I keep hearing that Ray Fisher has been at various British folk festivals in the last two or three years, but I guess she hasn't done any American tours recently. I agree, Ray is a powerhouse, and I love her singing. The first time I saw her was at a house concert. She said that when she was growing up, the music teachers all felt that you had to sing folk songs as if they were art songs, in what Ray called a "twee" sort of voice. Later, she was pleased to learn that audiences thought her full, robust voice was extremely well suited to folk music.

Here's Dick G's comments on the tune:

'Ray Fisher married the words to the tune of the Breton "Son ar Chiste" (The Song of Cider) which was written in 1930 by a piper who is now a tramp on the streets of Paris. '

At NOMAD I once heard it played by a group called "Bells & Motley," Sondra and John Bromka et al. They do both the Martin Carthy version of the ballad, and the Breton Cider Drinking Song version, as a medley on their tape "Seasons & Lovers." They said they believed the tune was a "very old traditional song from Brittany." I suspect Dick's version is the truth of it. I bought the tape for that tune, although I like the whole thing.