Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)

Subject: 2022 Obit : Tony Barrand
From: Anglo
Date: 29 Jan 22 - 03:20 PM

I am sorry to announce the passing of my longtime friend and singing partner Tony Barrand, who died peacefully this morning surrounded by his family. Many who knew him know of his long fight with MS. In the end, it was a systemic infection following an outpatient surgical procedure.

Tony was a singer, morris dancer, clog dancer, scholar, entertainer, the list goes on. Always remembered wherever he went.

Ian Robb, bless his heart, said that it was hearing us sing that showed him there might be a future in singing English folk songs in North America.

Subject: Obit: RIP Tony Barrand
From: RTim
Date: 29 Jan 22 - 03:20 PM

Sad news today with the passing Tony Barrand...or as he liked to call himself - Dr. Antony G. Barrand PhD.
Tony was born in Lincolnshire and came to the USA as a student and is famous as a singer of Traditional songs with his long time singer partner - John Roberts; and also as the fourth member of "Nowell Sing We Clear" - specializing in Christmas Seasonal Songs.

Tony is also known in the USA for his pioneering leadership of The Annual Marlboro Morris Ale and dancer/fool or "Mother" of The Marlboro Morris Men.
Tony also for years videoed many dance sessions at the Ale that are now available at following web site - see - https://www.bu.edu/dbin/dance/

In addition, Tony was a great Clog Dancer who brought the Marley Family (of Connecticut) dances to a larger public.

Commiserations to his wife (who is also current ill) and his Family and all his dear friends and colleagues.
A man of rare talent and vision who will be missed by many and remembered often - RIP old friend.

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: 2022 Obit : Tony Barrand
From: GUEST,Don Meixner
Date: 29 Jan 22 - 04:54 PM

Seeing John and Tony perform early on was one of the high points of hanging around Ithaca NY in the 1970. A concert or two in Ithaca NY, Oswego NY at The Music Hall, and at Old Songs are all well remembered.

My condolences to John and all the rest of Tony's performing family.

Don Meixner

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: Jeri
Date: 29 Jan 22 - 05:17 PM

I fell in love with English folk music when my teacher, Vaughn Ward, played "Spencer the Rover is Alive and Well and Living in Ithaca". There were tales of the to of them at Fox Hollow Folk Festival. I'd go see Nowell Sing We Clear whenever I could. At some point in my post-Air Force life, I ran into a woman who knew Tony because he'd be her professor. He made a huge mark here, and in my folky life, and I believe he'll be missed by a wide number of people.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 29 Jan 22 - 05:44 PM

Tony leaves a fine legacy of music, dance, and other fun and study. I am listening to "Mellow With Ale From the Horn", which was my introduction to Tony's and John's music years ago.

My sincere condolences to you, John, and his other friends and family.

~ Becky in Oregon

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 29 Jan 22 - 05:57 PM

We all learned so much from him and John. My condolences to you, John, and to all his family and friends.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: GUEST,barrycole
Date: 29 Jan 22 - 07:34 PM

I want to offer my memory of seeing John and Tony at the Mariposa Folk Festival on Toronto Island in 1976 or 1977. There was a platform stage in the middle of a field ringed with tall trees about 75 feet away. The sky was dark and a storm looked like it was brewing. They were up next with a concert of songs of ritual and magic. Just as they were starting, it began to rain hard, and the area was sporadically lit by lightning. The sound man pulled plastic tarp material over the speakers to protect them. Seeing the lightning, audience did not want to risk standing under the trees. The few buildings on the island were far away, so people crowded onto the edges of the tarp covered stage to get out of the rain. During the pandemonium, the direction of the show changed to a monologue of the story of "The second Noah's Ark". It is the story of an Englishman still bargaining for a better price on nails and lumber as the flood waters continue to rise!
    Tony will be missed!

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: YorkshireYankee
Date: 29 Jan 22 - 07:59 PM

This is such sad news. I saw John and Tony several times at the Ark in Ann Arbor, and always loved hearing their songs on our local folk show.

