Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Aug 21 - 01:13 PM

Will be singing some of Peter's songs next month. IF my maths are correct it will then be 30 years since he left us. A special time to celebrate and remember his awesome talent.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: The Sandman
Date: 11 Oct 15 - 07:09 AM

FIDDLERS HILL uses the tune When a man is in love, and works very well, but it is nothing to do with Kipling

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 11 Oct 15 - 07:00 AM

Funny how PB's Kipling / Folksong thesis doesn't work too well when he sets them to actual traditional melodies (with the exception of Danny Deever). The real magic happens when he composes his own tunes in the traditional idiom, making the pairing of Kipling / Bellamy quite the dynamic song-writing team.

Both RK & PB were concerned with an idiomatic creativity in which they drew on a common heritage, however differently they might have perceived it. Sadly, I don't think Kipling left us his feelings on the matter, but we're in no doubt about his cultural imperialism as it comes over in the patronising verses of The Land and The Barrack Room Ballads.

The latter were still popular with common soldiers in my grandfather's day - he served in India during partition and thought of Ghandi as the greatest man he'd ever met. Interestingly, he wasn't impressed at all when I played him Bellamy's settings, even though Keep Your Feet Still Geordie Hinny was a favourite of his, as was Gunda Din, so I naturally thought he'd be made up by Bellamy's pairing of the two. He wasn't, and I can't say I am either to be honest, BUT then again, few Kipling people are in my experience.

Well, two others. The first was an English tutor who'd done his PhD on Kipling, and the other an old woman I once knew whose favourite books from her childhood were Puck of Pook's Hill and Rewards and Fairies. Neither were convinced by Bellamy's thesis, settings or performance, but, to give them their due, both were non-folkies, entirely unprepared for our hero's abrasive bleating, however so meticulously contrived. Though old Doris did enjoy Dik Cadbury's counter-tenor to Dolly Collins' flute-organ on The Queen's Men.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 10 Oct 15 - 11:51 AM

I think he said "Poor Honest Men" just was "Spanish Ladies", and who are we to argue? There's also a lyrical overlap - as well as a musical fit - between "Cupid's Garden" and "The Dutch in the Medway".

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: Speedwell
Date: 10 Oct 15 - 11:43 AM

I vaguely remember seeing somewhere Pete saying that quite a few of Kipling's poems seemed to be written with a folk song in mind. He felt that they quite naturally fitted.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: Dennis the Elder
Date: 04 Oct 15 - 10:02 AM

A song that Peter converted from a Kipling Poem is "The Vampire", but I am not sure if he ever sang it. It was put to a tune by Keith Marsden, who I have heard sing it, again my knowledge is lacking as I do not know if this was before or after Peters death.
Its on Cockerdale's "Picking Sooty Blackberries" CD.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: cptsnapper
Date: 04 Oct 15 - 08:56 AM

My two favourite memories of Peter were a concert in Peterborough for which I was the compere when Nic Jones also appeared and one of the Norwich Folk festivals where I was told yp try & end the day long session in the bar in the bar when amongst other songs I sang Jesus Is On The Mainline only to hear Peter suddenly joiniing in. Fantastic!

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: cptsnapper
Date: 04 Oct 15 - 08:45 AM

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: Speedwell
Date: 03 Oct 15 - 12:13 PM

Another favourite of mine is Peter's version of this Kipling Poem about Heffle Cuckoo Fair.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LazFAINSH5c

Sorry tried to make a link but got Error showing.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 27 Sep 15 - 06:10 AM

The Genius & Joy of Peter Bellamy - Bill Brown & Old Paint:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIDkhEIUveQ

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 26 Sep 15 - 09:41 AM

Interesting seeing this thread come up again. I met Peter, when I had to pick him up at the airport in Chicago way back in the late 1980's. I loved his singing and performance style. I had to convince him it was really impractical to drive over to Joliet prison (which was featured in the film The Bluesbrothers) I did promise to drive him under some el tracks,which also appeared in the film. However the reason I'm posting this is that my wife and I have retired from our days jobs and are still doing music. We supplement our pension income by substitute teaching. I was subbing for an english lit class in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and heard some sophomore girls quietly singing the chorus of Oak and Ask and Thorn. I finally asked if that's what I was really hearing. They said they were singing it in choir and really liked the melody. They were surprised when I told them I'd met the man who composed that tune. The choir was not singing all the verses, unfortunately (some religious folks would probably object to the "do not tell the priest this night" verse). I suspect Peter would have been suprised that some choir teacher in the far reaches of the Northern US would be having kids sing his melody.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: Speedwell
Date: 26 Sep 15 - 08:53 AM

Totally agree that Green Fields of England is a fantastic song of Peter's.
Many thanx (again) to Jack Blandiver for that video of Pete (the only one still on youtube to my knowledge).
Peter has been an inspiration to me since the age of 16 or so when I first heard Chicken on a Raft sung by YT at a mate's house.
One of my lasting regrets is that I never got to see him perform. Oh well.
So next year will be 25 years - any plans for a PB event anyone?

