I know they tried to specify how long they performed - they usually worked out a programme in advance to give a balance of their repertoire, but the times I saw them perform, that specification was flexible ether way to fit in with what normally happened at the club.
They liked to hear the residents and made a point of going into the club room to listen to them beforehand - they seldom left the room till the end of the evening.
First time I saw them, at the Spinners Club in Liverpool, they ran over time by fifteen minutes doing encores of requests.
They also specified that, if there was a bar in the room that the noise was kept to a minimum, and if possible, drinks were only sold at the interval - wish all performers had done that.
They also requested that, where accommodation was provided, it was suitable to allow them to do voice and relaxation exercises - (lovely story on 'Freeborn Man' of Luke Kelly, who was a member of the Critics, terrifying his hosts in Grimsby into breaking down the bathroom door when they heard him doing the voice exercises.
"This was 1986, she certainly said that there were not people writing good songs in England,"
Extremely difficult to believe
Peggy ran New City Songster for twenty+ issues (got them all); it was made up of songs that were sent in from all over the English-speaking world.
They always made a point of commenting on the quality of the songs.
Between them, they probably did more than any other performers to encourage the making of new songs and getting them into circulation.
"I was utterly bored by Ewan and Peggy when I saw them at the Yorkshire folk centre in '66 ish"
The problem with these discussions is that all too often it gets bogged down in personal taste.
I was knocked out by Ewan and Peggy the first time I heard them sing ballads - it made me a lifelong devotee to that form of song.
So what - it doesn't matter how I or any individual feels about their singing - they are acknowledged as artists by enough people to have had the following and the respect that they gained, even though they may not be to everybody's taste.
The produced 'The Long Harvest' and 'Blood and roses, and between them, they introduced me to around half of the Child Ballads - that'll do for me, thank you very much.
I do know some people who don't actually like ballads - I can only say, "I'm sorry for their loss" (as they say around here whan somebody dies!!
"Jim are you calling me a liar"
I've no idea whether you are telling the truth or not - sometimes I have difficulty in working out what planet you occupy.
I've told you what E and P did to encourage song-making - easily verifiable
If I did call you a liar on this matter, it would be fairly small potatoes compared with the abusive and ill-mannered way you address innocent enquiries sometime (just had a good example of it on another thread).
"she did not acknowledge anything about bill caddick", which would be surprising if she had seen his songs in new city songster.
Are you calling me a liar?
She not only "saw" his songs - she selected them for publication - she was the editor.
Jim Carroll