Subject: Derek Brimstone has retired
From:
Big Al Whittle
Date: 30 May 07 - 04:54 PM
Derek phoned me tonight and he has asked to announce his retirement from gigging to all his friends and colleagues on Mudcat.
Derek said, "Its very sad, but I've had a long run - over forty years as a professional folksinger.
I will still be popping up doing local floorspots and if anybody gives me a run in their car to a festival, I'll be there just for the craic.
However if my blood pressure suddenly shoots up to something dangerous when I'm on the road miles from home - miles from the gig well its not fair to the organiser, and I'll perhaps be a long way from an A &E dept. So retirement, it has to be."
For those who didn't experience Derek Brimstone - Derek is one of the most influential and talented artists ever produced by the English folk club scene. He started his professional career in a folkgroup which had Maddy Prior as the lead vocalist. Apparently it was Maddy who recognised Derek's talents as a raconteur.
In the 1960's he was only one of three English artists to be signed by the prestigious Fontana record label, and he was voted Best Folk Instrumentalist at Cambridge Folk Festival. His instruments are guitar and banjo. For the next four decades he was ubiquitous on the English club and festival scene. He toured many countries Australia, the Gulf, much of Europe and much of Africa. Ralph McTell on his website tells of Derek's encouragement that got him to add an extra verse to Streets of London.
All the major folk comedians of the 1970's (Harding, Carrot and Connolly) at one time or another have claimed Brimstone as an important influence.
Brimmo's repertoire spanned all kinds of songs. He said in an interview with Colin Irwin in Melody Maker that he worshipped Rambling Jack Elliot and Jeremy Taylor. But his repertoire also contained items from French chanson, traditonal material form the Copper family, guitar insrumentals, Blues, comic songs like She Loved a Portuguese and the cream of contemporary songwriters - Mike Chapman, Jackson C Frank, McTell, and John Martyn.
He was in short a 'very parfait minstrel'.
All Derek's albums are available from Woven Wheat. He wrote two volumes of autobiography. The first one dealing with his childhood in London's East End; the second about his life as a musician.
Derek asked me to be nice about him in this statement, and I hope I have been, for he's a nice man. And he knows I can be a bit of an arsehole.
He also says that he would all his old friends to keep in touch - so please to give him a ring or an e-mail every now and then!
Well done Derek!
all the best
Big Al Whittle
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