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: GUEST,damhan alla
Date: 24 Sep 15 - 08:04 PM

Hearing Green Fields of England was what spurred me on to pursuing folk music beyond what my parents listened to. I owe most of the happiest moments of my life to him, although I could not have met him. Thanks man.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: The Sandman
Date: 24 Sep 15 - 09:06 AM

an interEsting interview,
Thankyou for puting it up here
not sure i agree with a number of things he said, i believe for some songs, accompaniment can enhance a song immensely.,and if used well can provide an atmosphere that gives the song something extra, of course the words are most important, but in my experience a good accompaniment can or should draw attention to the words
his comments about left wing political songs are what i might expect from someone from his family background, we are all influenced to some extent by our upbringing.
I am not sure the statistics he quote are correct, and if they are correct, might be because very few english songs were collected from industrial areas, for example sharp and baring gould and many others had an agenda of collecting rural songs, if more industrial songs had been collected there might be a very different overall picture.
I think Peter was an asset To the UK FOLK REVIVAL.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 24 Sep 15 - 06:39 AM

I've been thinking for a while of writing a song about Bellamy, & his death in particular - a song that would go beyond dignified sentimentality to express something of how sheerly bloody awful it was, just as PB did when he sang Two Pretty Boys or That Day.

I woke up this morning with a tune in my head and an idea for how it could be done (possibly), and had about three verses by the time I'd got dressed.

I've only just noticed the date.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 20 Sep 15 - 06:59 AM

William Lawes : She Weepeth Full Sore

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 20 Sep 15 - 06:55 AM

PS - I'm currently looking into the life & times of one my favourite composers, William Lawes whose life was brought to an end at the age of 43 when, as a Cavalier, he was casually shot by a Parliamentarian during the battle of Rowton Heath near Chester on September 24th 1645.

That's my listening for this coming Thursday sorted then - two masters of Quintessential Englishness who share the same passing-day.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 20 Sep 15 - 06:44 AM

PB died because the Folk Scene rejected him; he might as well have died of a broken heart. A month before he passed I witnessed about 40% of a festival audience wait until he took the stage before making a big show off standing up and walking out. I then had to leave my post at the sound desk and run off around the festival singarounds to drum up support for his performance. Somewhere I have a tape of it - same basic Bellamy set you'll hear on Songs and Rummy Conjurin' Tricks, only bigger somehow. Quite possibly his last ever gig.

As I said earlier in this thread (see my Suibhne posts) if he'd only waited a few years for Jon Boden et al to come along and champion his cause he'd be a bona fide national treasure by now. I can just hear him guesting with Bellowhead and having a ball.   

What would he have made of the internet? As an incorrigible & eclectic archivist he would have been the proverbial pig in shit, as the lingering shots over his legendary cassette collection in this 1980s video interview goes to show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bt3tKhVXBc

There was never, and there never will be, anyone quite like him.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: Dennis the Elder
Date: 20 Sep 15 - 05:42 AM

Sorry the post above is mine, thought I was logged in

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Sep 15 - 05:37 AM

Lets take a moment to remember the beautiful things we have witnessed, bird songs and Peter being two of them. A good friend posted the following message on Facebook, which reminded me of those who ended their lives, when they thought they had nothing to live for.

"A lot of us have been close to that edge, and some have lost friends and loved ones. Let's look out for each other and stop sweeping mental illness under the rug. Suicide Prevention week September 6-12. May I ask my family and friends wherever you might be, to kindly copy and paste this status for one hour to give a moment of support to all those who have family problems, health struggles, job issues, worries of any kind and just needs to know that someone cares. Do it for all of us, for no body is immune".

