BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: VIN
Date: 15 Feb 07 - 09:03 AM

Well said folks!! About time indeed. It would be great to see the four lads (and the 'count') get an award. They were the folks scenes 'fab four' in my opinion. What other fold group in the early days could consistently sell out the Free Trade Hall (turning it into a folk club for a night) or the Liverpool Phil?

They appealed to a family audience and tried there best to involve everyone in there shows. No frills, no 'airs & graces', just fab music. Saw Hughie not too long ago at the Open Door folk club in Failsworth and he was as good as ever.

Give em the award. I've e-mailed Mike Harding as suggested above. Fingers crossed.

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 15 Feb 07 - 08:58 AM

I have started a thread on the BBC 2 Folk website you might like to continue the lobbying there too.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbradio2/F2142825

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbradio2/F2142825


Cheers

Les

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: GUEST,George Henderson
Date: 15 Feb 07 - 08:56 AM

I had the pleasure of meeting Hughie Jones in the USA last June. He is a wonderful singer and a very pleasant man to be in your company. I met Tony once and he impressed me and now I have been immensley impressed by Hughie.They were instrumental in my intorduction to folk musice as were the Clancy's The Dubliners the McPeake's Bob Davenport and Bob Dylan.

So yes - I think they really deserve an award.

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 15 Feb 07 - 08:27 AM

It's funny how people can hear but don't really hear! Guest Billy said The Spinners couldn't sing. Well, Hughie can sing up a storm; infact, 40 years ago he was one of the best singers on the UK folkscene. Mick Groves, also, was a pretty good singer, and Tony was a great harmony singer.

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: manitas_at_work
Date: 15 Feb 07 - 08:20 AM

"and polo shirts with things hanging round their neck.... "

wasn't that the Corries? Or Dylan? Or Simon and Garfunkel? or..

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: Captain Ginger
Date: 15 Feb 07 - 08:00 AM

I'll third that - as has been said, the Spinners were hugely important in that they were 'out there' rather than playing to the converted. They helped bring me to the fold, and I'm sure there are thousands more like me.
I'd like to see their contribution recognised.

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 15 Feb 07 - 07:40 AM

I heartily second (or third) what The Walrus and Banjoman have said. A lot of their importance lies in what ELSE they contributed, apart from their musical performances (which some people like better than others, but that's always going to be a matter of personal opinion, hence not worth arguing about). What is fact is their genuine concern for the genre and also for their fans, whom they always treated with the utmost respect and consideration. Packie and I got to know them a bit when we would play in their club (we usually stayed with Tony) and I cannot emphasise enough what utter gentleman they are, and the value of their contributions both on- and off-stage to their community (you never hear about that).   

I heard Mick singing somewhere informally once – backstage at the BBC? – an unaccompanied traditional song. Blew my socks off.

I'm off to MH's website as soon as I've posted this -

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 15 Feb 07 - 04:40 AM

If you would like to support the Spinners for a "Life-time Achievement Award" you could e-mail Mike Harding from his website:

http://www.mikeharding.co.uk/

http://www.mikeharding.co.uk/

Plaese encourage your friends to do the same. Perhaps will get a truly popular Award this way?

Cheers

Les

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: Betsy
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 08:12 AM

Thanks Alec and Bernard - Bernard used a phrase I was maybe looking for in relation to the Spinners (also) in that their " TV image was dictated by the programme schedulers".
I'm sure JF was much better than that duff song she was always made to sing.

Cheers again,
Betsy

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: Bernard
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 07:39 AM

Banjoman - well said!

You forgot to mention Tony's whistle playing!

Many people think that they had a chap called 'Francis K. Bosworth' writing and arranging for them... 'he' was a pseudonym the band used for stuff they had written or arranged themselves.

I think 'Guest Billy' must be mixing the Spinners up with some other band... the Spinners were unique.

Julie Felix is still around, too (and as busy as ever!) - sadly, her TV image was dictated by the programme schedulers... nowt new about that!

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: Alec
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 07:00 AM

Julie Felix that was,Betsy.

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: Betsy
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 06:52 AM

Seconded Banjoman - they made Folk accessible and they were a nice bunch of guys . I had the pleasure of guesting at their Club in Gregsons Well,
but due to a woeful lack of of geography - I dropped VG off for a gig in South Wales and arrived a bit late in Liverpool, but they were very understanding about how tired I was - as we had started our journey from home in the N.East of Englandn!!!. What they did, they did very well, infinitely better than that lass who used to come on TV and EVERY time sing Daddys taking us to the Zoo tomorrow. Good health and luck to them all, and to all you Mudcatters.

Cheers ,
Betsy

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: GUEST,banjoman
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 06:15 AM

Count me in on any move to make a lifetime award to the Spinners.
As someone who was part of the Folk Scene in Liverpool in the early days, I was privileged to meet them and to support their club at the Gregsons Well. It is worth pointing out that many of the other so - called contenders (Watersons etc) I first saw at the Spinners Club.
Their regular concerts at the Phiharmonic Hall drew large audiences , mainly of non -folkies, many of whom went on to appreciate the genre.
Some may question their musicality etc, but it is worth knowing that they had other talents as well.
Hughie Jones - a fine guitar/banjo player and songwriter.
Tony - a great jazz singer and banjo player
Cliff (plus wife) great exponents of music hall songs
Mick - again a songwriter who was also a fine teacher.
Enough said?

