Lyr Req: Anyone Know Angela Tuckett's Songs?

Subject: Lyr Req: Anyone Know Angela Tuckett's Songs?
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 10 Feb 16 - 07:07 PM

I have just begun reading "Angela Remembered The Life of Angela Gradwell Tuckett" by Rosie MacGregor   
The writer tells us that Angela Tuckett was very active in the world of folk music and wrote songs herself. Angela Tuckett was also active in politics and this has made me curious about the nature of her songs. Does anyone know any of the titles or any of the lyrics?    Rosie MacGregor says that there were books of her songs published, one of which   was one called "Sing and Stay Human".   Can anyone tell us the contents of this book and the titles and contents of any of her other songbooks? A review by John Waltham of "Angela Remembered" appeared in The Living Tradition and, with its publishing details, may be read on line
HERE

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Anyone Know Angela Tuckett's Songs?
From: GUEST,jim bainbridge
Date: 11 Feb 16 - 05:06 AM

This amazing lady was a regular at the Swindon Folksingers Club in earlier days before she died some years ago. There are people there who would know more about this- Ted & Ivy Poole for instance- club contact details are online.
There was a cassette made of th Swindon residents - must be 20 plus years ago where she sang at least one song

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Anyone Know Angela Tuckett's Songs?
From: The Sandman
Date: 11 Feb 16 - 05:52 AM

I remember her very well, she was a formidable and caring person.
Jim is right, try Ted and Ivy.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Anyone Know Angela Tuckett's Songs?
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 12 Feb 16 - 06:09 AM

Here is a link to a song about the Spanish Civil War sung and performed on the Anglo concertina by Angela Tuckett It is placed in the Roy Palmer collection of the British Sound Library HERE where it is called "Many years have passed" although I think it is correctly called "Return To Spain". I had some correspondence with Roy Palmer back in 2010 and he said he thought the performer was Angela Tuckett and that the words to the song were written by ex-IB volunteer Bill Feeley. I notice that some of the words sung by Angela on this rcording are slightly different from those printed in a pamphlet given to me by Roy and published by Oldham Lesure Services, 1986, called "Songs of the Spanish Civil War: The Oldham Men who fought in Spain" and I wonder if Angela Tuckett contributed something to the words she sings?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Anyone Know Angela Tuckett's Songs?
From: Brian Peters
Date: 12 Feb 16 - 06:46 AM

I have a copy of 'Sing and Stay Human' right here. Angela sent it to me, unsolicited, in the 1980s after I'd expressed and interest in one of the songs she had sung when I'd played at at Chipping Sodbury folk club the week before. I still sing the song - 'T'Aad Man', which I render without the Furness dialect as 'Old Man' - to this day.

The songs are:

As Falls the Rose
Human Harmony
No Man's Better
Come All Ye Bold British Folksingers
Glowing Guitar
Independent Lover
Betsy's Prayer
T'Aad Man
Happy Return
We the Unmated
The Flyting of Life and Death
Bleakest Top
First of May
In Praise of Cooks
Pleasure and Joy
Not Without Dreams
Amongst Those Present
Fiddledee!
Questions and Answers
Miner's Little Son
Over Hackpen Hill
When There is Dancing Down Our Street

I don't see your Spanish Civil War song there, unfortunately, though that does sound like her in the clip. By the way, the concertina, as I remember it, was an English, not an Anglo.

Angela was indeed a remarkable woman.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Anyone Know Angela Tuckett's Songs?
From: GUEST,Guest - Rosie MacGregor
Date: 12 Feb 16 - 01:41 PM

Hi - Just joining in the discussion as the author of her biography. Angela was a remarkable woman, determined campaigner and a regular at many of the folk clubs in the Swindon, Bath and Bristol area from the 1960s until just before her death in 1994. Fondly remembered by all who knew her.
She played an English concertina and sang with a distinctive high pitched voice. She was very proud that she owned also but did not play an Anglo concertina that had once belonged to William Kimber.
She was extremely well travelled and briefly visited Spain during the Spanish Civil War in support of the Spanish Republic so it is highly likely that the song was in her repertoire though I don't ever remember hearing her sing it. Her style was so unmistakeable that I think it very likely that it is Angela on the recording.
I had a number of copies of Sing and Stay Human on loan to me when I was writing the book, as well as a few scraps of songs, but returned them all once the book was complete. It doesn't include all the songs she wrote and of course she also sang many traditional songs and ballads as well.
Rosie MacGregor aka Rosie Upton

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Anyone Know Angela Tuckett's Songs?
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 12 Feb 16 - 07:06 PM

Brian,thank you for taking the trouble to type out all the song titles and thank you as well for putting me right about the type of concertina she played. I can now see, since looking again at photos in Rosie's book, that Angela's concertina was always being held in thumb straps and so, as you say, was not an Anglo. In her book Rosie tells us that Angela was especially proud of her Anglo concertina because it had once belonged to William Kimber and I therefore jumped to the mistaken conclusion that the concertina she played was an Anglo. I should have looked more carefully.Do you know what has happened to Angela's William Kimber Anglo Rosie?
As Brian says above, Angela was indeed a remarkable woman. I am enjoying reading your book about her, Rosie. Thank you.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Anyone Know Angela Tuckett's Songs?
From: The Sandman
Date: 12 Feb 16 - 08:09 PM

it was an english concertina made by tommy willams who worked for lachenal, I saw her play it frequently.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Anyone Know Angela Tuckett's Songs?
From: The Sandman
Date: 12 Feb 16 - 08:10 PM

that is definitely her on that clip.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Anyone Know Angela Tuckett's Songs?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 12 Feb 16 - 08:26 PM

Her book "The Scottish Carter" includes a labour-agitation song for the carters - unfortunately she didn't give the tune for it, if she knew one. Anybody know more?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Anyone Know Angela Tuckett's Songs?
From: GUEST,rosie macgregor / rosie upton
Date: 13 Feb 16 - 08:24 AM

I should have been more definite about the recording held by British Library - Pete MacGregor and I are certain it is Angela, and I seem to remember that Ted Poole, when I was interviewing him for the book, said that recordings of her had been sent to the British Library. Though when I was researching her at British Library they were unable to find anything in the sound library only ten of the books she wrote.
The Working Class Movement Library in Salford (a wonderful place and resource which everyone should visit and make a donation to secure its future) holds her archives but no sound recordings of her.
I have no idea what happened to either concertina, and no one seemed to know, though Ted Poole, as far as I know, still has her type writer! I've not been able to find a tune for the carters song. Incidentally, both 'The Scottish Carter' and 'The Blacksmith's History' are well worth reading and occasionally come up on e-Bay and Amazon, as do her pamphlets 'Verses against Fascism and War' and 'Sing and Stay Human'.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Anyone Know Angela Tuckett's Songs?
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 15 Feb 16 - 02:07 PM

The trouble with the attribution at the British Library was, I think, that Roy Palmer , who supplied the recording to the library, was not entirely certain about the recording's origins, and in the interests of accuracy he therefore erred on the side of caution saying   " unidentified (concertina), unidentified (singer, female)" . In an email to me about this recording and the origin of the song, dated Thursday, March 25, 2010, Roy said " . The tape of Bill Feeley (and also Angela) must have come to me either from Angela or from the Working Class Movement Library in Salford, where the original recordings are."