I had the pleasure of taking a course from them during Vocal Week at Augusta in the 90s – great fun! Wonderful singing and brilliant British humour. This is a huge loss to the folk community.

Sympathies to you, John, and to his family.

Vikki (Appleton Fielden)/YY

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: rich-joy
Date: 29 Jan 22 - 08:46 PM

Oh, I am sorry to hear this news.
I still have my many wonderful LPs and CDs with Tony et al and used to sing some of their versions of songs in my a cappella groups (and which always invoked comment). His contributions (and John too) to the folk music world were immense.
My sympathies to family and friends.


Vale, Tony.

R-J (Down Under)

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: Elmore
Date: 29 Jan 22 - 09:53 PM

I don't have words eloquent enough to express my sorrow. Condolences to Tony's family and friends, especially Anglo.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: topical tom
Date: 29 Jan 22 - 10:39 PM

My wife and I had the privilege of seeing him several times in concert. He was a great performer and we have fond memories of seeing him at the Champlain Valley Folk Festival. We will surely miss him.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: GerryM
Date: 30 Jan 22 - 12:13 AM

When I die, bury me low
Where I can hear the petroleum flow.
A sweeter sound, I never did know.
The rolling mills of New Joisey.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 30 Jan 22 - 09:41 AM

So sorry to read this. I was another person who really loved John & Tony's work. Later, as a performer, I was privileged to be in some folk festival workshops with them. I was from Chicago and saw them live whenever they appeared. When I was in high school (before being a professional musician, obviously) I used to sing Shine Your Buttons with Brasso to my friends. A parent from the Lutheran church that my parents brought me to asked if I would sing some songs for some 4H club kids. I agreed and showed up at the venue. Another of my high school buddies asked if I would sing Shine Your Buttons. I did, much to the distress of the parent who asked me to sing. At a workshop we were doing with John and Tony, years later, I related that yarn. I said it was a teaching moment for me: learning about appropriateness of venue and occasion. I also added that it was great being able to be on a stage with a couple of my heroes. Rest in Peace, Tony.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Jan 22 - 01:06 PM

Very sad news indeed. I remember one night in Washington D.C. driving Tony to a meeting in a Sushi bar during the trip he told me a wonderful joke (which I cannot repeat here), it was a memorable evening of talk, song and Sushi with many great people.

Condolences to all his family and to John.

Bob Hitchcock

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: GUEST,Jose Bleau
Date: 30 Jan 22 - 03:47 PM

I first met Tony and John at a folk music festival in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1974. They were starting their careers in academia, and were so talented, smart, fun, and full of exuberance that you were easily drawn into their world. You came away feeling richer in spirit, a lot more knowledgeable about English folk songs, and part of a devoted community. I followed them over the next 5 DECADES, seeing them at festivals and at their Christmas shows, introducing first my wife, then our son, to this brilliant duo and their music. They had great voices and wonderful taste, drawn from a wide swath of the English folk tradition. My wife, Sylvia Yount, hosted them in conjunction with her Maxfield Parrish exhibition at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Artists, in 1999, for a unique performance of songs and ballads based entirely on nursery rhymes. (I recall that after the performance, at dinner, Tony and John related a few ribald versions of classics like “Old King Cole.”)There’s a little less joy in the world with his passing.

—Tom Genetta

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: GUEST,Michael Kornfeld - AcousticMusicScene.com
Date: 30 Jan 22 - 06:42 PM

Tony Barrand, a traditional folk and sea chantey singer, folklorist, and Morris & clog dancer died on January 29, 2022. Barrand, 76, was half of the musical duo Roberts and Barrand, and also performed and recorded with Nowell Sing We Clear. Folk Music Notebook will honor his life and work today (January 30).

