Mention of the Songwainers takes me back quite a lot of years to my early bookings at the club they ran in the Victory Club, Cheltenham. They had a man named Bill Spragg with them then. Later came Tony Tanner who sadly met his death in a car crash. Dave Stephenson MC'd the nights at the Victory, vigorously wielding an auctioneers hammer when introducing the singers. It was a great place to sing at because of the marvellous lead given by the Songwainers enthusiasm and gutsy style. Other regulars there included a young Pete Coe, and Sue Burgess, later of 'Regal Slip'. I was running the Cardiff Folksong Club at the time and booked the Songwainers in as our first guests. They sang their familiar traditional songs then, but also some modern material including a satirical number called 'The Royal Mating Season', a great laugh as I remember. They later guested for me when I ran the Nottingham Traditional Music Club, and went down a storm. Ken Langsbury was with them by this time, 1967/8-ish. It's a long time since I sang in Cheltenham but I will never forget those terrific sessions at the Victory Club. I'm most pleased to know that the name of the Songwainers is being carried on, and that memories of the originals are still green.