Hunting for pet hates

Headstone of John Peel in the churchyard of
St Kentigern's Church,
Caldbeck, Wigton, Cumbria, UK
(Photo: Mark W Barker)

Last week's session had no official theme. Fewer songs were sung than usual as for a change, and quite unplanned, the whole of the second half was given over to chat, mainly about driving tests and riding motorbikes. Normal service will no doubt be restored this week.

Nevertheless, a good range of material was aired in the first half. Colin was MC and started us off with Gentlemen Of High Renown (Roud 190), singing the Copper Family's words to Martin Carthy's tune. Mike's attempt at following the hunting theme had to be delayed when he initially forgot the tune to The Hounds Are Out (Roud 24901).

While Mike was struggling, Derek offered to help, suggesting at one stage that he might be thinking of John Peel. Mike told us how his class at school had to sing that song and while he was in the choir others were not so proficient and the awful sound they made put him off singing for ten years until he joined a rock and roll band. Derek therefore dug deep to give us a rendition of The Old John Peel, just to annoy Mike. Derek carried on the theme with The Horn Of The Hunter (Roud 1859, Jackson Gillbanks) from the singing of Fred Jordan but he was foiled because it turned out that Mike likes that song.

Giving mike an opportunity at revenge for the John Peel foray, Derek challenged him to sing a song he had tried to forget since school. Mike rose to the challenge although he himself had not sung it for 50 years and never at a folk club. Despite this he gave us a perfectly remembered version of Daddy Fox (Roud 131).

Simon did his own penance by offering one of his less favoured songs, The Lincolnshire Poacher (Roud 299), though maybe he is warming to it now that he has started singing it at the club occasionally.

Geoff made a mini-theme for himself of American prisons, singing San Quentin and Folsom Prison Blues, both from the pen of Johnny Cash.

For something totally different we need look no further than Colin singing Kisses Sweeter Than Wine., the words of which come from Pete Seeger and Lee Hays who put them to a tune based on Lead Belly's If It Wasn't for Dicky, which in turn came from his hearing of Irish performer Sam Kennedy in Greenwich Village singing An Droimfhionn Donn Dilís. Of course Lead Belly through his life beings us back to American prisons.

The final song, though it wasn't at the time intended to be, came from Geoff and was Ralph McTell's Streets Of London.

Here's a selection of songs sung during this session.

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