Bob Hart, born 1892, belongs to the same grand company of East Anglian traditional singers as Harry Cox and Sam Larner, Jumbo Brightwell of Eastbridge and Bob Scarce of Blaxhall. Schooled in Southwold, Bob started farm work after a move to Trentham, [...]
The Cock and Bull Band were formed in 1979 from the ashes of Hemlock. Members were Brad Bradstock, John Maxwell, Jean-Pierre Rasle and Dave Whetstone. Paul Martin replaced Brad in 1980 and the band recorded this, their debut album, on Topic Records [...]
The last Topic album recorded by The House Band, by this time (1988) a three-piece after the departure of Brian Brooks; 'Word of Mouth' was recorded at Ideal Sound in London. 1 WALLS OF TROY 2 THE DUSTY MILLER/THE COUNTY GROUND 3 [...]
"In a form of music that is mainly about continuity and convention, it is a rarity to come across an innovator, a rule-breaker; Davie Stewart was just such a character. He deserves the overused word, 'unique'; they made Davie and then they [...]
From the original LP notes: As at many local pubs, Saturday nights were for singing and the Eel's Foot was no exception, having a Chairman - Philip Lumpton - who would keep the tiny bar in order with a gavel or the [...]
From the original LP notes: Sussex has long been a county associated with folksong. In 1843 the Reverend John Broadwood published his Old English Songs with tunes, 'set to Music exactly as they are now sung, to rescue them from oblivion', and [...]
From the original LP notes: and there would be calls for old David's 'Outlandish Knight'; not because they wanted particularly to hear it - indeed, they had heard it so often they all knew it by heart - but because, as they [...]
From the original LP notes: On this present recording the singers are elderly and it is interesting to note what (EJ) Moeran had to say on this subject. One of the singers there was a man of about fifty who learned his [...]
Harry Boardman sang both unaccompanied and accompanying himself on the anglo-concertina or banjo. He wasactive as a folk singer and collector of Lancashire folklore from the late 1950s with some collaboration from his wife Lesley. Dave Hillery appeared regularly with Harry at [...]
Frank Harte (1933-2005) was a traditional Irish singer, song collector, architect and lecturer; a great exponent of the Dublin street ballad and widely known for his distinctive singing, his Dublin accent having a rich nasal quality complementing his often high register. From [...]
From the original LP notes: Like other folksingers, her repertoire encompasses a variety of emotions: anger at needless poverty and exploitation, affirmation of self-help as a way of life, pleasure in love, solace in religion, peace in death. Sarah's prodigious talent has [...]
From the original LP notes: The British Labour Movement has a rich heritage of songs - songs that convey a sense of history, as well as imagery and emotion for present day industrial workers and their friends. The force and tang of [...]