Best Folkies from out of Greater Manchester

Subject: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 27 Mar 07 - 05:53 PM

Harry Boardman

Oldham Tinkers
Mike harding
Bernard Wriggley

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 27 Mar 07 - 06:22 PM

How great is this greater Manchester?

I though Wrigley was from Bolton.

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Mar 07 - 06:39 PM

Ewan MacColl

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Mar 07 - 06:43 PM

Harry H.Corbett

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 28 Mar 07 - 04:19 AM

How great is this greater Manchester?

Good point Drummer

Oldham, Bolton, Ashton under Lyne,

Coalpit up at Burnley? Probably a bit far.

Rochdale, Bury, Salford, Thameside, Stockport

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: GUEST,Bruce Michael Baillie
Date: 28 Mar 07 - 05:17 AM

...My old mate Maartin Allcock

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Grimmy
Date: 28 Mar 07 - 05:41 AM

I thought Ewan MacColl was Scottish ;-)

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Grimmy
Date: 28 Mar 07 - 05:50 AM

Ay up Les, you rascal, if any of these people were born pre-1974 - and I suspect some of them were ;-) - then they're Lankies not Mankies!

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Sugwash
Date: 28 Mar 07 - 05:54 AM

The Matthews Brothers

Mike McGoldrick

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Larkin
Date: 28 Mar 07 - 05:58 AM

Stan Elisson ( Black Stan ) was one of best guitarists i ever met.
Gypsys Kiss were bloody good but then I'm biased!

Martin

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 28 Mar 07 - 06:46 AM

Manchester is a terrific music city. No getting away from that. Its just that you seemed to have annexed a great deal of the north of England.

You last territorial claim being.....

At any rate, stop at Poland.

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Mr Happy
Date: 28 Mar 07 - 06:49 AM

Les Ackroyd?

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: GUEST,Dartford Warbler
Date: 28 Mar 07 - 07:15 AM

Clive Gregson

Keith Hancock

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 28 Mar 07 - 08:03 AM

All the best folkies have come out of Greater Manchester at one time. The hard bit is getting them in there in the first place:-)

Dave

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: VIN
Date: 28 Mar 07 - 08:34 AM

Mary Asquith
Tony Downes
Mike Canavan
Martin lynott (great fiddle player of Beggermen fame) now performing as part of the legplaiters with M.C + each Monday night at the Oddfellows Arms in Middleton   

(Harry H Corbett? - always thought he was from the sarf but yes i did once have an ep of sea shanties with him singing on it!)

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: nutty
Date: 28 Mar 07 - 12:25 PM

Ted Edwards

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 28 Mar 07 - 12:40 PM

Tony Dean of No Fixed Abode is from Manchester originally.

Kirsty McGee lives there now.

weren't that comedy duo - The Hooters from Manchester (one for the teenagers there!)

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 28 Mar 07 - 01:42 PM

Grimmy, Lancy and Manc is a good point. I think all Mancs, myself included are just migrant workers from some other place

Cheers

Gorton Tank!

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: GUEST,banjoman
Date: 29 Mar 07 - 07:13 AM

Nothing any good ever came out of Manchester except the East Lancs road to Liverpool where the real folk revival began and continues

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: VIN
Date: 29 Mar 07 - 08:42 AM

Ouch!! Not nice Mr banjoman. I think London may have had a hand in it somewhere, with places like the Troubadour (near Earls Court i think) and Les Cousins etc.

And her's this from John the Fish in Truro......

Halcyon days. Where to begin? In London the 1960s began in the 50s. The Skiffle Cellar in Greek Street, with Russell Quay and the City Ramblers, Rambling Jack Elliott and Deryl Adams, Red Sullivan, and Steve Benbow. I saw Margaret Barry and Paddy Gorman there. The Ballad and Blues Club in Wardour Street with Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies, Long John Baldry, Rory and Alex McEwen and Nadia Catouse.

