Novelty without novelty songs (this time)

(photo: Simon Meeds)

It was great to see the return of Stan to last week's Dragon Folk Club session. We haven't seen him for a while and he had been missed. You will note that I have added to the tally of those present two non-singers. These were a couple of ladies who joined us for most of one of Paul's songs and while not entirely engaged with the folk club etiquette, they were very appreciative, so they have been counted.

Colin started off the session with Steve Cropper and Otis Redding's Sittin' on the dock of the bay, which according to the Dragon database may well have only previously been sung at the club by Keith G as Colin recalled.

Stan scored the first new song of the evening for the Dragon database (though not necessarily new to the club), all of which are marked in this report with an asterisk (*). It was I'll remember you (* Kui Lee). Stan recalled Elvis Presley's recording, but it was written by Lee who was an American singer-songwriter. Lee began his career in the mainland United States while performing as a dancer. Upon his return to Hawaii he worked in clubs. At the Honey club, he met Don Ho, who popularized Lee's compositions. Ho's fame made Lee a local success in Hawaii. Multiple artists then covered his song "I'll Remember You".

Paul gave us Adieu sweet lovely Nancy (roud 165) and Denny sang Icy acres (Colin Wilkie). Denny said she had sung this song that very morning while taking her customary dip in the Clevedon Marine Lake which was two degrees (celsius) colder than on her previous visit. Colin challenged her that she might instead have sung Ee by gum (but I'm cold) (John Meeks, Colin Radcliffe, Eddie Crotty) and indeed he went on later to sing it himself.

Simon finished off the first rotation with Graham Moore's Tom Paine's bones.

Stan was definitely hot on new songs for the database, and his next was In dreams (* Roy Orbison). He continued his run of novelty with Strawberry roan (* roud 3239 - Curley Fletcher). For an extra piece of trivia, did you know that current singing star Chappell Roan (real name Kayleigh Rose Amstutz) took her stage name from her grandfather's surname and this, his favourite song?

Simon, who was not present the week before, suggested that he might have honoured the visitors from Pennsylvania with Mark Knopfler's Sailing to Philadelphia.

Colin broke Stan's run with his first contribution to the database: The Sandgate dandling song (* roud B24532 - Robert Nunn) on which the better-known Liverpool lullaby (Stan Kelly) was based - and so it crossed from the North East of England to the North West.

Paul sang Cicely Fox Smith's poem, Homeward to Sarah Morgan's tune and Denny seemingly challenged Colin, keeper of the official club record, with the title of the excellent (in my view) Rap her to bank (roud 1786).

Colin sang forth in Spanish for Guantanamera (* Joseíto Fernández, José Martí) and was followed by Stan with Scott Walker's hit song, Lights of Cincinatti (Tony Macaulay, Geoff Stephens).

Colin brought us the self-referencing Alan Price with his Jarrow Song (*). Of course the rappers of recent decades think nothing of mentioning themselves in a song, but this practice goes back further than Price and at least to Bo Diddley, possibly much further. Any suggestions of earlier examples are welcome. I'm sure there must be plenty from Music Hall and Vaudeville, and probably from the blues.

Stan came back in with Gonna get along without ya now (* Milton Kellem). I considered linking the first known recorded version by Roy Hogsed in 1951. Hogsed was born in a city which goes by the delightful name of "Flippin, Arkansas". The problem with linking this version was that it is barely recognisable as the same song as that sung in the version Stan referred to by Trini Lopez. Oh, go on, here is that first known recorded version.

We had a neat little, unintentional connected pair with Stan's I'll get over you (* Richard Leigh) from the singing of Crystal Gayle, followed by Paul's rendition of Fathom the bowl (roud 880) "There’s a clear crystal fountain near England shall roll".

Stan's and everyone's last "new" song of the evening was Sam Cooke's You send me (*). He went on to give us a precursor to the death three days later of Kris Kristofferson with Kris' song, I'd rather be sorry.

The last song of the evening came from Paul and was Farewell shanty. We don't expect to see Paul for a while since he's off to get some maintenance done, but it's not farewell, rather we hope he will be back and in fine voice in the not too distant future.

In the meantime we are back at the same time and place every Friday, so we really look forward to seeing you and ideally hearing you there.

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

(Number of people present - 7 of whom 5 performed)