Canadian Pacific

Ships in English Bay and Burrard Inlet, Vancouver
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session was another corker, but not this time a matter of quantity, but rather of quality and interest. We were joined by another newcomer. Mandy isn't from around here, but she does visit regularly so there is hope that she will be back. She certainly seemed to enjoy the evening and commented how friendly and welcoming we are.

There's quite a lot to tell so hold on to your hats. I'll mark songs new to the Dragon database, but not necessarily to the club, with an asterisk (*). Of course, as it traditional, I will mention all of newcomer Mandy's songs.

We started off with no official theme, but things moved on quickly.

Colin, MC as usual, started us off with Christy Moore's Viva la Quinta Brigada (*).

Denny's first song of the evening was Holmfirth Anthem (roud 1046) and Paul gave us The ship in distress (roud 807 *). Simon found safe ground with Tom Paine's Bones (Graham Moore) - note that for the first time I have found a recording of the author singing his own song.

Mandy's debut at the club was an Appalachian version of Black Eyed Susan (roud 560, laws O28). Apparently the words come from a poem written in 1720 by John Gay and entitled Sweet William’s Farewell to Black-Eyed Susan.

Bob and Sue arrived just in time to join the end of the first rotation, but elected to take their time and skip to the second. Bob's first offering was You got gold (John Prine), which started a bit of a friendly Prine-off between Bob and Mandy.

Sue meanwhile sang Love of the Common People, known by many from the 1983 recording by Paul Young, but first recorded in 1967 having been written by John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins.

Mandy's second song of the evening was I'm so lonesome I could cry from Hank Williams, another name that would crop up again.

Colin asked me to check whether he had previously sung Jez Lowe's London Danny at the club and I confirm he did on 20th July 2018, so almost exactly six years ago. He may have sung it at other sessions, but I think that would have been the first since I mentioned in the report on that session that it was a song previously sung by our late friend Ray Croll.

Mandy joined the previously mentioned John Prine mini-theme set by Bob with That's the way the world goes round (*).

Bob followed the Hank Williams mini-theme set by Mandy with Lost highway, which wasn't written by Williams, but by Leon Payne.

It was Simon's singing of The Ryans and the Pittmans (roud 21113), which is a Newfoundland version of Spanish ladies, that caused Mandy to admit that she had lived for several years in Canada. She was pleased to be reminded of that time and that caused another not-so-mini theme of Canada to be established. With all these themes and it also being remarked that we sang quite a lot of railway songs, you really couldn't move for themes at the session - all very optional of course.

Mandy's singing of Stan Rogers' Barrett's Privateers allows me to link one of my favourite music videos from YouTube. Bear with the brief preamble and you will see a group of people really enjoying themselves. It is an excerpt from a documentary and I'm sure someone told me that during several takes the crew kept everyone's whisky glasses topped up, which perhaps explains the mood. Don't you just wish you were there? Of course this continued the Canadian theme.

Having not so far mentioned the railway theme, in quick succession we had Bob singing Golden Rocket (Hank Snow), Sue with City of New Orleans (Steve Goodman), and Denny with King of the railway (Roy Duffield), the latter being the only song of the evening not to feature in the YouTube playlist linked from "a selection" below. I note now that Hank Snow was a "Canadian-American" - another theme ticked.

Simon followed the Canadian and Stan Rogers themes with Northwest Passage and Mandy introduced us to Canadian band Blue Rodeo by singing Falling down blue (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor). Sue's Canadian offering was Ian Tyson's Four strong winds.

Denny took us to Canada via Chile with 150 days out from Vancouver (Cicely Fox Smith, Tom Lewis).

Apart from Mandy's final song of the evening, the Canadian I'se the b'y (roud 1340), we finished with another rush of train songs: Simon with the L&N don't stop here anymore (Jean Ritchie), Bob with New train (another John Prine song), and finally Sue with Elizabeth Cotten's Freight train.

So, we finished having sung a total of forty songs. Mandy was very game, entertaining us on her first visit with seven songs. If you are thinking of visiting us or even becoming a Dragon regular, don't worry, no one is going to complain if you pass on some rounds - you don't need a vast or even well practised repertoire to join us at the Bridge on a Friday night.