But errrr back to Manc......

Tom Yates
Marie Little?
Jack Lee

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 29 Mar 07 - 10:13 AM

Dave and June Brooks, Harry Boardman............. MIKE HARDING, are you insane ?

eric

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Betsy
Date: 29 Mar 07 - 10:16 AM

Yes Vin - Marie Little , now living in Durham .
Sugwash - I thought Matthew brothers Larry and Terry were Wakefield -in spite of the heavy Irish accent acquired from their Mam.That's where I last visited them but that was yonks ago
I thought also there was a guy from Bolton, - Bob Williamson a good mate of Wriggers.

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 04:03 AM

Eric, this seems like just the place to discuss Mike. I will try to be polite. Sang some excellent songs, played a range of instruments very well, was always very, very funny and wrote some excellent songs. Lots of people hate his programme and his role in Smooth Opps - but that doesn't alter what he did for years.


Banjoman:
"Nothing any good ever came out of Manchester except the East Lancs road to Liverpool where the real folk revival began and continues"

I like this bit: "Liverpool where the real folk revival began

"Not sure about this: and continues"

I spent many happy hours in clubs in Liverpool:
Pete McGovern's club in a basement on London Road
Tony ????? in a pub near the tunnel entrance with cinema seets
Willy Russell in the Green Moose Coffee Bar
Never went to the Spinners Club but saw them a few times at the Phil
Jaqui and Bridie
Stah Huggill
Bernie Davies, Frank McColl, Tom Brown, John Howson

In the 60's Merseyside seem to have massive potential I am not sure that was ever really fulfilled?

Tell me otherwise Banjoman

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 04:31 AM

Les, I was only joking about Mike Harding, he was doing the folk clubs when I was getting into it, and as a performer ie. singer, songwriter, instrumentalist and comedian he was [ maybe still is ] excellent, but as a radio presenter he is total shite.

eric

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Grimmy
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 05:17 AM

He's certainly a naff presenter (like some ex-footballers I could mention). However, there's a copy of 'Folk Songs of Lancashire' on my bookshelf, for which I am very grateful.

BTW Les, you Mankies do a fine job guarding us Lankies' southern flank (does that make you Flankies?). Mother Nature kindly supplied our other defences ;-)

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 05:52 AM

Fair enough Eric, he was also graet fun as President of the Ramblers Association, a writer of good hiking books, if more than a little purple in the prose, and much fun on a bike.

Maybe it's only us greyists who know the Mike of Old.

Stands back for a torrent ofprogramme haters?

It's a good book Grimmy I have one myself.

As for the South flank "Cheshire - The Runway County" I understand their is a plan to bulldoze Mobberley to biuld a whole new runway and terminal. I guess the station will be left if nothing else!

Before someone else points this out I have to confess that Cheshire / Stockport of a much bigger folk scene than Manchester itself then things pick moving north and east.

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: GUEST,banjoman
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 06:21 AM

Only joking really - I knew Harry Boardman quite well and Marie Little before she moved north east. I even saw Johnny Cash live in Mcr once (if that counts) There has always been rivalry between both cities ever since Liverpool Football Club became the most successful in English Football history - but thats probably for another time & place.
Cheers to all my friends in Greater Mcr.
Pete

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 06:32 AM

I think you have an important point Pete, I think Liverpool was really exciting in the 60's with tons of tallent and great clubs but after the Spinners and J & B nothing of the significance of Harry Boardman and all the Deep Lancs people or the folk rock bands or the dance bands really appeared out of Liverpool. Or did I just miss it?

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 07:03 AM

Very interesting - did you guys ever come across the Liverpool poets. I used to love that album, with Andy Something playing slide guitar. Henri, McGough - all that lot.

You're absolutely right - there was a real buzz about Liverpool in those days- the whole country felt it.

All those fabulous ATV plays - Alun Owen - and I suppose the Z Cars was quite a phenomena.

