Heading into winter with a smile

Brandon Hill, Bristol (Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session had no theme, but several emerged. Simon tried to keep us smiling through the foul weather to come, while others reflected the season to some degree. We heard some new songs, some old songs, some borrowed songs, but in the absence of our friend Bob, not so many blue songs.

This Friday's session (12th December) will also have no official theme, but we have already had three or more Christmas songs as well as others pointing towards the season, so if your mind drifts that way we're not going to stop you. 19th December will be our official Christmas themed evening, and then we will have a break on 26th ready to hit the ground running for the New Year on 2nd January.

Colin, back in the MC's seat this week, started us off with The maid of Amsterdam (roud 649). Denny sag her new favourite November drinking song (Bryan Hawes, Martin Graebe), but in an attempt to keep it going changed it to the December drinking song.

Helen took us off to a Christmas scene with Winter wonderland (* Felix Bernard, Richard Bernhard Smith), and Paul followed Denny's theme of varied persons out drinking with Jones's ale (roud 139).

Simon completed the first rotation with a humorous take on winter: Down our street (roud 32257).

Colin's second song came from the pen of Gilbert O'Sullivan. It surprised everyone how early in his career he had written Nothing Rymed (*), but in fact it was even earlier than we believed at that time. It was released in 1970! I am however quite pleased that my guess was correct that he released Clair in 1972.

Helen introduced us to the singing and songwriting of TikTok sensation Rose Betts by giving us Irish eyes (*). In fact all the evening's remaining songs new for the Dragon Database came from Helen: Solstice Evergreen (* Adrienne Piggott)  from the Australian pagan folk rock band, Spiral Dance, and a surprisingly landward song, There are no lights on our Christmas tree (*), from the pen of Cyril Tawney.

The only song of the evening not found on YouTube and therefore not in the playlist linked from "a selection" below was perhaps unsurprisingly, Colin's The war junk Tennessee (# Willis - A quarter-gunner on the USS Tennessee and nephew of Nathaniel Parker Willis).

Paul finished the session with Bold Riley (roud 18160).

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

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

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though no always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).