On the Paul Mills CD release thread, Black Walnut mentioned my association with Paul. Here is some background. And by the way, I've never really felt a need to be disguised here.
Joanne (Hindley-Smith) Crabtree (Balladeer)


Sometime in the nineties, I first heard Paul Mills play live, and my life flashed before my eyes. Paul had perfected the "New York" style of finger picking that had so influenced my own development as a folk performer in the sixties. I felt an immediate kinship, a kind of coming home.

Some time later, Paul and I both appeared at the Lunenburg Folk Harbour festival, he with Bill Garret and I with The Ballad Project. We played the main stage on the same evening, but did not meet. I was too in awe of him to introduce myself.

I had been speaking with Rick Fielding about recording an album of traditional songs, possibly with Rick as producer, when I learned that Paul had a shop of his own - and he was looking for business. Still I was too shy to make a move.

Then as luck would have it, I got an e-mail from Paul, part of a blanket promo for a house concert. That gave me a way to make myself known to him without actually having to make eye contact. I took the step. We hit it off.

Turned out we had many musician friends from the sixties in common, and a commonality of musical experiences from those days. We had both toured the U.K. when we were quite young and had many resulting tales to swap.

In 2000, we made a CD together, and a labour of joy and merriment it turned out to be. Paul's guitar work is everywhere on the All The Good Times album, and five years on I still feel a thrill when I hear him highlighting my vocals on it - particularly on the Ruth Etting classic, Ten Cents a Dance.

It was on Ten Cents that we found a real meeting of minds. We discovered we shared a deep affection for ancient pop standards (especially the clever ones), and that neither of us had had enough opportunities to pursue that interest. We've been pursuing it ever since - now and then, here and there, as busy calendars and eventful lives permit.

And now we're beginning a second album, which will feature half a dozen pop songs, along with an assortment of the blues and folk-style songs we also have fun playing together.

Our up-coming concert at The Kitchen will be a reprise of album one and a sneak preview of album two. And after that, we roll right on in to the studio. If you're in town, please come to the show and help us build up a head of steam.


February 18,2006, 8pm at
The Kitchen
983 Victoria Park Avenue,
Toronto

personal message to Balladeer for reservations