Up north comes down south

Durham Miners' Gala (Photo: Darrell J Rohl)

A great session this week, thanks in part to the presence of our occasional visitor, Rose, who no doubt influenced the presence of both Kath and Tom. Malcolm and Janet were also welcome visitors from Yorkshire on one of their periodic visits to the area.

Colin as MC started the evening with Needle Cases (Roud 1300).

Mike went back to our suggested theme throughout June of songs sung in the earlier days of the club, singing from the repertoire of Johnny Collins, Free And Easy (Roud 1084).

It was good to see Kath for the first time in a while, back from her winter sojourn in Africa, and concertina at the ready to play Salmon Tails Up The Watter (Jamie Allen), Winster Gallop, and Jimmy Allen (also possibly written by Jamie Allen).

Rose's first contribution, from the singing of Bessie Smith, was After You've Gone (Turner Layton, Henry Creamer). Tom sang one of his older songs, Linden Lea, the words of which come from a poem by William Barnes (My Orcha'd in Lindèn Lea), set to music by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Derek noted that Durham Miners' Gala would be the following day, and so sang two songs from Jock Purdon: The Cotia Banner and Farewell To Cotia. Moving down the road to a similar event, the Northumberland Miners' Picnic, which was held on 8 June this year, he gave us Farewell To The Monty (Johnny Handle).

Simon gave us Poverty Knock (Tommy Daniel - Roud 3491) with Derek tapping the table in the apparent absence of his vegan bones.

Geoff would have been the last in the first round with Marty Robbins' song Five Brothers, but as he finished Malcolm and Janet walked through the door and Malcolm was immediately prevailed upon to give us a poem about Cleggy Winthrop from Yorkshire and his bike which ha called The Rose competing in the Tour de France.

Rose asked Tom permission to sing a song she had learned after hearing him sing it. The song was Kate Wolf's Green Eyes and Tom had no objections. Afterwards though Tom was keen to demonstrate to Rose a twiddle she had missed from her guitar part.

Geoff told us a strange story of when Ronald Reagan met a leprechaun. Unlikely as it may have seemed, this rare video shows that it must be true.

Malcolm's last contribution of the evening was Les Barker's Disaster At Sea and the last item of all came from Derek, still on his theme of mining in the North East of England with Rap Her To Bank (Roud 1786).

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

(Number of people present - 10, of whom 9 performed)