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

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

A record breaking performance

At last week's Dragon Folk Club session we didn't seem particularly rushed, the songs weren't particularly short and we certainly weren't devoid of chat, but nevertheless we seem to have broken the accepted previous Dragon record of 47 songs sung in an evening. We sang a total of 49 songs!

It all started off with Colin performing Dance ti thy daddy (roud 2439), possibly better known as When the boat comes in, having been the theme tune to a TV programme of that title. Simon sang Strike the bell (roud 4190) and Steve completed the first rotation with Sam Hall (roud 369, laws L5).

With so many songs I am sure you will forgive me if I pick out a bare minimum and invite you to listen to the rest via the YouTube playlist linked from "a selection" below.

There are four songs not included on that playlist:

• Colin - Convict's complaint
• Steve - When Adam was first created (roud 728)
• Colin - The bos'n, the gunner and me (Francis Barron, Henry Trotère)
• Colin - Windy old sailors (Chris Sugden - assumed) - sung by The Kipper Family and found only as a title on an obsolete version of the Sid Kipper website - I'm still not sure where Colin found the words, because it doesn't seem to have been recorded

Six songs were new to the Dragon database, though not necessarily in all cases new to the club:

• Simon - Percy Shaw (Roger Davies)
• Colin - Waiting for wages (Jill MacLean, Michael Raven or more likely traditional)
• Colin - Wicklow hills (Pierce Turner)
• Colin - Heaven's a bar (Tim Laycock)
• Colin - Drinking rum and raspberry
• Colin - Roots (Steve Knightley)

Colin returned to Steve Knightley for the last song of the evening, which was Cousin Jack.

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

(Number of people present - 3 of whom 3 performed)

Roll, roll, row and blow

Kaskelot (Photo: Simon Meeds)

It was another fun session for the Dragon Folk Club last Friday. There was nothing spectacular to report, but certainly a good range of songs was sung.

Colin, the regular MC, started things off with Mary Ann (roud 4438), which Denny followed up with Down where the drunkards roll (Richard Thompson). Simon started a bit of a personal Mike Harding theme with his Accrington Pals. Paul completed the first rotation with Hard times of old England (roud 1206).

There were just two songs from the evening which are not available on YouTube and therefore not included in the playlist linked from "a selection" below. They were Colin's singing of The Kipper Family's Wraggle-taggle travellers-o (Chris Sugden), and also from Colin, As long as someone sings a song (George Papavgeris).

The following songs (or versions) were new to the Dragon database, though not necessarily new to the club:

• Colin - Row bullies row (a version of Liverpool Judies using instead the line "Liverpool girls" - roud 928)
• Simon - Roll Down (Peter Bellamy)
• Colin - Darby Kelly (roud 21859)
• Denny - Watford Gap (Roy Harper)

I also managed to find a recording very similar to the extra-bawdy version of Blow the man down (roud 2624) that Colin sang. We're not afraid of a bit of bawd or controversy at the Dragon Folk Club as long as it does no one any harm.

With a total of forty-one songs, it was Colin who presented the last of those: Rescue me (Dougie McLean). For the record, since it was mentioned, Dougie is 69 years of age at the time of writing.

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

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

The gathering

George Müller

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session was notable mostly for the presence of first time visitor, Gavin who sang entirely his own songs, most of which were about local events and people. He had been planning on visiting us for some time and last week the stars aligned. He seemed to enjoy the evening and we enjoyed his singing, so let's hope he returns soon.

Not least with Gavin's presence there were quite a number of songs which were new to the Dragon database (if not in all cases new to the club) so I'll simply mark them with an asterisk (*). There were also a few which aren't in the playlist linked from "a selection" below, so I'll mark those with a hash (#).

Colin, the MC as usual, started things off with Let union be in all our hearts (* roud 1238) and Simon followed that with Tom Paine's bones (Graham Moore).

Gavin informed us about the Cooper's Hill cheese-rolling with his song Cheese rolling (* Gavin Ball).

