My Great Granfather was well known locally as a pub entertainer. He wrote many music-hall style ballads, most of which would have been considered risque in those days, and played various instruments (piano, banjo,accordian, penny whistle).
Some years ago an elderly Aunt was recounting the exploits of old Joe Postgate and remembered some of the songs he had written. We'd heard it all before but now, being older, my brothers and I realised that our Auntie was the only person left who knew the songs and so we decided to make some tapes of her singing and talking about those days.
They lived in hard times but her memories were all fond ones, and Old Joe always had a pocket full of "thru'penny bits" (3 Pence coin) presumably earned in the local public houses.
Sadly the tapes have been lost. I know one that my younger brother had snapped in his machine, but no-one knows what happened to the others. I'm hoping that, one day, when a family member is clearing out a loft, that they'll turn up.
These days we could have committed them to disc and made copies, as I recall, some of the songs were pretty good and documented the life and humour of the time very well.
If they ever do turn up I'll give them an airing here on Mudcat. Meanwhile I'm making tapes of family get-togethers, my daughters singing and all kinds of mundane stuff in the knowledge that, one day, they will be interesting, if only to ourselves.