Singing the century: the life and times of A. L. Lloyd, a 35-minute podcast from Pod Academy:

Folk is in vogue. So much so that in July 2011the folk scene's brightest young things splashed over the glossy pages of the world's most stylish magazine. It could be said, however, that without the efforts of A.L. (Bert) Lloyd, those floral dresses and lilting songs would have remained locked in the cupboard. Australian sheep farmer, Communist activist, whalerman, journalist, radio producer, folklorist, folk singer, Bert Lloyd was an inspiration for some of the richest and most exciting work to come out of England's traditional music scene. To mark the release of a new biography, Pod Academy brings together the author, Dave Arthur, and songwriter and journalist Alan Franks to discuss Bert: The Life and Times of A. L. Lloyd (Pluto Press, 2012).

With thanks to Veteran Records, Topic Records, Fellside Recordings, the Cecil Sharp House Community Choir, and the English Folk Dance and Song Society.

Written and produced by Alex Bingham.

Thanks to EFDSS on Facebook for the heads up. Listening now. (And Pod Academy as a whole looks interesting, especially since I'm always looking for interesting listening for the 8-hour drive between Tucson and Long Beach.)

~ Becky in Long Beach