* Sharon Sheeley)
• Stan - I'm just a country boy (* Fred Hellerman, Marshall Barer)

Simon finished the evening with a rousing chorus song: When All Men Sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford).

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

(Number of people present - 9 of whom 8 performed)

Back in business

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session saw us back on track despite the absence of the usual scribe dragon. Four singers met at The Bridge where normality had returned: MC Colin, Stan and a happy return for Roger with his other half Chris who we hadn't seen for a very long time.

Twenty six songs were sung, which isn't a bad tally. Sorry no YouTube playlist this week because this dragon is rather busy, but that's a small downside after the ups and downs of the last few weeks.

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

All systems go

There will be a Dragon Folk Club session this Friday (15th September 2023). We were uncertain until just now, but it is now confirmed.

You are very welcome to join us from 8:15pm in the "barn" at The Bridge Inn, Shortwood, Bristol (UK), BS16 9NG whether to sing, play, otherwise perform, or sit and listen and maybe join in a chorus or two. Anything goes as long as it's acoustic. You will find FREE ENTRY, a warm welcome, great acoustics (as attested by John Alderslade and others), and (we hope) a reasonably priced bar.

It would be really great if you could make it this week, but whether you can or not you will find us in the same place, at the same time almost every Friday - see the posts here for the latest news.

The pub with no beer

IMPORTANT NOTE: We are hoping there will be a Dragon Folk Club session this Friday (15th September 2023), but we're not certain at the moment. This isn't because of the current situation with the pub (see below - which should have improved by Friday), but because some of our key members may not be available due to family matters. I will post an update here later in the week, so keep watching, and mark us in your diary anyway in expectation that all will be well.

Last week at The Bridge was interesting... hmmm. True, there was only one singer present, and true he did sing sixteen songs - you'll have to trust him on that. But stranger, there were no bar staff and no beer. Wait, that's not quite as bad as it sounds. Apparently The Bridge's faithful regular drinker, Allie, turned up and found nothing happening. She asked what it was about and was told there were no staff, so she volunteered to work behind the bar, and a pretty good job she did of it - friendly and warm as always, and seemed to know what she was doing. According to Allie the beer had not been ordered, so not only was there no Doom Bar (shock, horror), but no other beer on tap nor even in bottles and cans. However there were several ciders, which did the job for one lonely singer, even if the effect was a slightly burpy (TMI?) rendition of some songs - maybe best that there was no one to hear.

Simon started, continued and finished the session, so I won't bother to add too much detail to this report, but in the process he sang loudly in case someone passing the door on their way into the gents heard and felt moved to wander in (they didn't), and he sang some songs rarely sung by him, and some rarely in the club. There was only one song new to the Dragon database which I have marked below with an asterisk (*), and even that was certainly not new to the club, just not previously electronically recorded.

Here is the complete list.

• Margarita (Harvey Andrews)
• Small High Window (Mike Harding)
• City of New Orleans (Steve Goodman)
• Bully in the Alley (roud 8287)
• The World Turned Upside Down (Leon Rosselson)
• Portobello Road (Cat Stevens/Yusuf, Kim Fowley)
• Cousin Jack (Steve Knightley)
• The Boxer * (Paul Simon)
• And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda (Eric Bogle)
• The Gambler (Don Schlitz)
• The January Man (Dave Goulder)
• Martin Said to his Man (roud 473)
• The Mighty Quinn (Bob Dylan)
• Summertime (DuBose Heyward, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
• The Tailor's Breeches (roud 1610)
• This Land is Your Land (roud 16378, Woody Guthrie)

I think that a pretty eclectic one-man performance. It's just a pity there was no one to hear it.

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

(Number of people present - 1 of whom 1 performed)

This Train

Kingston Flyer, New Zealand
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Another fun session at the Dragon Folk Club last week. It was good to have a new face join us albeit a visitor from Penzance. His name was Bob, so given our regular Bob J was also there we will call him Bob G.

I'm going to have to keep this week's report quite short, so bear with me for a whistle-stop tour of some of what happened.

