Denny - Profile

Denny (Photo: Simon Meeds)

This article is one of a series on regulars at the club.

Denny first came along to a Dragon Folk Club session in 1983 as an audience member when it was at Iron Acton. Returning to the Bristol area after many years away, she found her way back to the club after a forty-year gap on 10th March 2023 and has been regular singer ever since.

She sings unaccompanied with a preference for songs with gusto and a good chorus.

Denny first came to the Dragon Folk Club to listen in around 1983 when it was still at The Lamb in Iron Acton. She moved away from the area with work and her first participation at a folk club was in the North East, at the Cutty Wren Folk Club in Redcar, North Yorkshire around 1984-86. It was more usual there to sing than not, so she was persuaded to learn something. Denny says that "the folk scene up there was brilliant and you could go to a different club most nights of the week".

She moved again and due to her shift work was able to attend festivals but not a regular club for many years. She now finds herself free to do so which she says is "fabulous".

She has been delighted to be a Middle Bar Singer for the last few years at Sidmouth Folk Festival.

Paul - Profile

Paul (Photo: Simon Meeds)

This article is one of a series on regulars at the club.

Paul first came along to a Dragon Folk Club session on 10th March 2023 and has been a regular ever since.

He sings unaccompanied and while he's happy to sing any songs he particularly enjoys a good loud chorus, shanties, and music hall songs in a "traditional" folk style. He is beginning to learn a few ballads too.

Paul started singing in a school choir. He sang the Hallelujah Chorus at the Royal Festival Hall in 1966. 

He started singing again at the Tribe of Doris festival in an African Harmony Choir and learnt Zimbabwean folk songs with Chartwell Dutiro, a mbira player, in a singing group at Buckfastleigh in 2001/3.

Paul met Denny in 2004/5 and she educated him in 'British folk music' and festivals. He found his folk singing voice at the Towersey Sing-around Bar in 2007. He then sang annually at The (Wareham) Wail from 2009 to 2022. He has also been a Middle Bar singer at Sidmouth since February 2023.

Paul has built his repertoire from eight songs to over a hundred thanks to the opportunities for singing at the Dragon Folk Club. He says "we sing often and it's a friendly, non-critical, informal environment". He also now sings at WoTFolk at The Victoria, Westbury-on-Trym, and at Stan Drews in St Andrews, Bristol, both of which are monthly folk clubs. Paul has also sung at The Mutiny Shanty Sessions at Bristol harbour and at the West Somerset Folk Weekend in 2025.

Striding forth

Paul W striding forth at Clevedon
(Photo: Simon Meeds) 

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session was another great one. Paul M returned for his second visit - let's hope there will be many more. Simon dropped the bombshell that it was VE Day. To the relief of others he wasn't suggesting a theme, but simply admitting that he had forgotten to set the theme. Nevertheless, a few appropriate songs were aired during the evening.

As far as I know there is no theme again this Friday, but don't let that stop you bringing your own theme if you have the urge. Otherwise who knows? Something may emerge.

Colin, MC as usual, started us off with The seven wonders (traditional, collected by Mick Tems of Pontardawe).

Simon followed his wartime non-theme with Plover Catcher (Elizabeth Padgett).

It was great to see Steve C for the second time in a fortnight, and his first song was The field behind the plow (sic) (Stan Rogers).

Paul M gave us the evening's first song new to the Dragon database, one that his father used to sing, The ghost thit' anted Bunty (roud V45218 - Tommy Armstrong) - which translates from Geordie as "The ghost that haunted Bunty".

Paul W and Denny both made their first songs ones that were neither previously in the Dragon database, nor could be found on YouTube. Paul's was I will always love you (*# Les Sullivan) and Denny's was Moon names (*# Charlotte Oliver).

Thinking of Paul's song, I wonder whether there is a thing to be made of writing songs with the names of other, well-known songs. I used to know a great chap called Jim Carroll (not the well-known one, but the one seen at the beginning of this video acting the fool), sadly no longer with us. If we were having a song session in a public bar and someone said, as they often did, something like "Do you know Free bird?", Jim would pick up his guitar and improvise a blues of the same name. At other times his speciality was pseudo-flamenco.

After that digression, this brings us to the end of the first rotation.

There were just two further songs new to the database last week, both from Paul M:

• Grace Darling (roud 1441)
• The rising of the moon (roud 9634)

Paul modified the words of Grace Darling slightly in the hope of emphasising that she was a woman rather than that she was English. All nevertheless joined in with the chorus.

As the session came to an end it was Denny's turn to sing and she picked our oft-used finisher-offer, When all men sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford). Rather than simply the customary joining in of the chorus, this became a truly communal song as Denny handed over to Paul W, and he in turn to Simon to finish off the last verse. And so was ended a very enjoyable evening.

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

(Number of people present - 6 of whom 6 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 (#).

May Day 2026

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session fell on 1st May, so the theme had to be May Day. As always the theme was entirely optional. Some people had prepared appropriate songs, others mangled their songs or introductions to fit, and others quite reasonably went ahead and sang what they sang.

