Re above: The Sandman I still sing The Black Cook, and in fact that's where my handle came from. I learnt it from Dave Burland's Dalesman's Litany, and Martyn W-R told me Dave got it from him. I was singing at Farningham when it all started, and I heard Dave singing it, and learnt it from the LP. Many years later, having been long gone from Kent and moved to Yorkshire, I rang a member of Skinner's Rats to ask about their CDs. I introduced myself to Barrie by saying,'You probably don't remember me, but I used to sing at Farningham in the early 1970s.' There was a slight pause, and he said,'Damn your eyes, doctor, I'll skin you alive.' I related this to my current associates, and that's how it began.
|