28th January 2025 Singers Night

Hosted by Ella

There was a break in the current round of storms and performers began to assemble for another evening sharing music. Heather had had reminded me that Burns Night was on the 25th, so I engaged with a bit of Scottishness and opened, on bouzouki, with Wild Mountain Thyme. The song has dual nationality. The Scottish roots: ‘The Braes of Balquither’ was written by Scottish poet Robert Tannahill (1772-1810) and set to music by Robert Archibald Smith (1780-1829). It was adapted/adopted by Belfast musician Francis McPeake (1885-1971) into ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ and first recorded by his family in the 1950s. ‘God may forgive you but I won’t’ (an Iris Dement song) was my second offering and bore absolutely no relationship to the first, but has great lyrics.
 
Lance revisited his songs ‘Pick up your Dog Poo’ and the more sentimental ‘A Space Woman came Travelling’ which acknowledged a refence to Chris de Burgh’s  ‘A Spaceman came Travelling’.
 
Manus accompanied by Hugh on bongos, was exploring a jazz/blues interpretation of ‘Singing the Blues’ written by Melvin Endsley was best known from Guy Mitchell’s version of 1956. They went on to perform ‘Dylan’s ‘Don’t think twice’.
 
Reflective songs were Chris’s subject for the evening and he sang ‘Ghosts … footsteps on the wooden floor …..’ and ‘Life’s a race’ which related to years of cycling and racing, prompted by meeting up with some of his old cycling buddies recently.
 
Playing ukele this evening, Terry O’Brien played arrangements (rather than ‘covers’) of Beatles song ‘I will’, .. who knows how long I’ve loved you? and ‘Waiting in Vain’ from Bob Marley’s 1977 album Exodus.
 
With a revised interpretation, Terry Lees performed Gordon Lightfoot’s ‘If you Could Read my Mind’ (released in 1970). American folk musician and fiddler Jay Ungar composed ‘Ashokan Farewell’ in 1982 and Terry played his guitar version.
 
Emma had us laughing at her ‘Campervan Blues’ which related the quirks and complexities of the campervan experience, many of which appear to include bad smells, and a variety of irritations and aggravations. There must be a serious upside to ‘campervanning’ as Emma has one. Continuing with her keen observational skills, she sang/spoke her poem about young men and their public use of verbal abuse and profanity…. ‘if you want to get your way, be a beast, scream til you’re fit to burst .’
 
Visiting our F&B evening after some time, Milton Hide sang ‘Molly Mothballs’ about a ‘witchy woman’, singing in harmony to the guitar accompaniment. Their second song was about a character called ‘Roundabout Jack’ (Horace Albert Duke) who used to be seen on a roundabout on the A27 near Shoreham waving to the traffic, (always in his Sunday best), accompanied by guitar and brushed travel cajon. They had the audience singing along too.

Simon sang ‘Funny the Way’ written by Mark Laurent …’Sometimes I’m short, sometimes I’m tall …’, followed by one of his own songs ‘The shopper with the Broken Cart’ about a wilful, out-of-control shopping trolley and its dangerous, escapades. ‘I was walking round Tesco last Tuesday … past the chicken and cauliflower doing 50 mph, the shopper with the broken cart’. … ‘I pushed it this way, it went the other’, Simon was in hilarious form.
 
Playing his beautiful instrumental ‘Sunflower’ on guitar, for the most beautiful woman in the world, Paul created a different atmosphere. He then changed to his green resonator guitar to sing and play the Robert Johnson blues classic ‘Sweet Home Chicago’, which he later changed to ‘Sweet Home California’, the version that Paul sang. 
 
Jason and Lisa have apparently completed the recording of their first cd. Beginning with ‘Calcot’s Fair’ and singing in harmony, Lisa played guitar and Jason took up the mandolin. Their second song was to the more familiar two guitar accompaniment, again with beautiful harmonies, was ‘Cat’s Cradle’. This was written in February 2020 just before lockdown and is likely to be the title track of the cd.
 
Heather has Scottish roots and her first song was about her stepfather, an English man in a strongly Presbyterian village. Called ‘Daddy’s Little Girl’ she celebrated how much her lovely stepdad taught her and brought into her life. Her second song was ‘Wonderful Life’, written by Bob Thiele (George Douglas) and George David Weiss and recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1967…. ‘I see trees of green, red roses too…..’ (roses are appropriate here as Heather is hosting the not-quite-Valentine evening on the 11th of February)
 
Two traditional maritime songs followed as John, singing and accompanying himself on guitar, gave us ‘Lofty Tall Ship’, with bow guns, sheets and broadside to broadside …. and then ‘Baliner Whalers’ …’In ’56 I sailed on board a ship called Byron One….’
 
Mike had not been to a F&B evening since Covid, but he was back to confirm having seen Roundabout Jack (Horace Albert Duke), the subject of Milton Hide’s song, in plus fours, looking dapper and greeting motorists. Playing guitar, he continued with James Taylor’s ‘In my mind I’m going to Carolina’, followed by Bob Dylan’s ‘Make you feel my Love’. Perhaps he won’t leave it so long before he returns?
 
Having found 6 Bells open mic on Facebook, Trevor and Kay visiting from the Welsh borders/marches near Bishopstone, had decided to look in. Maybe it was in the name since their nearest local is also called the Six Bells. They sang acapella in harmony two traditional sons: ‘Farewell my Friends’ and ‘Sea Coal’. ‘Farewell my Friends’ is a variation on an old Irish melody dating back to at least 1836/7. It was first published in 1855 and was about travelling to a better land leaving friends behind. It’s likely that the travelling was due to the famine years of 1845-1852. The potato famine lead to the death of a million people and millions of others emigrating. Their second song was also a social observation, which is not that remote from the current circumstances of many living now. Called ‘Sea Coal’ … hear the man call, was about poor people scavenging for coal washed up on the beaches and having to a decide whether to sell the coal to buy food, or to burn it, to keep warm. ‘Not much changes’ said Trevor.
 
What a powerful way to end! We had an evening of so much variety, skilful musicianship and word-smithing.
 
I felt privileged to be the one ‘out front’, as it were.
We look forward to seeing many or all, returning later if not sooner.
Thank you, Ella