It was great to see a turn-out of 11, just the same as the week before, and a level we would be very happy to maintain, so do come along whether you're a regular, it's been a while or it will be your first time. We really are very friendly and definitely non-judgemental.

Two of those present were happy to be our audience: Heather's friend Hazel, and Sheila who was with Paul and Denny. It was Sheila's first visit; she seemed to have enjoyed it and said she was surprised how many of the songs she knew - I saw her joining in quite frequently.

Colin, MC as usual, started us off with The month of May (roud 153).

Stuart and Carrie sang I wandered by a brookside (Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Hougthon, Barbara Berry) and Fresh as a sweet Sunday morning (Bert Jansch).

Paul gave us The Galway shawl (roud 2737) and Denny followed up with the Swinton May song (roud 305).

Stan added the first new entry of the evening in the Dragon database with I will love you all my life (* Charlie Landsborough).

Heather's first song of the evening was Day trip to Bangor (Debbie Cook).

Simon had been stuck on the motorway, but having arrived and bought a drink from the bar, it was his turn straight away and he plucked out Phil Tanner's version of Barbara Allen (roud 54, child 84). And so the first rotation was completed.

Keith G arrived some time later on a rare visit complete with a new keyboard, which he used to give us Is you is or is you ain't my baby (Billy Austin, Louis Jordan). His second offering was a medley of songs which included among others excerpts from: Love letters (* Victor Young, Edward Heyman), Georgia on my mind (Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell) and Perfect day (* Lou Reed).

Other songs new to the Dragon database last week were:

•  Stuart and Carrie - Tin man (* Dewey Bunnell)
•  Stan - Someday soon (* Ian Tyson)
•  Carrie - Sunshine in Leith (* Craig Reid, Charlie Reid)

It fell to Denny to finish the session. She said she thought of May as the start of the festival season and sang a song she proposed as a good one to start off a folk festival: Come by the hills (W Gordon Smith).

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

(Number of people present - 11 of whom 9 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 (#).

Heather - Profile

This article is one of a series on regulars at the club.

Heather first attended the Dragon Folk Club in 2005. In the last few months she has returned and has become a regular singer. While she doesn't play an instrument she says she will "sing anything".

While working for DC Thomson in Dundee Heather joined the Thomson-Leng Musical Society. After moving South to Bristol she became involved with the Bristol Musical Comedy Club. She performed in a duo known as Kismet and went on to sing solo in pubs, clubs, hospitals and old folks' clubs.

St George's Day 2026

St George's, Bristol
(Photo: Simon Meeds) 

It was great to have a full complement of singers at last week's Dragon Folk Club session including second-timers Mick, and Kerstin and third-timer Ray. Apart from anything else it leads to a fantastic variety of songs, and some even took on the optional theme of St George's Day and all that is England.

Before I get down to the report, let's note that this Friday is actually 1st May, so we really should have a theme of May, which is mentioned in so many folk songs. The theme is of course as always optional, so the most important thing is that you come and join us, and sing, play or perform in whatever way you wish as long as it's acoustic, and the theme is just a nice-to-have if you can follow it for some or all or your performances. Audience members are of course also welcome as always.

 Back to last week, Colin was MC and started us off with The new St George (Richard Thompson).

Our resident Scot, Heather, followed with what she said was her only English song: John Peel (roud 1239).

Mick gave us his own musical setting of Charles Kingsley's poem Three fishers (*) - note that the linked video is Stan Rogers' setting of the same work.

Simon sang Puff and bold Saint George (#), a parody written by friend of the club, Richard Gillion.

Rob ventured into May slightly early with Hal an tow (roud 1520) and Steve, wishing to remember our recently deceased former MC Mike Starkey, sang Dido Bendigo (roud 584). Mike didn't like fox hunting, but enjoyed some of the songs on the subject, this being one he often sang.

Paul cleaved to the English theme with Fathom the bowl (roud 880) and Denny invoked the recently deceased George Papavgeris with his Friends like these.

Ray and Kerstin, singing together with Ray on ukulele, completed the first rotation with Jolene (Dolly Parton) and And I love her (* John Lennon and Paul McCartney).

There was just one song not found on YouTube and therefore not included in the playlist linked from "a selection" below. Indeed it is a song Colin has sung before and about which I still can't find any details. I assume the title is Britannia waives the rules. There are several similarly titled songs around, but I'm pretty sure I haven't found this one.

Songs and tunes not already mentioned that are new to the Dragon database are as follows:

• Mick - Hesitation blues (* roud 11765)
• Rob - Ballina whalers (* Harry Robertson)
• Ray and Kerstin - I drove all night (*  Billy Steinberg, Tom Kelly)
• Mick - Saturday night rub (* Big Bill Broonzy)
• Kerstin - Komm lieber Mai und mache (* Christian Adolph Overbeck, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
•  Heather - One day at a time (* Marijohn Wilkin, Kris Kristofferson)
• Mick - Towersey fair (* Bill Meek, John Conolly)
• Rob - Mrs Barbour's army (*  Alistair Hulett)
• Ray and Kerstin - Sailing (* Gavin Sutherland)
• Mick - St Louis blues (*  W C Handy)

Simon finished off the session with When all men sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford). 

