Hi,

To clear up a few points, the folk publications aren't ignoring the project - Jo Frost from Songlines stayed with us in the farmhouse for a few nights for a feature, and we are being interviewed for an fRoots feature in the morning. Bright Young Folk and Spiral Earth have both filmed a series of video interviews and Genevieve Tudor recorded hours worth of interviews for her BBC Shropshire show. In addition to the Radio 3 and Radio 4 appearances earlier, and the Guardian feature I think that's a pretty good haul.

Sharp definitely did ignore African-Anerican singers, but only because his expressed aims were to find songs that had travelled over with settlers from Britain. In his diary he writes of his excitement at discovering versions of Child ballads by saying "found some of my lost children today" - he was making a direct link with songs he knew existed in England. Nonetheless he collected from a select few singers such as Maria Tomes and was at ease amongst the ex-slaves (freed only 50 years before) he met - quite progressive for his background and his time - he wasnt a rascist. His politics were firmly of the left, although he wasn't driven by political motives particularly. I get the impression of him as being a fanatical enthusiast driven by the work and the discovery itself rather than ideological reasons. He had flaws, but he was basically a good man working in tough conditions for little return within his lifetime.

It's a tough topic to write songs about, and it's hard to find the dramatic motives - a biopic of Sharp would be exceptionally dull, but some of the stuff in the show I'm particularly proud of. And even if it had failed on a songwriting level, a band featuring Andy Cutting playing box and Patsy Reid fiddle with Kathryn Roberts singing was going to be worth the trip whatever material they're playing.

And that's all I have to say about that...

Jim Moray