Song and chat

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session was better populated than the previous one, but still just three singers turned up. It might have been more if it weren't for a COVID-19 infection... all sorted now.

Colin started the evening with the reply to Pat Cooksey's The Sick Note. I'm afraid I haven't managed to find the reply.

There weren't many songs sung through the evening, instead there was plenty of chat on various subjects including health problems, moving house and house surveys.

The singing continued with:

• Mike - Good English Ale (roud 1512)
• Geoff - Good Hearted Woman (Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson)
• Colin - Song of the leaders (Brian Pearson)
• Mike - Twanky-dillo (roud 2409)
• Geoff - The tinkerman's daughter (Michael MacConnell)
• Colin - Kick the cat (Pat McIntyre)

Geoff finished off the evening with The Comical Genious.

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

(Number of people present - 3 of whom 3 performed)

The working man

It was great last week to see a totally new face at Friday's session. Sam was apparently at a loose end and found us on Facebook, which is what we like to hear. He didn't have anything prepared to sing but it sounds as though there's potential for the future if we haven't scared him off.

Colin as MC started the session off with The Agitator, believed to have been written in 1873 by Henry Taylor. The subject of the song is Joseph Arch, known as the agitator, who founded the National Agricultural Labourers’ Union in 1872. Taylor was a carpenter, who was admitted to the Union because of his previous trade union experience. The song was included in Roy Palmer’s A Ballad History of England.

Pot pourri

The title page of an edition of The Sacred Harp

Mike wasn't feeling too well at last week's session, so Richard was put in charge, and he ably MCed the evening.

Chico made an appearance at the club for the first time in 10 or 15 years according to his memory. We were certainly entertained by his songs: Roll along, Seaman's shuffle (a ragtime tune) and 21st century troubadour (download sample). Let's hope we see him at The Bridge before the next decade starts.

Terry isn't anywhere near as rare a visitor to the club as Chico, but this time he was missing his usual companion: his classical guitar. It was therefore from a slightly different repertoire that we hear him sing on this occasion. Terry sang The Dutchman by Michael P Smith, John Willie's ferret by the Oldham Tinkers, and Lamorna. The last song, appearing to be about a place in Cornwall, seems to be derived from a 19th century broadside providing words to a song called Down to Pomona, which is set in Manchester.