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

(Number of people present - 11 of whom 10 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 (#).

Mostly remembering

Mike Starkey and Tom Mossman
(Photos: Simon Meeds)

After last week's sad news of the recent deaths of two Dragon Folk Club singers the session was suggested as the first of several where songs sung or written by Tom Mossman and Mike Starkey might be featured, and the originally suggested title of "Songs about singing" understandably faded into the background.

It was great to welcome Paul M and his friend Jane for the first time. Out of the five performers, only Colin and Simon really knew Tom and Mike, but it didn't stop others from selecting songs from their repertoires. Overall it was a great evening and definitely not at all morbid.

We were joined briefly by Mike's cribbage-playing friend, asking whether we knew of  Mike's death, and he stayed to listen to one song, so he is included in the count of attendees.

This Friday the official theme will be St George's Day, but songs from Tom and Mike's repertoires are definitely still on the cards - there may even be some that hit both targets on the bullseye!

Colin, resuming his seat as MC after a spell away from it, started proceedings with Deportee (Plane Crash At Los Gatos) (roud 26302 - Woody Guthrie).

Newcomer Paul M's debut song was Fare thee well Cisco (*  Tom Paxton), written about Cisco Houston.

Denny gave us Linden Lea (T roud X4683 - William Barnes, Ralph Vaughan Williams) and Paul W sang The song goes on (Mick Ryan), which having been written as a posthumous tribute to singer Cyril Tawney was very appropriate on all fronts.

Simon finished the first rotation with Standing at the door (T Allan Taylor).

Unusually, because of the themes, I will mention every song (and poem) performed during the evening:

• Colin - Following the southern star (M Mike Starkey, Dave Marshall)
• Paul M -  The twenty fourth of February (M roud 951)
• Denny - Marching inland (M Tom Lewis)
• Paul W - Jones's ale (M roud 139)
• Simon - After the gold rush (M Neil Young)
• Colin - Autumn leaves (T  Joseph Kosma, Johnny Mercer)
• Paul M - D-Day dodgers (M  Lance-Sergeant Harry Pynn, Norbert Schultze)
• Denny - Holmfirth anthem (M roud 1046)
• Paul W - Blackbird (T John Lennon, Paul McCartney)
• Simon - Lasso the moon (T Tom Mossman in discussion with Ray Croll)
• Colin - Mary Ellen Carter (M Stan Rogers)
• Paul M - Song for the Bowdoin (* Larry Kaplan)
• Denny - Rolling home (M  roud 4766)
• Paul W - Bring us a barrel (M Keith Marsden)
• Simon - John Barleycorn (M  roud 164 - Tune "Wir Pflügen" by Johann Abraham Peter Schulz)
• Colin - Dirty old town (M? Ewan MacColl)
• Paul M - Pastures of plenty (* roud 16377 - Woody Guthrie)
• Denny - When yellow's on the broom (M Adam McNaughton)
• Paul W - Country gardens (roud 29760 - Thomas Walker, Robert M Jordan) - Paul wasn't to know that Mike Starkey actually used to sing Fred Wedlock's parody English Country Garden.
• Simon - Grand Dad's cracket (*T Tom Mossman)
• Colin - British bobby (M Fred Wedlock) - Fred was Mike's English teacher when he was at school. Mike said that Fred taught him Brizzle and claimed that he taught Fred Glott'r.
• Paul M - The Marla Hill ducks (* roud V39873 - Tommy Armstrong)
• Denny - I can hew boys (M Davey Dodds)
• Paul W - John Dead (M). I've given Paul the hit on Mike's repertoire because there are many versions of this song and he was very close, but the one Mike sang is more like this Grey goose.
• Simon - Claudy banks (M roud 266, laws N40)
• Colin -  The band played waltzing matilda (M Eric Bogle)
• Paul M - Nantucket (* Jonathan Michael Peter Darely, David Robinson, Robert James Alexander Sattin, Andrew Robert Yates)
• Denny - Row on (roud 2084)
• Paul W - Hanging Johnny (M roud 2625)
• Simon - Home lass home (T Tom Mossman,  Sarah Morgan)
• Colin - Parting glass (M roud 3004)
• Paul M - Bones in the ocean (* Dave Robinson)
• Denny - Rolling Home (M John Tams)
• Paul W - Farewell shanty (M) This was the song Mike would sing at the funeral of a another singer.
• Simon - The January man (M Dave Goulder) Mike would have had Simon's guts for garters for singing this outside January.
• Colin - I'm bound away (M?)
• Paul M - A great northern river (* Graeme Miles)
• Denny - Teeside bridges (Erik Gooding)
• Paul W - Roll Alabama roll (M roud 4710)

Simon finished the evening with When all men sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford) - although I don't think I heard Mike perform this song he would certainly sing along to the chorus with gusto, and this recording is particularly appropriate since I believe he knew and respected Johnny Collins.

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

(Number of people present - 7 of whom 5 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 (#).

Additionally this week "T" and "M" indicate songs from Tom Mossman's or Mike Starkey's repertoires and a question mark (?) indicates a song only possibly identified as such.