The first rotation comprised:

• Colin - The Apprentice Song (Ian Campbell)
• John - Rising Sun Blues (roud 6393)
• Bob G - The Smuggler (Ian Woods noted, "In 1970 a child gave me an old spectacle case to display in an Education Act centenary exhibition. Underneath the velvet inlay was a broadside containing four songs, of which this was one. The tune was given as Lowlands of Holland. I learnt it and have been singing it ever since. Masefield includes it in his A Sailor’s Garland [New York: Macmillan, 1906, p.209] but omits the last verse.")
• Stan - Wedding Bells (Claude Boone)
• Simon - No Sir No (roud 146)
• Sue - Ride On (Jimmy McCarthy)
• Bob J - Lake Charles (Lucinda Williams)

Newcomer Bob G went on to sing:

• He Tried his Best (Bob Glanville)
• The Mayfly (Sid Meets [?] with extra verses by Bob Glanville)
• Star of the County Down (Cathal MacGarvey)

There were some other songs worth a mention as being new to the Dragon database, if not necessarily to the club:

• Stan - Forty shades of green (Johnny Cash)
• Sue - Low Bridge, Everybody Down (roud 6598, Thomas S Allen)
• Bob J - Rats in my Kitchen (Sleepy John Estes)
• Sue and Bob J - Under the Boardwalk (Kenny Young, Arthur Resnick)
• John - Freedom Town (Delila Paz, Edgey Pires)
• Sue - The Runaway Train (roud 9859)
• Stan - So Sad [to watch good love go bad] (Don Everly)

The evening came to a close with Sue singing This Train (roud 6702)

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

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

The new normal?

Liverpool's Three Graces
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's session was back at The Bridge with new, possibly temporary management. They seemed like reasonable guys and they were happy for us to be in our usual room. We were relatively small in number, but some decent songs were sung, and we were joined by newcomer Stan who some of us knew from other sessions.

Colin, MC as usual, started the evening with The sheep are 'neath the snow, a traditional Manx song - Ny Kirree Fo Niaghtey in Manx.

Stan sang a song made famous by Scott Walker, and written by Tony Macaulay and Geoff Stephens: Lights of Cincinatti. Like Stan's Denny's first song was new to the Dragon database (though not necessarily new to the club): Pretty Saro (roud 417).

Paul gave us Dave Webber's Bonnet and Shawl.

Simon followed Colin's lead in a way by singing The Ellan Vannin Tragedy (Hughie Jones) about the Isle of Man ferry named after the island in Manx which sank in 1909.

I'll continue as has become tradition, mentioning mainly songs sung by newcomer Stan and songs not already in the Dragon database.

Stan perhaps recalled the Ellan Vannin when singing The leaving of Liverpool (roud 9435), yet Denny kept us in that city with The ballad of Seth Davy (Glyn Hughes).

Paul took us into the London sewers with Sydney Carter's Down below (roud V53400). This song was apparently sung by Stanley Holloway, who was of course famous for reciting monologues written by Marriott Edgar, such as The recumbent posture, which Simon gave us to follow Paul.

Stan gave us two songs by Pete St John: The fields of Athenry and The rare ould times.

Denny turned to Gospel by singing Blessed quietness (Manie Payne Ferguson).

Paul amused us with Jon Heslop's Dead knight behind the hedge, a mashup of Twa corbies (roud 5, child 26) and The knight on the road (roud 20, child 3). This one isn't in the YouTube playlist linked from "a selection" below.

Colin's The saucy Arabella (roud 8343) was noted as having similarities to The Rosabella (roud 21134).

Stan sang Kris Kristofferson's I'd rather be sorry.

Denny set me a challenge which I'm afraid I haven't been able to fulfil. Her song Wayhill Fair comes from a tape she has of The South Bank Grunters. It seems to be related to Weyhill Fair (roud 1086), but isn't so much about horses at the fair.

Stan sang Ralph McTell's From Clare to here. Stan told us that McTell wrote the song inspired by an Irish builder, and that he could relate to it having often worked with Irish builders on sites in various locations.

Paul proudly sang his parody of Close the coalhouse door (Alex Glasgow) which he calls Close the dentist's door having written it while waiting for Denny to have root canal work done. His pride was because he sang it for a parody competition at the 2023 Sidmouth Folk Festival's Middle Bar. He left the event understanding that he had come second, but later heard that after a recount he had been declared the winner.

Colin gave us The Cotswolds, written by Mick "Shag" Connors.

Stan's last song of the evening was Massachusetts, written by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb - the Bee Gees. This takes us back to the beginning of the evening with an Isle of Man connection for the Gibb brothers were born on the island.

Paul rounded off the evening with Dave Webber's Parting song.

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

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

Home again

I can now confirm that we will be back at The Bridge Inn this Friday (25th August 2023). It's too early to assume that it is permanent, but Colin has had a word with the new management and we are certainly OK for this week.

So please come and join us whether you sing, play, perform in some other way, or just like to listen and maybe join in a chorus or two this Friday from 8:15pm in the former pool room at The Bridge, Shortwood, Bristol (UK), BS16 9NG. If you have to ask the new management and they don't know where we are, it's the room through the door at the end of the corridor past the toilets.

You can be assured of FREE ENTRY, a warm welcome and great acoustics. Anything goes as long as it's acoustic.