Click on the link below to continue reading this article:

https://acousticmusicscene.com/2022/01/30/tony-barrand-1945-2022/

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: GUEST,Melissa Weaver Dunning
Date: 30 Jan 22 - 08:17 PM

Such a great loss to the folk music world. A friend played Spencer the River for me in 1977 and it opened a whole world of music to me. Years later I met Tony and John when I was living in Vermont, and then I ended up in Virginia, married to Peter Dunning who founded and ran the Bluemont Concert Series for 40 years.
John and Tony stayed with us many times and logged many hours of van time between school and other gigs. When our oldest daughter lost her first tooth, Tony composed a note from the tooth fairy to show us how it should be done. So many stories and jokes and songs.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: GUEST,Paul Garrett
Date: 31 Jan 22 - 08:12 AM

My family and I enjoyed seeing Tony and John whenever they performed in Vermont. What a loss for all folk music lovers! My condolences to John and Tony's family. Nothing else to do but listen to Twiddlum Twaddlum to revel in the humor and harmony again.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 31 Jan 22 - 10:02 AM

Sad news. I add my condolences to his family, friends and many fans. I have added him to the "In Memoriam" thread. RIP

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: Bill D
Date: 31 Jan 22 - 11:53 AM

There's a great void in folk circles now... but filled with so many wonderful memories.

R.I.P Tony

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: clueless don
Date: 31 Jan 22 - 12:28 PM

I heard John and Tony many times during my Cornell days. Great stuff!

I am particularly indebted to Tony for introducing me to the recitations of Marriott Edgar. You can hear Tony doing "Albert and the Lion" on Mellow With Ale From the Horn.

Go well!

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: GUEST,Clayton Ames
Date: 31 Jan 22 - 12:37 PM

I am an acapella singer .. in the late 70's a friend insisted that I listen to "Spencer" and I was enthralled. I really enjoyed John & Tony's workshops and stage performances at the Philly Folk Festival (and singing so many songs with them in the performers tent) and their visits to the Cherry Tree Folk Music Co-op at St. Mary's just off the UPenn campus in Philadelphia.
The news of Tony's passing stopped the clocks in my home. The audio and video recordings of Tony's inimitable style will be a clear light to generations of traditional singers to come.
My condolences to his family, to his singing partners, and to all those whose hearts were touched by Tony's songs and dances.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: GUEST,Andrea (Andy) Cooper/Baltimore
Date: 31 Jan 22 - 04:15 PM

At the ripe old age of 20, a young folky college student, I had the pleasure of working Tony, his wife and you at the great kids' arts camp Interlocken, in Hillsboro, NH. What a great experience for a fledgling singer! We created a live-action play about Robin Hood with singing, dancing and live action rope swinging duels. Over the years, we all met up again at festivals, concerts and at Pinewoods and Augusta Vocal Week, where the singing was terrific and Tony's outsized enthusiasm for song and folklore was effervescent. We will all miss him tremendously.--Andy C.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: GUEST,Bob and Karen Olyslager and our Family
Date: 31 Jan 22 - 04:27 PM

We first heard John and Tony in 1971 at Fox Hollow. Our children have grown up listening to them and knowing them personally. They opened our ears and hearts to a "new" style traditional music that we sing and enjoy to this day. We send our condolences to Tony's Family, and also to John Roberts. We are very sad at Tony's passing, his music and humor will be with us forever.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: GUEST,Musebks Vermont
Date: 01 Feb 22 - 09:54 AM

Such sad news. Condolences to his family and musical partners and all who reveled in his songs.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: GUEST,John Nielson
Date: 04 Feb 22 - 12:01 AM

I attended a shape note singing conference at Marlboro College in 1979 and had the pleasure of sitting next to Tony for several days. When it became apparent I was having trouble reaching some of the high notes, the next time around through the hymn I would receive a sharp elbow to my side, hard enough to help me reach the note, but soft enough not to break a rib (he was a rugby player, after all). I told him that it was “Pavlovian Pedagogy.”

What a great singer, dancer and scholar, but most of all, what a great guy.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: GUEST,Adrienne L. Finney
Date: 04 Feb 22 - 07:07 PM

Tony, it was an honor to know you...Never a day when you didn't make me smile...Rest well, mt friend...

