Re above posting, I looked at Peggy's "confession" that she started the debate. She states that The Ballads and Blues club had been in operation since 1953(?) Peggy says she arrived in 1956. As she states it was not until about 1960 (Seven years after the club started by her reckoning) when the cockney Leadbelly occasion arose it could hardly have been Ballads & Blues Policy that non americans for instance should not sing American songs. It never was our policy. That is why we continued the club and continued booking people such as Alexis Korner, Cyril Davis, Steve Benbow, Red Sullivan, Alex Cambell, Pete Stanley, Dorothy & Peter Sensier, Malcolm Price, John Baldry, Wally Whyton, Lisa Turner etc etc as well as American artists.

Peggy & Ewan went off to start the Singers Club and the Ballads & Blues club continued booking peole that our members found entertaining.

Regarding the question about Lisa Turner. I cannot remember the song in question but I was there when it happened. He did not reprimand her just suggested that she should sing an English song instead of the one she announced. Lisa refused and stepped down.

PS Can I ask again during which years you "floated around all three",
you mention two and I assume that the third was the Singers Club, so when were you among our happy band at the Ballads and Blues?

Hoot