I live in Canada, but a decade or so ago I attended my first English folk festival, the Whitby Folk Week. It really does run for a week, but i was only able to stay a little more than a day.

The very first workshop I attended had as its guests a group called Swan Arcade (alas no more) who demonstrated their harmonies with a song called Rolling Home. Within just a few seconds my jaw dropped. What a great, great song. It is of course by John Tams, although at the time I would have bet it was trad. I've been singing it every since and doing my best to do it justice. I'm a school teacher and no professional singer, but I've had one paid gig - it was to sing that song at a big labour celebration. I would have paid them to let me sing it.

Another John Tams' political song I really like is called Raise Your Banner.

Bob Biderman