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Posted: 22-04-2008 08:10 Post subject:

Long article here commemorating the life of Sandy Denny, one time singer with Folk Rock band Fairport Convention. She died 30 years ago at the age of only 31

The ballad of Sandy Denny: Return of the folk queen
Thirty years after her untimely, lonely death, the woman lauded as the British Joni Mitchell may finally get the recognition she deserves
.........

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-ballad-of-sandy-denny-return-of-the-folk-queen-811740.html

'Who Knows Where The Time Goes? – The Sandy Denny Story', will be broadcast on BBC Radio 2 tonight at 10.30pm

Posted: 12-12-2009 17:24 Post subject:

Audio slideshow: Cecil Sharp's diaries

Four diaries written by Cecil Sharp, England's most prolific folk music and dance collector, have been published online 150 years after his birth.

Malcolm Taylor, the Library Director of English Folk Dance and Song Society, explains how Sharp amassed a total of 4,977 tunes in England and North America.

All black and white images courtesy of the English Folk Dance and Song Society (Cecil Sharp Collection).
Music by Mrs Oscar Allen - 'The Daemon Lover/House Carpenter', and Mr CB Wohlford - 'Mississippi Sawyers' and 'Cumberland Gap'

Slideshow production by Tom Beal and Paul Kerley. Publication date 12 December 2009.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8400711.stm

http://library.efdss.org/exhibitions/sharpdiaries/

Posted: 06-01-2010 02:43 Post subject:

Doctor Strangely Strange: 'Strangely Strange, But Oddly Normal'

http://www.deezer.com/listen-2295720 yeay

Posted: 18-03-2010 10:10 Post subject:

Cornwall singers win deal to make album of sea shanties

A group of sailors from a Cornwall fishing village are to release an album of sea shanties after catching the ear of a holidaying music mogul.

The Fisherman's Friends, from Port Isaac, netted a deal with Universal after being spotted singing in a pub.

The 10 men, who are or were fishermen, coastguards or lifeboat men, have sung together for more than 15 years.

As well as releasing an album next month, they are also due to perform at Glastonbury Festival in the summer.

Sea shanties were originally sung by the crews of ships while they worked on deck.

The Fisherman's Friends have already released two a cappella CDs themselves and their new album has been recorded in a 15th-century church in St Kew, Cornwall.

Jeremy Brown, a fisherman and founding member of the Fisherman's Friends, said: "In Cornish pubs there is a tradition of singing.

"We just all got together with the intention of learning all the words instead of just knowing the first verse and the last verse and making up the bit in the middle."

Mr Brown, who sings baritone and who has two brothers in the group, said that most of the band had grown up together and the only person who had not lived there as a youngster had been in the village for about 25 years - so was regarded as almost one of them.

"We get together each Friday night on this area of concrete by the harbour which is a lovely setting - unless it is raining and blowing and then we just retire to the pub," he added.

In 2006 an album of sea shanties was released featuring performances by a host of international singers, including Bono, Nick Cave and Jarvis Cocker.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/8572962.stm

With video. They're really good. We have a shanty festival in Falmouth every summer, but some of the groups make me cringe - they stand there with bliddy song sheets, FFS!

Posted: 05-08-2010 21:55 Post subject:

Posted: 03-02-2011 23:24 Post subject:

More sea shanties here (if you aren't turned off by a presenter who seems to be still in his teens!)

Shanties and Sea Songs with Gareth Malone

Gareth Malone explores Britain's hidden history of shanties and sea songs. In Yorkshire he meets the Filey Fisherman's Choir, who are determined to keep the tradition alive. (R)

The story of Britain's maritime past has a hidden history of shanties and sea songs, and choirmaster Gareth Malone has been travelling Britain's coast to explore this unique heritage. From dedicated traditionalists to groundbreaking recording artists, Gareth meets a variety of sea-singers from across the country.

His journey begins in Portsmouth where he meets a devoted shanty singer, before continuing on to Tyneside and the Yorkshire coast, where the Filey Fisherman's Choir, with an average age of 70, are determined to keep the tradition alive.

