Bill Reese of Moch Pryderi (Welsh band from Virginia, USA) asks: Mick, I have been asked to find out if the song, "Billy the Pit Horse" was an original Welsh song, and most importantly, if there is a melody to go with it, other than the one used by Merle Travis in "Dark as a Dungeon". Would you happen to know?" So far, I've drawn a complete blank. There were hundreds of pit horses in the mines in South Wales (and North Wales, too) but there were approximately 70,000 pit horses in the whole of Britain. I think the last pit horse, Robbie, retired in 1999 (Pontypool, Gwent). Who would be likely to know? Mick Tems
|