The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #119443 Message #2592015
Posted By: Jim Carroll
18-Mar-09 - 03:34 PM
Thread Name: Where Do You Hear Traditional Songs
Subject: RE: Where Do You Hear Traditional Songs
The last time we saw a living tradition in action (apart from the Sheffield Carols) was in July 1973 when we first started recording Irish Travellers in the London area. This was at a number of fireside gatherings we were lucky to be at (usually after the pubs closed).
The very last of these we were at was a magic night in an open field next to Heathrow Airport, with planes taking off every few minutes, a huge full moon, everybody drunk - including me, and the wonderful Bill Cassidy (see From Puck To Appleby) singing magnificent versions of 'The Grey Cock' and 'The Outlandish Knight'.
We had a break from recording (supposedly while we got our act together) but the break lasted for 18 months and by the time we started up again the gatherings had stopped - literally between July 1973 and Easter 1975. By then, everybody had bought portable televisions and nobody bothered to light the fire anymore.
Jim Carroll