I'm interested in this discussion as I'm currently researching the early days of the post-war folk revival in England so what follows does not apply to the USA or Australia.

The first reference to a folk club I have is February 1949: a folk club held at Cecil Sharp House of the English Folk Dance & Song Society (EFDSS).

By early 1950, the Cambridge Branch of the EFDSS was running 'singing evenings' in the Jolly waterman in Cambridge - the first reference to a folk song club in a pub.

By early 1951, Birmingham Folk Song Club organised by the local EFDSS was running monthly.

In 1953, the BBC broadcast the Ballads and Blues radio programmes and in 1954, Theatre Workshop moved to Stratford, East London (before that they had been based in the north, so MacColl was presumably not living in London till 1954. MacColl was still a vital part of Theatre Workshop). Ballads and Blues became the title of a series of Sunday song events held at the theatre in Stratford - how many or frequently, I don't know - perhaps not many of them were held. But this was after the radio series and obviously after theatre workshop moved to Stratford, so earliest was 1954. Then Ballads and Blues moved to the Princess Louise pub in Holborn. So, that club could not have started earlier than 1954, and was perhaps more likely to be later in 1954, even 1955.

There was also a memorable concert called ballads and Blues at the Royal festival Hall in July 1954: MacColl, Seeger, cameron and the Ken Colyer Skiffle Group two years before Donnegan had his first chart success.

There were Ballads and Blues clubs in other parts of the country - when did they start? wasn't Arthur Scargill the organiser of one, presumably in Barnsley?

Good Earth Club started in 1954, 44 Club by 1956. Topic club in 1956.

The Ceilidhe Club (song, music no dance) was held at Cecil Sharp House from 1954. By 1956 there was a Kingston Ceilidhe Club (on Thames).

Sing magazine was launched in 1954, edited by Eric Winter who was also a singer, as was John Hasted. There must have been a market for the magazine - where did they sell it, where did they perform?

Anyone with details to plug the gaps in this story ? I'd love to hear from you.

Derek Schofield