Review: The Songwainers

Subject: RE: Review: The Songwainers
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Dec 06 - 04:32 PM

Tom Addison sings at the Globe in exeter Newtown, second Friday in the month.

Subject: RE: Review: The Songwainers
From: RoyH (Burl)
Date: 20 Dec 06 - 03:25 PM

Mention of the Songwainers takes me back quite a lot of years to my early bookings at the club they ran in the Victory Club, Cheltenham. They had a man named Bill Spragg with them then. Later came Tony Tanner who sadly met his death in a car crash. Dave Stephenson MC'd the nights at the Victory, vigorously wielding an auctioneers hammer when introducing the singers. It was a great place to sing at because of the marvellous lead given by the Songwainers enthusiasm and gutsy style. Other regulars there included a young Pete Coe, and Sue Burgess, later of 'Regal Slip'. I was running the Cardiff Folksong Club at the time and booked the Songwainers in as our first guests. They sang their familiar traditional songs then, but also some modern material including a satirical number called 'The Royal Mating Season', a great laugh as I remember. They later guested for me when I ran the Nottingham Traditional Music Club, and went down a storm. Ken Langsbury was with them by this time, 1967/8-ish. It's a long time since I sang in Cheltenham but I will never forget those terrific sessions at the Victory Club. I'm most pleased to know that the name of the Songwainers is being carried on, and that memories of the originals are still green.

Subject: RE: Review: The Songwainers
From: GUEST,Brian Peters
Date: 20 Dec 06 - 02:50 PM

Yes indeed, a fine duo. And among the aforementioned regulars at Cheltenham.

Subject: RE: Review: The Songwainers
From: Saro
Date: 20 Dec 06 - 01:23 PM

Ron Taylor is also very much alive and singing with Jeff Gillette - they have a new CD out on the Wildgoose label, and they sound glorious.
Saro

Subject: RE: Review: The Songwainers
From: GUEST,Brian Peters
Date: 20 Dec 06 - 06:32 AM

He did a wonderful story version of "King John and the Abbott" last time I played Cheltenham. A club with resident performers second to none, by the way.

Subject: RE: Review: The Songwainers
From: GUEST,Squeezeme
Date: 20 Dec 06 - 05:16 AM

Me too....brings back fond memories.

Funny the way some things stay in your memory for nearly 35 years, but I can't remember what I had for breakfast this morning!
Might have been "Bacon, acon, idly ....pork"

MC

Subject: RE: Review: The Songwainers
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Dec 06 - 04:40 AM

I'm sure that would have been them....I can almost hear it now.

Subject: RE: Review: The Songwainers
From: Little Robyn
Date: 20 Dec 06 - 01:33 AM

Were they the group singing 'Suzannah's a funicle man' at Wells FF in 1972?
If so, I recorded that - but there was a dog that barked every time they did the whistley bit.
Robyn

Subject: RE: Review: The Songwainers
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 19 Dec 06 - 10:41 PM

I have since met Ken (Sidmouth 2006) and rejoiced in the error of my ways - his voice as good as ever, if not even better with maturity. I will seek out "Roger Jenken's tumbrle", if only to learn how to pronounce it!

Subject: RE: Review: The Songwainers
From: GUEST,Kate Haworth
Date: 19 Dec 06 - 09:42 PM

Ken Langsbury IS alive and well and as his daughter i can vouch for that. the songwainers reformed with a new line up a couple of years back and released another (long awaited) album. More recently Ken has founded another singing trio - "Roger Jenken's tumbrle" which, if they ever record any material, is definitely worth a listen.

Subject: RE: Review: The Songwainers
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 17 Apr 03 - 12:41 PM

My apologies to Ken for writing him off...clearly the rumours were premature!And sorry to hear about Dave.

Subject: RE: Review: The Songwainers
From: GUEST,Melodeon
Date: 17 Apr 03 - 07:18 AM

Ken Langsbury is alive and very well, in fact he was singing in Stroud last tuesday(and is as wonderful as ever). Unfortunately Dave Stephenson died a couple of years ago.

   Viv

Subject: RE: Review: The Songwainers
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 17 Apr 03 - 03:48 AM

I only ever saw them once, at Loughborough Festival in ... 1972? I was very impressed, but didn't have the means to get to see them again. Not only great singers, but great entertainers too.

Steve

Subject: RE: Review: The Songwainers
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 16 Apr 03 - 04:21 PM

Tom was indeed with them. And IIRC I thought Dave was seriously ill (with cancer) about 5 years ago, but I may be confused about that - perhaps it was Ken.

Ron was singing with Geoff Gillett in recent years, but I haven't heard much of the two of them of late.

Mick

Subject: RE: Review: The Songwainers
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 16 Apr 03 - 12:27 PM

One of my all time favourite a capella groups! They only produced the one album, as far as I could find out (and I looked extensively for others on the net over the years). I bought it in vinyl some 25 years ago, and it is still one of my prized possessions and firmly in my top 10 albums of all times.

I also saw them live a couple of times in the early seventies. They consisted of Ron taylor (tenor), Dave Stephenson (bass) and Ken Langsbury (one of the richest baritones and the craftsman of their wonderfully "weird" harmonies). Unfortunately Ken died quite a few years ago; so I heard.

I don't know what happened to Dave; but I do know that Ron Taylor joined with Graham and Eileen Pratt and Sue Burgess in 1976, to form "Regal Slip". They in turn produced an album called "Bandstand" in 1981 (again wonderful sound, if a little more "clinical"). Regal Slip restarted touring a couple of years ago, and you can probably catch them at some festival in the UK.

Subject: RE: Review: The Songwainers
From: the lemonade lady
Date: 16 Apr 03 - 09:56 AM

Was my friend Tom Addison with the Songwainers?

Sal

Subject: Review: The Songwainers
From: red max
Date: 16 Apr 03 - 05:25 AM

"The Songwainers" (1971) Argo ZFB 31

Side One
Robin Hood and the Three Squires
The Three Knights
The Deadly Wars
Stormy
Tom O'Bedlam's Song
Old Jonas

Side Two
News From Holland's Leager
Bright Phoebus
The Old And New Courtier
The False Fox
The Glittering Dewdrops
George Ridler's Oven
John Barleycorn

Apparently The Songwainers were mainstays of the Cheltenham Folk Song Club, and on the evidence of this LP it must have been a good place to hear some fine songs. As far as I know this was their only recording, but I'd like to hear otherwise. These chaps may look like The Yetties' less handsome cousins, but they were a great bunch of singers, their powerful voices carrying this unaccompanied (save for a little percussion) album with great aplomb

What makes this LP such a favourite of mine is the choice of material, most of which I've never heard elsewhere. Even the familiar opening song of Robin Hood switches midway to a different melody, a refreshing twist. Other highlights for me are The Old And New Courtier, a compelling chant, and The False Fox, a nursery rhyme set to an original tune. Best of all, though, is the brief reading of Old Jonas, in an squawking accent thicker than clotted cream

Does anyone know what the singers are up to these days?