He says he may attend the event one day, but not to take part - for that you have to be slightly crazy and prepared for the possibility of coming home with broken bones.

Denny gave us Young banker (roud 3321) before Paul took us back to the cultured milk with Les Barker's Hard cheese of old England. That was really the end of the first rotation, but when Steve arrived a little later his first song was Farmer's toast (roud 1603).

Colin's second song of the evening was The saucy Arethusa (* roud 12675), the words of which are attributes to Prince Hoare while the tune is Turlough O'Carolan's tune Miss MacDermott also used for The Princess Royal. The subject of the song is HMS Arethusa, originally a French frigate (Aréthuse) launched in 1757 and captured by the British in 1759. She remained in Royal Navy service for twenty years until she was wrecked off Ushant after being badly damaged in battle.

As it tradition on his first visit I will mention all of Gavin's songs although being self-penned they would have been mentioned anyway since they were all having their Dragon debut:

• I want to win the FA Cup (*# Gavin Ball)
• W G Grace (* Gavin Ball) - about the famous cricketer of that name
• Don't play with fire (* Gavin Ball) - A tribute to Fleur Lombard, a Bristol firefighter who lost her life dealing with an incident of arson
• Money was the reason (*# Gavin Ball)
• George Muller (*# Gavin Ball) - About Christian evangelist and director of Bristol's Ashley Down orphanage, George Müller
• Beard tax (* Gavin Ball) - about one of Peter the Great's bold and controversial attempts to civilise 18th century Russia.

Denny introduced us to the thoroughly English concept of A nice cup of tea (* Henry Sullivan, A P Herbert) while Colin took us across the pond for The night they drove old Dixie down (* Robbie Robertson) before sailing the seas with Tom Lewis for Recall.

I wonder whether it was Denny's singing of The Leezie Lindsay (roud 94, child 226 - Robert Burns) which includes the lines "For my name is Lord Ronald McDonald, a chieftain of high degree" that prompted Colin to dig out Carol McNelly's parody of Ralph McTell's Streets of London that is McDonald's kitchen (*)?

The last song of the evening was When all men sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford) which came from Denny, accompanied by all present.

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

(Number of people present - 6 of whom 6 performed)

Music all the way

Billy Bragg performing at WOMAD Reading in 1999
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Your scribe wasn't present at last week's Dragon Folk Club session having been in the land of the red dragon for a few days, but it seems to have been a good one with a total of 46 songs being sung, which may be just one off the record if my memory serves!

There was a newcomer, Dominic, and a second-timer, Roger, so unsurprisingly there were quite a few songs new to the Dragon database (though not necessarily to the club), which to avoid repetition I will simply mark with an asterisk (*). These two gentlemen arrived together and Dominic accompanied some of Roger's songs on the harmonica.

There was some sort of issue with the pub's plumbing which caused a steady stream of gentlemen to make their way through the barn during the evening. Colin, anticipating an early finish thanks to this disruption and using his full MC powers, decided to start the session early, but in the end everyone was respectful and proceedings carried on to a natural finish.

Colin started things off with Batchelor's hall (roud 385). Denny followed this with Byker Hill (roud 3488) and Paul finished off the first pre-watershed round with Waking dreams (roud 22620).

When Roger and Dominic joined in their first songs respectively were: Wildwood flower (* roud 757 - Joseph Philbrick Webster, Maud Irving) and Dainty Davy (* roud 2387).

All of the songs sung during the session which don't appear in the playlist linked from "a selection" below were written by their respective singers. Paul was first in with his Close the dentist's door (Paul Welcomme), a parody of Alex Glasgow's Close the coalhouse door.

Roger was next with his own Grumpy man lament (* Roger Stanleigh).

As is traditional, I will mention all songs performed by newcomer Dominic:

• Town of Ballybay (Tommy Makem)
• Lakes of Ponchartrain (roud 1836, laws H9)
• The night visiting song (* roud 22568)
• The old woman from Wexford (roud 183, laws Q02 - Marrowbones)
• Talk to me of Mendonico (* Kate McGarrigle)
• Tramps and hawkers (roud 1874)

Colin contributed a new song to the database with Eric Bogle's Safe in the harbour.