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: GUEST,Naomi
Date: 04 Feb 22 - 10:36 PM

My deepest condolences, John -- and to all who knew and worked with Tony. I was lucky enough to be introduced to Roberts and Barrand in the 1980s by my good friend Joan, with whom I would walk home from those concerts down the sidewalks of New York bellowing the songs in harmony. That music has remained one of my great joys. For as long as I can remember, I have baked Christmas cookies with the Nowell Sing We Clear album blasting on the stereo. In the 1990s, after NPR's All Things Considered did a story about a New Jersey state song, I sent in a cassette of "The Rolling Mills of New Jersey," which they then aired in their "letters" segment. The gleam in Tony's eye when doing recitations or singing bawdy songs was legendary, but I treasure most of all his gorgeous rendition of "Long Lankin." I am so grateful to have had this music in my life.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: EBarnacle
Date: 05 Feb 22 - 08:44 PM

I thought I posted on this thread but it seems to have gone into the aether.
I have enjoyed bothJohn and Tony since the '80's both in NYC and at LITMA events. I have yet to fail to enjoy their various efforts.
Once, just for the heckuvit, Lady Hillary and I sang Bertha's Mussels at Bertha's, which got us a "Huh, wut's that?" in addition to a couple of laughs.
Down in Trenton, there is a bar . . .

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: GUEST,Sharon Toffey Shepela
Date: 05 Feb 22 - 10:55 PM

Tony Barrand,John Roberts and I were in the graduate psychology program at Cornell at the same time, eons ago. It was a close knit group, and we partied frequently. When John and Tony discovered each other and began to sing together they brought their songs to our parties and we all learned the lyrics and sang along. I treasure those memories and can still sing along with the cds. I send my deep condolences to Tony's family and to John Roberts, who has been his closest collaborator for what must be over 50 years. Please let us know about funeral plans. I would certainly attend, and in the meantime remember that "Time it is a precious thing, time brings all things to an end, time with all its treasures and all its precious joys..." I can hear their voices.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: Thomas Stern
Date: 17 Feb 22 - 08:00 PM

Condolences to family, friends and fans. A great loss to this community.

Remembrance on Brian O'Donovan's Celtic Muse WGBH Boston:
WGBH Tony Barrand Appreciation
https://www.wgbh.org/music/celtic/2022/02/06/appreciation-tony-barrand-1945-2022


Thomas.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: GUEST,Tim Hall - Seattle
Date: 18 Feb 22 - 12:07 AM

I certainly cannot add any eloquence to these marvelous tributes to Tony and all of the very deeply held, personal connections Tony and John made with their music - for so long and for so many. Yes, I was one. Saw them in concert sometime around the mid-70's and they instantly helped cement my newfound love of folk music. Tony's extensive knowledge of folklore, his vast repertoire, his lively, quippy sense of humor, and the unbelievable quality of his crystal clear voice - so much joy he and John brought to the world. I can only hope and believe that this must be a profound consolation to his family and loved ones.

Subject: Remembering Tony Barrand - Fri.,November 4, 2022
From: Felipa
Date: 12 Oct 22 - 04:59 PM

A Man for Every Season:
A Musical Tribute to Tony Barrand

Friday, November 4 at 7:30 pm ET

Join Old Songs in a celebration of the music of Tony Barrand (1945-2022) over the years with John Roberts, Andy Davis, Fred Breunig, Keith Murphy, and Heather Wood

Live at In-Person: $25, Youth: $10 — Livestream: $10 suggested price

The concert will be held in person at the Old Songs building (37 S Main in Voorheesville, Masks recommended) and streamed on the Old Songs YouTube Channel.

https://oldsongs.org/event/tony/

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Barrand (1945-2022)
From: Kim C
Date: 12 Oct 22 - 07:19 PM

Mister and I were saddened to hear this news earlier this year, as A Present From the Gentlemen was our traveling music for many a road trip, along with Naulakha Redux. Sorry we won't be able to attend the Old Songs event. :-(