Perhaps it read better than it lived, but as a country hick, it was a city I dreamed of when i was a kid.

there are some people who will tell you, none of this has to do with folk - but I think they're wrong!

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 07:12 AM

I remember the Liverpool Poets Adrain Henri, Brian Pattern, Roger McGough, Mike McGear (McCartney) and lots more. Andy Roberts(?) The Liverpool Scene?

It's true Drummer that the Scouse invasion of all things was a real phenomena of which the folk scene was a part. The Spinners were refered to as the other "fab four" at least by the Liverpool Echo.

Perhaps the scouse folkies don't get to the Mudacat but if they do perhaps they can tell us of great folk on a par with Harry et el and Fairport etc never came out of Liverpool.

Perhaps it lies in Liverpool really being the Capital of Ireland?

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Grimmy
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 07:35 AM

I remember John Cooper-Clarke reciting "You'll Never See a Nipple in the Daily Express" at Mancr Uni in the mid 70's (before he became 'famous'). Great stuff.

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 07:49 AM

One abiding memory I had of those years was The Undertakers pop group playing The Plaza in St Helens and they turned up in a hearse and parked it, outside the gig.

It was so SURREALIST. you just felt ordinary life was tapping into the mainstream of a different culture. Something different from all the nonsense pouring past you on a day to day basis.

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 08:10 AM

Drummer, what can I say,

The Undertakers!

One of my favourites. Saw them at the Cavern after the release of bugger what was that song that Brian Poole did a dreadful version of? saw them one New Years eve ar Ellesmree Port Civic Hall Jackie Lomax too drunk to stand or move, the others going out to get snowballs to pelt the audience!

Derry Wlikie and the Pressmen, 2 saxes and a black singer, how exciting could music get?

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 08:18 AM

Exactement!

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Phillip
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 08:19 AM

I think the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester pre-dates Liverpool becoming the most successful club in English football which happened only in 1983, before then it had been Aston Villa since 1897. I remember getting the sharp end of a Scouse tongue in Liverpool well before that! (United are four major domestic honours behind Liverpool, by the way.)

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 08:54 AM

Yeah Les, I've got several of Mike Hardings books including Folk Songs Of Lancashire, Walking The Peak And Pennines, You Can See The Angels Bum Miss Worswick and The Armchair Anarchists Almanac, every one a gem.

eric

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 09:23 AM

The Boy dun gud or what. Although it might be time for a change of presenter on that programme?

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 09:46 AM

Lots of other good bands around the time of The Undertakers and Derry hey Drummer, sorry the cells are going.

I got into the Spinners and the the Clancy's because they were high profile, or at least a bit, and they had tunes and stories but when I heard the Dubliners and the Watersons they had something that the Undertakers and Derry had.

Subject: RE: Best Folkies to come out of Greater Manc
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 10:12 AM

I'll tell you what I think it was.

They had charisma. They brought a kind of landscape with them to the gig.

With the Watersons it was a fantastic act of imagination. the idea that there was this wild family living in an out of the way Northern encampment on the edge of modern civilisation and holding the key to this ancient knowledge and lore. the Frost and fire Album was just so clever. According to a thread on this page - maybe they took the pace egging song from Peter Paul and Mary!

With the Dubliners - it Behan, OCasey, Joyce, the rebels, the religion, the subculture of Irish pubs, and Irish men working away from home and living the kind of lives that made 'Irish pubs' a synoym in England for places where you had to be able to take care of yourself.

They suggested a rich(probably imagined) background, I think in actuality both groups were probably nice middle class kids. The backgrounds were perhaps as much a s fabrication as david Bowie's Ziggy Stardust.

In the same way - the mersey groups knew all these r and b songs which weren't common knowledge in the early '60's. they certainly seemed to KNOW more than ius provincial kids. It gave them an aura.

Subject: RE: Best Folkies from out of Greater Manchester
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 11:22 AM

True enough. I think you have a dissertaion before you!