Paul told the essentially true story of a diagnosis with his own Fathom my bowel (Paul Welcomme), a parody of course of Fathom the bowl (roud 880).

Roger added two further songs to the database: My baby left me (* Arthur Crudup) and North to Alaska (* Mike Phillips, Tillman Franks).

Colin gave us another "new" song with Billy Bragg's Between the wars (*).

It was Dominic who closed the evening, singing The Newry highwayman (* roud 490, laws L12)

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

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

Going for gold

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

I'll keep this week's report very simple. Nevertheless, I hope the playlist will make a decent listen. With many of the Dragon Folk Club stars away for the week those of us who remained set out to record a decent tally and we made it to forty songs before giving up. It's not a record by any means, that's at least forty-seven, but it is quite eclectic (there are certainly some folk songs in there if you look). If you discern any theme, sub-themes or direction I can assure you they were totally unintentional. In hindsight I can see some so I'll leave it to you to find them.

Your presence this Friday would be very welcome whether to sing, play, recite, or perform in any other way within reason as long as it's acoustic; alternatively to be our audience, join in the banter and the odd chorus. See you there.

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

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

A happy band

Matthew II and SS Great Britain
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

We had the best turn-out for a while at the Dragon Folk Club last week, and that included Gordon, a new face for the club, and a very welcome one who we hope to see again.

Colin, MC as usual, started off the session with Stan Rogers' The Mary Ellen Carter.

Gordon's debut song at the club was Old Zeb (Larry Kaplan). Kaplan says that the song is about Zebulon Northrup Tilton who was born in 1867, and died in 1952 at the age of eighty-five. He lived long enough to see the coasting schooner trade all but disappear. This was the first of six songs sung during the evening that were new to the Dragon database (though not necessarily new to the club) - I'll simply mark the rest with an asterisk (*).

Denny kept to the watery theme with Row on (roud 2084 - Tune: Tim Laycock). Also keeping to that theme was Paul with Wee pot stove (Harry Robertson), although taking after Nic Jones, Paul sang "Little pot stove".

With the 80th anniversary of the landings just past, Simon found another theme of his own, singing D-Day dodgers (roud 10499 - Lance-Sergeant Harry Pynn).

Rob sang a song sometimes sung by Steve: Just as the tide was flowing (roud 1105), followed swiftly by Steve singing a song sometimes sung by Rob: Rio Grande (roud 317). We're not territorial here when it comes to songs.

Bob gave us Blues stay away from me (Alton Delmore, Henry B Glover, Rabon Delmore, Wayne Raney), followed by Sue finishing the first rotation with Soon may the wellerman come, which contrary to popular belief is not a shanty (a working song), but a forebitter (a ballad sung by seamen while off duty). Nevertheless, Nathan Evans' recording of the song published on social media during the pandemic triggered a revival in shanty signing, which can't be a bad thing.

There were two songs sung during the evening which are not available on YouTube as far as I can tell, and therefore not in the playlist linked from "a selection" below. The first was Colin's singing of Chris Sugden's The Pharmacist (*), a parody of Farmer's boy (roud 408, laws Q30), sung by Sugden and Dick Nudds as The Kipper Family. The second song not on the playlist was sung by Rob, and written by his late friend Pete MacGregor: Modern banker (*).

As is customary, I will mention all of the songs sung by newcomer Gordon. His second song was Singing in the May (Mike O'Connor *) - a little late, but we will forgive him. Next he put on his one-man-band contraption (yes, really) and sang Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster's Me an Bobby McGee.

Unstrapped, Gordon gave us Joe Hill (Alfred Hayes, Earl Robinson), one of the songs in a set he is developing about rights that have been gained and could easily be lost.

The songs not so far mentioned which are new to the Dragon database were:

• Rob - Waiting for a train (Rob Winder *), not to be confused with the song of the same title which is roud 699, laws H2 and was written by Jimmie Rodgers
• Denny - Shift and spin (Ewan McVicar *)

It fell to Sue to close the evening with Love of the common people (John Hurley, Ronnie Wilkins).

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

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