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 04:25 AM

and polo shirts with things hanging round their neck....

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: The Walrus
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 04:00 AM

There have been comments made on the Spinners' quality.
Other performers have been mentioned as being more deserving of awards.

These may or may not be true, but the point is that those other (possibly better) performers were WITHIN the folk community.
The Spinners may be considered a little bland by some but they 'out there', they were the accessible gateway to folk music for many. It was The Spinners that had people looking in the 'Folk' section at local record shops as much as any other performer (and probably more than most).

As Bernard put it "...they brought folk to people who otherwise may have missed out..."

W

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 02:13 AM

Guest Billy must never have heard Hughie Jones sing, he is a very fine singer.

eric

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: guitar
Date: 20 Jan 07 - 04:03 PM

I'm sorry if you don't agree with what I said

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: guitar
Date: 20 Jan 07 - 04:01 PM

as some once said "about bloody time too" ans what about the Dubliners or The Corries or even the Clancys and Tommy Makem.

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 20 Jan 07 - 04:02 AM

I think Hutchings got one a few years ago - well deserved I'd say.

I feel they deserve an Award because so many of us not only enjoyed what they did, but they showed us that pretty well any one can sing folk songs.

Surely that is a very important point? Songs that had survived for centuries in the lives of the rural, urban and sea going communities were re-claimed, if that is not too strong a word, by the largely urban communities of yougish people of the 1960's.

The message was simple: simple accompianment, strong tunes, a bit of humour, the semi- formal folk club, chorus singing, beer, go on, say you didn't like it?

In the early sixties the Spinners were more or less original and soon thousands of folk groups were born. It is easy to say they were around at the right time but they did actually do the work. They did it right and they did it well. They were critised for not singing the songs of a region but they were from the international city of Liverpool.

Ok, enough for now!

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 20 Jan 07 - 03:36 AM

I agree they merit recognition, but are there others who deserve a "Lifetime Award" for English folk more? I think there must be: -
Some of the following overlap, some have already been honoured.... (and some are dead, but you get my drift)
Any Waterson
Any Carthy
Any Copper (well, not "Ello Ello Wots All This Ere Then?")
Steeleye
Fairport
Thompson (not to my taste, and not really folk for some time now)
Kirkpatrick
Sundry players of threepenny bits (Anderson, Atterson, Etc)

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: eddie1
Date: 20 Jan 07 - 01:11 AM

Guest Billy
You have every right to disagree of course but –
"They weren't very good vocally or insrumentally or even very original."
They were very good at what they did – a singing group who accompanied themselves. They never were, nor claimed to be, an instrumental group! A folk group who are "original" are contemporary.
Yes, there were better, however you gauge that, folk groups around but The Spinners brought folk music to a whole lot of people who would have missed out otherwise. They persuaded my mother, who had never had any other exposure to folk music, to buy me their double album.
So many people who heard The Spinners then went on to frequent folk clubs and help keep the movement alive.
As ambassadors for folk, they deserve an award.
I'll sign a petition!

Eddie

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: GUEST,Billy
Date: 20 Jan 07 - 12:14 AM

I'd have to disagree. They weren't very good vocally or insrumentally or even very original. Just because they got a TV show made them out to be better than a whole bunch of really good folk acts that were burning up and down the UK at the time.

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: Girl Friday
Date: 19 Jan 07 - 09:59 PM

I loved the Spinners tv shows from 30 or 40 years ago. I'd no idea then that I'd ever meet any of them, as I wasn't introduced to Folk Clubs until 1987. Hufghie Jones is a lovely man, and deserves an award to himself. I also met Cliff Hall, once, when he came to one of Hughie's gigs. If the BBC respond John, let's have a cliccky.

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: The Walrus
Date: 19 Jan 07 - 08:37 PM

Count me in - My intro to folk music was a combination of a pretty, auburn haired student teacher* and the Spinners.

W


* I must have been all of seven or eight - she obviously made an impression

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: Bernard
Date: 19 Jan 07 - 03:59 PM

They've earned it more than most - they brought folk to people who otherwise may have missed out. Me, for one!

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: danensis
Date: 19 Jan 07 - 03:34 PM

I've just sent an email to the BBC to ask how we go about it,

John

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: Alec
Date: 19 Jan 07 - 03:28 PM

It has long been fashionable to sneer at them but they were an entry point to Folk for many people & in a world that fetishises the ephemeral they have shown immense durability.
Why shouldn't that be acknowledged?

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: bubblyrat
Date: 19 Jan 07 - 03:05 PM

At last !! A sensible idea for an award !! Put my name down !!----Bubblyrat ( or Signor Tottoff---it means the same thing !!)

Subject: RE: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: jacqui.c
Date: 19 Jan 07 - 11:24 AM

I'd second that - who do we write to?

Subject: BBC Life time Award for the Spinners?
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 19 Jan 07 - 10:51 AM

What's the chances of that then?