When I hear a bird sing, I will think positively about Peter and those who suffered similarly.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: The Sandman
Date: 20 Sep 15 - 04:57 AM

I think he would have embraced the internet and used it for publicity, but have been scathing about it
I am sorry but I found that remark about birds, negative, I prefer to listen to beauty and appreciate it, for what it is.
the song of the nightingale for instance is incredibly beautiful, to say oh hes just telling another bird to fuck off, in my opinion demeans the experience.
Peter was a highly individualistic performer, who added colour and excitement to the folk scene, but that comment tells us a lot about Peter Bellamy.
When the birds are singing open your ears listen to the beauty of the sound and you should need no more.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 20 Sep 15 - 04:12 AM

I can just hear Peter making that bird comment. It strikes me as being deliberately anti-poetic, to puncture any lofty sentiments and the pretensions that so often accompany them.

In a few days it will be 24 years since we lost him. A whole generation has grown up since. I wonder what he would have made of internet culture, and whether he'd think YouTube a blessing or a curse.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: The Sandman
Date: 19 Sep 15 - 02:10 PM

depends on the birds and the time of year, birds sing for many different reasons, and have different bird noises some are warnings, of predatirs. some are mating calls.
this is my tree you fuck off, is not just what bird song is about it is not all territoria; , that is too simplistic.
"The distinction between songs and calls is based upon complexity, length, and context. Songs are longer and more complex and are associated with courtship and mating, while calls tend to serve such functions as alarms or keeping members of a flock in contact.[3] Other authorities such as Howell and Webb (1995) make the distinction based on function, so that short vocalizations, such as those of pigeons, and even non-vocal sounds, such as the drumming of woodpeckers and the "winnowing" of snipes' wings in display flight, are considered songs" quote. so it also depends on how you define" Bird song"

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: Jim Martin
Date: 19 Sep 15 - 06:40 AM

I don't think it was a joke at all - that's what birds do & why they do it - fact!

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 18 Sep 15 - 03:57 PM

I don't think that remark was a symptom of his depression tho, Dick. He meant it as a somewhat sardonic joke.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy - died 24 Sept 1991
From: The Sandman
Date: 18 Sep 15 - 03:15 PM

I prefer to think they were celebrating life.
Bloody Shame, Peter was so depressed.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 18 Sep 15 - 01:59 PM

Came across this old thread while browsing the Cat, as one does from time to time.   I recalled, and thought I would share, a Bellamyism that came back to me as I read it.

It was a fine day and someone said "Aren't those birds making a beautiful noise!".

"Yes," Pete replied; "but you know what they're singing, don't you? — 'This is my tree: you fuck off!'."

≈M≈

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 08 Oct 11 - 10:36 AM

So glad to hear she's well. The only one of the YT troupe left now. We lost Royston before his time too. (And TOO MANY OTHERS dammit.)

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: GUEST,schlimmerkerl
Date: 07 Oct 11 - 06:14 PM

Well, at least Heather Wood is still around and singing (quite nicely, too) in the NY area.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 07 Oct 11 - 05:47 PM

She generally escapes that trap, but I think she does drift into it sometimes.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: Edthefolkie
Date: 07 Oct 11 - 02:09 PM

June Tabor's singing *pretty*? Nah.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray
Date: 07 Oct 11 - 12:08 PM

The original (and definitive I might add) version of The London Waterman is that of Bob Roberts on Songs from Sailing Barges, which is where PB sourced his, at JT likewise (as well her Macrame Beat version of When Gamekeepers Lie Sleeping). I can't be 100% certain but Bellamy featured that particular recording (i.e. Bob Roberts singing TLW) in his Folk Quiz at Durham in 1993. If you can't find them (and would like to hear them) frop me a line...

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 07 Oct 11 - 11:17 AM

I've just put up my version of the London Waterman as one of 52 Folk Songs. From that blog post, here are some thoughts about Bellamy's singing style:

"I got this song from Peter Bellamy's recording. Learning it – and learning how to sing it, which is slightly different – helped me understand why Bellamy sang the way he did, with that pouncing, declamatory attack on the lines. The short answer is that he did it because it works – it really gets you under the skin of the song. Also, taking a song by the scruff like this is fun – and it's not *pretty*, which for some of us at least is a virtue."

