When is the blues not blue?

Lake Wakatipu, South Island, New Zealand
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

At last Friday's Dragon Folk Club there were six singers who sang 37 songs with no official theme. Pretty good going as always. Two of those wont be around this week, and another two will be missing next week then we are into holiday season when anything could happen, so we need all the support we can get from regulars, friends we know and friends we have yet to meet. You know who you are... maybe.

Colin, MCing as usual, kicked things off with John Tams' Steelos, about Steel, Peech and Tozer, a steelworks in Rotherham. From steel we moved to the sea with Simon singing Lukey's Boat (roud 1828), a comic song from the east coast of Newfoundland.

Back inland, Denny took us to South Island New Zealand and the Shotover River, which flows into Kawarau River and thence on to Lake Wakatipu. Shotover, once one of the richest gold-bearing rivers in the world, inspired Paul Metsers to write Farewell to the gold.

Paul then brought us back to England albeit a fictional place in the country, with Rose of Allandale (roud 1218 - words by Charles Jefferys and music by Sidney Nelson). So, despite beliefs to the contrary it's neither Irish, Scottish, nor strictly traditional, being written by named English composers and first published in 1833.

Bob promised to really depress us later in the evening, but in the meantime whetted our blues appetite with Blood red river (roud 15807). Following on in a red, rivery vein, Sue finished off the first round with Red river valley (roud 756). The linked recording of Bright Sherman Valley (linked with I'll be all smiles to-night love) by Luther B Clarke is the earliest recording of the song albeit not in the relatively modern popular version. Incomprehensibly this song (Red river valley) is the first of this week's that are new to the Dragon database though it certainly isn't new to the club.

Other songs sung during the evening that are new to the database include two blues parodies by Loudon Wainwright III and both sung by Paul: I'm alright and Haven't got the blues (yet). These apparently followed on from a conversation between Paul and our resident blues-man, Bob. Paul decided to look through his own collection of blues to see what he could sing - these were the only ones he decided would work (allegedly).

Other "new" songs were:

• Sue - Recycled teenager - her own song about people of a certain age meeting at ukulele jams (not on the "a selection" playlist linked below)
• Colin - It's not easy (Alan Foster) -  (not in the playlist) a parody of Eric Bogle's Now I'm easy
• Bob - Death don't have no mercy (Reverend Gary Davis) - the depressing song Bob promised us earlier
• Colin - What's the use of anything (Richard Digance) - (not in the playlist)
• Paul - Bird on the wire (Leonard Cohen)

Colin finished the evening with the eminently sing-along Air Fa La La Lo (Traditional gaelic translated by Hugh S. Roberton).

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

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