Starting as we mean to go on

Arnold Skolnick's poster for Woodstock

Last Friday's session was the start of our "season" of five sessions marking the fiftieth birthday of the club. Throughout June we really want to push to get some more people coming along to perform and listen: certainly new people but also some who have been past regulars and visitors at the club, maybe even to sing songs and play tunes they played earlier in the clubs history.

We knew one week would be short notice, so we didn't have great hopes for a full house but were pleased to be joined by Tom, a member since about 1981. Let's hope for more people joining us in the remaining weeks. If you intend to come along, please consider leaving a message below so that your intention may inspire others who know you or even those that don't.

MC Colin kicked us off with The Folksinger's Lament, written by David Diamond. Colin wasn't sure which tune to use but it turned out to be the Limerick Rake.

Tom started off his contribution in his usual fine style with John Martyn's May You Never for which he claimed a tenuous connection to the last day of May (more of that later).

Geoff said he was going to sing a selection of songs with no particular connecting theme and there's nothing wrong with that. His first was Bob Dylan's The Times They Are A Changin'.

Derek undertook to give us June songs albeit one day early and started with The Three O'Donnells (Roud 9741). That doesn't link to a YouTube clip but it does provide a recording of Paddy Tunney singing the song.

Simon promised songs linked with 1969, the year of origin of the club. The first was Joni Mitchell's Woodstock, inspired by the music festival held near the town of that name in New York state in August 1969.

Mike had reached "Y" in his 1980s song list having found that "X" was empty. He sang When Yellow's On The Broom (Adam McNaughton).

Colin recalled a past regular at the club, now an occasional visitor, Terry C by singing from his repertoire, The Phantom Flasher (Gary and Vera Aspey).

Tom continued with his self-imposed May theme with a song he wrote only two days before, originally called Wriggle, Squeal and Squirm but for the evening renamed The Last Days Of May...  Theresa May that is.

Derek's June theme continued with The Jug Of Punch (Roud 1808) and Simon's 1969 theme with Let It Be (Lennon-McCartney). Although it was first recorded in 1968 and not released until 1970, the final recording was made on 31 January 1969, the day after some tracks later used on the Let It Be album, but not Let It Be itself, were performed in the Beatles' last live concert on the roof of the Apple building.

Simon sang a further two songs linked to 1969. While Leaving On A Jet Plane was written by John Denver in 1966 it was made famous by Peter, Paul and Mary who recorded it in 1967 but only released it as a single in 1969. Denver's original recording was called Babe, I Hate To Go but his producer convinced him to change it. It was Peter, Paul and Mary's biggest and last hit, and their success helped propel Denver's career. Simon's last 1969 song was Two Little Boys, written in 1902 by Theodore F. Morse and Edward Madden but revived in 1969 by Rolf Harris.

Tom sang two songs from the prolific writing of Kate Wolf. The first was Green Eyes and the second was our final song of the evening, Across The Great Divide.

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

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