I was thinking then of June Tabor's version of the same song, which has absolutely nothing wrong with it except that it *is* pretty. I dislike it intensely and greatly prefer Bellamy's more abrasive version. But I suspect I'm in the minority.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: NOMADMan
Date: 07 Oct 11 - 10:51 AM

On the same album, Second Wind, Peter recorded his setting of Lawson's poem, "The Bush Girl." In the liner notes Peter commented, "My father, who spent some time as a 'jackaroo' on a New South Wales sheep station in the 1920s, tried to interest me in the verses of Henry Lawson, but it never 'took' until I toured Australia in 1980. After that I rethunk, and noticing the long shadow of Rudyard Kipling over many of his pieces, I set several Lawson poems to music. The tender BUSH GIRL and the bizarre GLASS ON THE BAR seemed my most successful efforts."

Regards,
John

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray
Date: 07 Oct 11 - 07:56 AM

It feels more like Preston to me, especially our pub there, which is quite like no other... a shanty with a dozen tumbers...

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 07 Oct 11 - 07:25 AM

From your introduction, I thought it was going to be a song set in Preston. Its Australian, I take it.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray
Date: 07 Oct 11 - 07:11 AM

I'll be singing Glass on the Bar tonight in Preston, PB's setting of the Henry Lawson poem from his EFDSS album Second Wind. Did he set any other Lawson poems? This one is particularly poignant...

*

Three bushmen one morning rode up to an inn,
And one of them called for the drinks with a grin;
They'd only returned from a trip to the North,
And, eager to greet them, the landlord came forth.
He absently poured out a glass of Three Star.
And set down that drink with the rest on the bar.

'There, that is for Harry,' he said, 'and it's queer,
'Tis the very same glass that he drank from last year;
His name's on the glass, you can read it like print,
He scratched it himself with an old piece of flint;
I remember his drink — it was always Three Star' —
And the landlord looked out through the door of the bar.

He looked at the horses, and counted but three:
'You were always together — where's Harry?' cried he.
Oh, sadly they looked at the glass as they said,
'You may put it away, for our old mate is dead;'
But one, gazing out o'er the ridges afar,
Said, 'We owe him a shout — leave the glass on the bar.'

They thought of the far-away grave on the plain,
They thought of the comrade who came not again,
They lifted their glasses, and sadly they said:
'We drink to the name of the mate who is dead.'
And the sunlight streamed in, and a light like a star
Seemed to glow in the depth of the glass on the bar.

And still in that shanty a tumbler is seen,
It stands by the clock, ever polished and clean;
And often the strangers will read as they pass
The name of a bushman engraved on the glass;
And though on the shelf but a dozen there are,
That glass never stands with the rest on the bar.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: Speedwell
Date: 07 Oct 11 - 06:58 AM

We held a special evening last Friday at the Milkmaid to celebrate Peter's life and songs. Local people performed some of whom knew him quite well. It was a special night and brilliant to hear some of the less frequently sung songs.I never knew him nor met him - only through his music; a heartfelt, enthusiastic and inspired folk artist.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: The Sandman
Date: 04 Oct 11 - 11:54 AM

folkie dave, good point, no one knows?
I thought but perhaps I was told incorrectly that he had tried suicide many years before, lets face it many things can contribute to depression including a persons up bringing, none of us know why he decided to kill himself, the best thing in my opinion is to remember him when he was happier.
I have good memories of Peter, particularly at Whitby and Chippenham just before he left us.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: Folkiedave
Date: 04 Oct 11 - 11:21 AM

That must have been a comfort on one level, but I suspect it also sent PB the bleakest, darkest message imaginable - it wasn't a case of "you're being rejected because you're no good", it was "you're being rejected because you're you".

Do we have any evidence that that IS why he decided to commit suicide? I am not sure we do. Not saying I know any better by the way. Just no idea why at all.

Another bus stop story. I went to pick him up at Sheffield Bus Station once when he was singing at the Grapes. No-one else there claimed to be able to recognise him.

How barmy is that?

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: GUEST,Working Radish
Date: 04 Oct 11 - 10:59 AM

It's terribly sad. It's tempting to say that great artists need that gnawing edge of self-doubt - show me a happy and well-adjusted artist and I'll show you Paul McCartney - but I suspect that's a rationalisation; a happy and well-adjusted Bellamy might have made just the same music, but made it for longer.

In this respect I'm haunted, if that's not too strong a word, by MGM's story upthread:

Jenny told Valerie and me that, a few days before he died, he spent the entire evening playing right back thru all his records, listening carefully and as best he could objectively, and said at the end, "Well, I AM good!. What the hell has gone wrong?!"

That must have been a comfort on one level, but I suspect it also sent PB the bleakest, darkest message imaginable - it wasn't a case of "you're being rejected because you're no good", it was "you're being rejected because you're you".