I bought a CD by The Coasters - lots of songs sung by the Mersey Boys a bit different to The Coasters but good in their own way - a bit like "You've really got a hold on me " on the Beatles first album not the original but still pretty good.

Subject: RE: Best Folkies from out of Greater Manchester
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 12:29 PM

The undertaker's biggie was that one that started - 'I don't want it all, I just want a little bit....

was that a bo diddley song?

Subject: RE: Best Folkies from out of Greater Manchester
From: Mary Humphreys
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 12:42 PM

I am surprised no-one has yet mentioned the internationally known Brian Peters who lives quite close to Manchester. He spent many years singing in the local clubs, particularly Harry Boardman's club at the Unicorn.
Mark Dowding has recorded many of Harry's songs and is known nationally.
The late lamented Terry Whelan was a Mancunian born and bred. Dave Bishop although originating from East Anglia still sings in the area. Sue vG and Nine pints are also Manchester singers.
Come on, there are lots more out there!

Subject: RE: Best Folkies from out of Greater Manchester
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 01:29 PM

That Mary Humphreys isn't bad either!

Subject: RE: Best Folkies from out of Greater Manchester
From: JohnB
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 02:10 PM

Beaten again, having just read the thread I was about to add:
Marie Little, Brian Peters and Mary Humphreys and Jack Lee.
I will add Mavis, who Vin is now in deep trouble with for not mentioning before.
Also the Edison Bell Jug Band if anyone remembers them, or their frontman.
Rosemary Hardman too and many others who I will kick myself for not mentioning, or may kick me for forgetting them.
JohnB

Subject: RE: Best Folkies from out of Greater Manchester
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 30 Mar 07 - 05:57 PM

Technically I'm a Lancastrian born and bred and live about 4 miles from the Greater Manchester border if it still exists. Does living in Salford for a couple of years count?

Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: Best Folkies from out of Greater Manchester
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 31 Mar 07 - 03:33 AM

We welcome all migrants workers Mark. How could we do otherwise with our history? Now I think of it Greater Manchester sounds a bit Imperalistic. It's hard to get a simpler name.

The value of flexible borders is that we can include and exclude as we choose.

How about:

Werneth Low and Tom Shepley's Band?

Canny Fettle saw them at Harry's Club a few times.

Subject: RE: Best Folkies from out of Greater Manchester
From: Linda Kelly
Date: 31 Mar 07 - 06:14 AM

goodness me-enough to fit into a super casino!!!

Subject: RE: Best Folkies from out of Greater Manchester
From: Y_Not
Date: 31 Mar 07 - 12:08 PM

Over the years we have had some great talent come out of Manchester & the North West.
Gentlemen Soldier
Mary Asquith
Tom Shepley's Band (I had to say that)
Gorton Tank
Tom Yates

Subject: RE: Best Folkies from out of Greater Manchester
From: Alio
Date: 31 Mar 07 - 12:57 PM

I agree with Mary - there are some excellent ones around the area now, many of whom you would never know about if you didn't pop in to the club where they usually appear. I'm trying to get some CD's from all of them for Oldham Community Radio, so if anyone can help, that'd be great!
Has anyone mentioned Stanley Accrington, Dave Molloy, or Tony Downes (ex Beggarmen)?
Ali

Subject: RE: Best Folkies from out of Greater Manchester
From: GUEST,Dave Bishop
Date: 01 Apr 07 - 07:42 AM

Thanks, Mary!

The cheques in the post!

Looking forward to listening to 'Fenlandia'. Noticed that Pete Coe had one in his CD box at the 'Spring Sing' the other weekend - but someone snaffled it before I could (think it was that '8 pints' person). Still, I'm sure he'll get another one.

Aaaaah, I can feel myself getting nostalgic for that freezing wind off the North Sea (well, perhaps not ...).

Regards to Anahata,

Love,
DB