Gareth gets a fascinating insight into the songs of the Herring Girls when he visits Gardenstown in Scotland. In Whitby, he meets Kimber's Men, a local group who have dedicated themselves to writing and singing songs celebrating heroes of the sea, such as a rescue of 1881 when the sea was so rough the people of Whitby had to carry their 2-tonne lifeboat some six miles overland on a wooden trailer and in heavy snow to the bay where a ship had hit the rocks. Despite the exhaustion, they still managed to rescue the shipwrecked crew and passengers.

Gareth's journey ends in Port Isaac in Cornwall, where a group of local fishermen sing shanties and sea songs alongside their day job. Calling themselves the Fishermen's Friends, they have been so successful that they have landed a lucrative record deal.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00s97c0/Shanties_and_Sea_Songs_with_Gareth_Malone/

Posted: 08-02-2011 08:50 Post subject:

Folk awards celebrate mother and daughter duo

Mother and daughter act Norma Waterson and Eliza Carthy have scooped two prizes at the BBC Radio 2 Folk awards.
The duo won album of the year for Gift, their first joint record, picking up an extra prize for best traditional track.

Eleven-piece band Bellowhead were also double award winners at the ceremony in central London, taking home prizes for best group and best live act.

As previously announced, Glasgow-born singer-songwriter Donovan received a lifetime achievement award.
The 64-year-old said he was "honoured" to get the accolade, having been "fired with the mission to bring Celtic music back to popular culture."

Chris Wood was named folk singer of the year, while his track Hollow Point won best original song.

The Who front man Roger Daltrey presented the musician of the year award to Andy Cutting, a prize he previously won in 2008.

Married couple Nancy Kerr and James Fagan were presented the best duo prize, while the Levellers were the recipients of the Roots award.

Elsewhere the good tradition award went to Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends in recognition of their contribution to traditional folk music.
The singing Cornish fisherman signed a record deal last March, with their first album of sea shanties made the UK album chart Top 10 a month later.

Trio Moore/Moss/Rutter were awarded the Young Folk award, the result of Radio 2's annual search for the most promising young folk artist in the UK.

Laura Marling and Bellowhead were among the performers at the event, broadcast live on Radio 2.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12381136

Posted: 08-02-2011 09:10 Post subject:

Norma has been critically ill recently. There are benefits happening for her, well worth supporting.

Posted: 08-02-2011 18:31 Post subject:

Indie is having a folky phase at the moment. Well I say folky - it appears to me to be a bunch of mimsy girls* emoting with an acoustic guitar. I am staying away from the indie scene for a bit.

Now real folk - there's been some great music on BBC4 recently hasn't there...?

*not all of the female persuasion

edit: oh and if some handsome young rich guy comes along and says "thanks for the stew, will you marry me in exactly a year's time?" don't believe him. He won't be back. He's just being nice about your cooking.

Posted: 09-02-2011 09:21 Post subject:

Posted: 17-04-2011 10:49 Post subject:

Martin Carthy: 'I'm not interested in heritage: this stuff is alive'
On the eve of his 70th birthday, the singer and guitarist Martin Carthy talks about tradition, family – and why subversion is at the heart of English folk music

Posted: 04-04-2013 10:10 Post subject:

Huge free digital archive of English folk music
'The Full English' will be world's biggest digital archive of English traditional music and dance tunes.
By Martin Chilton, Culture Editor online
3:42PM BST 03 Apr 2013

Folk music fans will get free access to more than 58,000 items under an innovative project to create the world's biggest digital archive of English traditional music and dance tunes.

'The Full English' will bring together 11 major collections for the first time when it launches online in June. It will be the most comprehensive searchable database of English folk songs, tunes, dances and customs in the world.

Collections to be featured are those of Harry Albino, Lucy Broadwood, Clive Carey, Percy Grainger, Maud Karpeles, Frank Kidson, Thomas Fairman Ordish, Cecil Sharp, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Alfred Williams and Mary Leather.