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: The Sandman
Date: 04 Oct 11 - 10:53 AM

The subject of leaving before time reminds me of a story about Ron Geesin , I believe he was playing in a restaurant and was rather pissed off by the lack of attention, so halfway through the night he packs up his gear goes outside puts his face to the window and waves the eaters good bye, they carry on eating their scampi and chips thinking its all part of the act, Ron Geesin gets in his car and drives home and doesnt return.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 04 Oct 11 - 08:26 AM

I once went to hear a very well-known folk star who was playing in a Sunday night club, back in the days when pubs shut at 10:30 on Sundays (remember that?). I was travelling by train (the club was on the other side of London from where I lived) and of COURSE the last blippin' one left at 10:25. So I had to get up out of the audience and go, during the nearest applause-break to the end that I could manage.

I was as quick & quiet as I could be, but I suppose there's no unobtrusive way to stand up when everyone around you is sitting quietly. The artist shot me the merest, briefest glance and then looked away, but I have been struck from that day to this by the pain in the man's face. I so wished I could explain to him that I wasn't leaving because I wanted to (in fact I hated having to go before he was finished) but was obliged to if I was to get home that night.

But I was too shy to call out "Train to catch!" as I might have done in later years (it was only about my second time ever in a folk club, I was by myself in a strange part of London and nobody knew who I was). But the memory of his hurt - from someone who had every reason to be supremely confident of his popularity - has stayed with me ever since. It doesn't surprise me that Peter had the same vulnerability. That sensitivity also goes into the making of their art. But what a price to pay.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 04 Oct 11 - 07:15 AM

I had a similar experience to Henry's when we booked him at South Tyne Folk and Blues which at that time met in the Turks Head, South Shields. Before the night began we sat chatting in the club room until I had to excuse myself as I had to nip to Shields Market Place bus stop to pick up my wife (then girlfriend) as the walk to the Turks was not entirely safe for a single female.
Peter was most alarmed as he thought that I was leaving the club and I too had to reassure him that I would be returning in a few minutes!
His worry and concern over lack of work was apparent around that time too.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 04 Oct 11 - 06:41 AM

That was me - Henry Peacock - obviously becoming more forgetful.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Oct 11 - 06:39 AM

Don't worry Michael. The story made me laugh and I wanted to share it. Let's move on. I hope there are more memories of Peter to be revealed.

I remember the last time I saw him. He cut a distinctive figure standing outside Preston bus station, a street map blowing wildly in the wind. He was looking for the Unicorn, the home of Preston Folk Club, and we walked there together.

He was in a good mood despite his bus journey. After enquiring about bus times, he had travelled into Keighley to catch his bus. So he was not at all pleased to find that it then took him straight back to Haworth!

I was on my home from work - I only lived around the corner. I had already had tea but wanted to go home and change. I still remember the pained expression on his face when I said I would leave him at the pub. He must have thought that, although I knew very well who he was, I did not consider him to be worth staying to see. I had to reassure him that I was indeed coming back to see him, and looking forward to it too. I think it was a glimpse of his insecurity.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 04 Oct 11 - 02:49 AM

"I'm sorry that a note of controversy has entered into this thread. I've enjoyed it very much so far."
,..,.,
Sorry about that, henryp, if that is what you think I have done. But don't you think yours a somewhat provocative contribution, joke or not ~~ esp repeated?

Regards

~Michael~

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 03 Oct 11 - 05:45 PM

For heaven's sake, it was Nic's joke! It's precisely because they were such good friends that he could say it. Nic was known for his impish sense of humour. But it is interesting that his sense of humour can be misunderstood just as Peter's was from time to time. And perhaps it does also reflect the fact that everyone recognised how sharply Peter divided audiences.

I'm sorry that a note of controversy has entered into this thread. I've enjoyed it very much so far.

I've posted the story here before, so it may well sound familiar. You don't think that I could make up a story like that, do you? I wonder if the archives of the Coronation Folk Club can confirm their old guest lists.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 03 Oct 11 - 05:26 PM

Even if he did say it - get a life - its not fair to put every utterance under a microscope just because Nic's a musician you admire. Haven't we all said things that might be regarded as a bit iffy.

Subject: RE: Peter Bellamy 18 yrs today since he died
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 03 Oct 11 - 03:11 PM

No. That doesn't sound at all like Nic Jones - who was a gentleman in his heyday - and still is, of course (I had the privilege of speaking to him a couple of years ago).