To mark the launch, some of the biggest names in folk music will come together including Seth Lakeman, Martin Simpson, and Fay Hield. They will perform new music and arrangements inspired by material found in the archive, and created by Hield.
She said: "Exploring the archives so far has led to some amazing discoveries and there is a wealth of material that, from 20 June, will be available to anyone who is interested. I am delighted that so many talented and experienced musicians will be part of The Full English Tour, enabling us to share our discoveries."

Other musicians involved in the tour include Nancy Kerr, Sam Sweeney, Rob Harbron and Ben Nicholls.

The Full English project, from English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS), has been supported by the National Lottery through a £585,400 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. It has also been supported by the National Folk Music Fund and The Folklore Society.

The archive-inspired works will premiere on June 20 at Cecil Sharp House in London, the home of EFDSS. The Full English archive will be the subject of a BBC Radio 4 programme, to be broadcast following the launch.
Then, the Full English tour will run from October 19 until November 2 in Bury, Gateshead, Southport, Derby, Bristol, Colchester, Sheffield, Milton Keynes, London, Birmingham and Lincoln.

Lakeman said: "I have always been interested in folk stories, songs and tunes so the plan by EFDSS to make a lot of their archives available via the internet is something I want to support.
"I'm excited that I've been asked to be part of this special project celebrating this work and I'm looking forward to working with this great bunch of musicians."

Katy Spicer, chief executive of EFDSS, said: "It is wonderful that digital technology is helping to bring old songs and music back to life and to a new generation."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/9969402/Huge-free-digital-archive-of-English-folk-music.html

Posted: 04-04-2013 12:19 Post subject:

That sounds amazing!

(I have completely changed my mind about indie folk music in the last 2 years now I've found some songs I like. )

Posted: 22-06-2013 08:27 Post subject:

And here it is:

'Staggering' digital folk music archive launched
The Full English, an online folk music archive of 44,000 records and over 58,000 digitised images, is launched with special concert at the English Folk Dance and Song Society
By Martin Chilton, Culture Editor online
10:55AM BST 21 Jun 2013

Martin Simpson paid tribute to the "staggering" free online digital folk music archive, of 44,000 records and over 58,000 digitised images, that was launched in London last night.

The Full English, the world's biggest digital archive of English traditional music and dance tunes, bringing together 19 major collections for the first time, was unveiled by the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS).

Anyone in the world can now access the collections of noted folk archivists such as Lucy Broadwood, Percy Grainger, Cecil Sharp, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Mary Leather.

Simpson said: "This is the first time all of this wonderful material has been accessible, and the people responsible for it are doing an amazing job. The range of items is incredible: songs, letters from collectors, photographs – all kinds of information which illuminates folk music much better than anything previously. It's actually staggering."

Fay Hield, who performed at Cecil Sharp House in Camden and helped oversee the project, said: "It's incredible to get the raw bones of material and gain a real insight into what some of these great collectors did. The scope of The Full English is quite daunting. There are different versions of the same songs but there are also gems that have never been heard before. This whole project was driven by such enthusiasm."

EFDSS President Shirley Collins gave a keynote speech last night and Seth Lakeman (below), Simpson, Hield, Nancy Kerr, Sam Sweeney, Rob Harbron and Ben Nicholls premiered new music and arrangements for the project.

Malcolm Taylor, Library Director of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library and EFDSS’ archive, said: "This will open up traditional English music to an international audience, making available for browsing and searching manuscripts of traditional song, music and culture that could once only be accessed by visiting archives or in edited printed versions. I hope it will inspire and inform a new generation of folk music and dance lovers.”

In future developments of The Full English, people have been asked to send in text transcripts and music manuscripts; a national learning programme will be unveiled; and a Full English UK tour this autumn, including a show at Cecil Sharp House on 31 October, will showcase some of the treasure trove of music the project has unearthed

For details about the English Folk Dance and Song Society and The Full English see www.efdss

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/10134011/Staggering-digital-folk-music-archive-launched.html

Posted: 23-06-2013 00:25 Post subject:

Says Bobby, "The squids are on top of the water,
I just got me jiggers 'bout one fathom down."
But a squid in the boat squirted right down his throat,
And he's swearing like mad on the squid-jiggin' ground.

Embarassed