Interview: Ed Pickford

Subject: Interview: Ed Pickford
From: Colin Randall
Date: 01 Feb 09 - 04:11 AM

This is an interview idea that started at Mudcat; another subscriber encouraged me to do it, having asked Mike Harding without result, and Ed was up for it.

It is a substantial piece and will take up three separate postings. The first is live now at


Salut! Live


Ed talks initially about his role in the North-eastern trio, the Northern Front' (and how it was once misprinted as The National Front) his much-covered songs about mines (The Workers' Song, Farewell Johnny Miner, Ah Could Hew etc) and the serious illness that inspired him to write as many songs as possible.

The next instalments will follow at short intervals, with everything posted by midweek.

Just don't tell Ed about the respective audience figures for Mike Hrding and Salut! Live.

Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford
From: peregrina
Date: 01 Feb 09 - 06:08 AM

Colin, you mean that Salut Live! bestrides the globe from Dubai to the Americas, surely?

Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford
From: Leadfingers
Date: 01 Feb 09 - 08:23 AM

Great stuff !

Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford
From: folkypaul
Date: 01 Feb 09 - 03:29 PM

Ahhh!!!
Come on!!!

Only three hits for this.

One of the best songwriters to come out of the north east.   That's a disgrace.

He wrote such a mix of songs- serious and comedic.

At least if you read the link say so.

lol

PaulO

Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford
From: John Routledge
Date: 01 Feb 09 - 06:02 PM

Too embarrassed !!

I still have a small book of songs borrowed from ED forty odd years ago.

Will seek out his home address and post it says he sheepishly.

Thanks Colin for a great idea brilliantly executed.

Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford
From: peregrina
Date: 02 Feb 09 - 04:23 AM

part 2, Ed Pickford interview at Salut! Live

more now, great stuff!

Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford
From: Colin Randall
Date: 02 Feb 09 - 10:37 AM

Many thanks for the kind responses, and for the visits. Quite a few came from Mudcat, which is right since the idea originated here, though it's still largely word of mouth.


The final part will appear some time tomorrow, if a dental appointment and the need to make a speech, both of which I am dreading, don't get in the way.

It may be rough and ready and need refining later in the week.

Colin Randall

Salut! Live

Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford
From: Azizi
Date: 02 Feb 09 - 10:33 PM

Colin, I'm just popping in to commend you on those very interesting interviews.

I love how Mr. Pickford said he went to teachers training school to support his writing song habit. i wish him good health and happiness and many more years of song writing!

Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford
From: Colin Randall
Date: 04 Feb 09 - 01:44 AM

One last bump from me to say the third part was duly posted. In case anyone needs/wants the prompt, it appears here..

http://www.salutlive.com/2009/02/potted-ed.html

Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 04 Feb 09 - 03:02 AM

Excellent stuff which I throughly enjoyed reading and it certainly took me back a few years. Ed and John Reavey were at The Royal Turf, Felling on Tyne the first evening that I went there back in 1966 and they pretty well drove the night. I was impressed with Ed's songwriting then and I watched it mature over the next dozen years or so before I moved to Nottingham.
Ed comes over very modestly in reference to his songs especially calling "The Oldest Swinger in Town" a minor item as in its original state it was a very perceptive piece. In fact he doesn't talk much about his comedy songs in favour of his more serious pieces but they were very much part of his performance. We all had our favourites and mine was one that he only briefly performed called "Albert's Giant Leek"
Thanks for an interesting series.

Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford
From: Colin Randall
Date: 04 Feb 09 - 12:53 PM

Ed's reply mentioning The Oldest Singer in Town, now I come to think about it, was one that threw me a little. I also know Chris Newman (of Maire ni Chathasaigh and Chris Newman fame) and thought he'd written and produced it. But was that co-written (ie with ed, or adapting ed's original?

I will ask and report back....

Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 05 Feb 09 - 03:03 AM

I first heard Ed singing "The Oldest Swinger in Town" as far back as 1974/5 and it differs considerably from the version that made the charts around 1980. I don't think that anyone else had a hand in the original

Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford
From: folkypaul
Date: 05 Feb 09 - 05:01 AM

Was there ever any truth in the rumour at the time that Ed wrote "The Oldest Swinger in Town" about John Taylor of Redcar/Saltburn folk festival fame?

PaulO

Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford
From: Colin Randall
Date: 15 Feb 09 - 09:45 AM

folkypaul:

I checked with Ed who says his friend Jim Irvine remembers that
he wrote it about him for his 40th birthday a long, long time ago. But Ed also says he no longer properly remembers the song's origins.

Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford
From: GUEST,guest
Date: 04 Nov 12 - 10:46 AM

Think you'll find that the 'Oldest Swinger ' sing was ripped off by Fred Wedlock and Ed had to go to the PRS to establish his copyright. Also his preferred version is by an Irish group, the 'Bards' who had a big hit in Ireland with it.

Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford
From: GUEST,guest peregrina
Date: 04 Nov 12 - 11:26 AM

Since this thread came to the top just now, I will add to it again by mentioning that there is now a CD of Ed singing some of his mining songs *himself*--long overdue after so many brilliant covers. (The most recent: Archie Fisher and James Keelaghan with the Barra McNeils on their recent Celtic Colours collaborative CD singing Strange Lover is a coal mine.)

Anyway the CD is

Strange Lover is a Coalmine: The Mining Songs of Ed Pickford.
It is on Hooky Mat records, available from Anthony Robb, sold to benefit a cancer charity
here

Very powerful with some new songs as well as old favourites that are sung across the world. Among the new, a very powerful one for Mother Jones
that you can hear in another version on youtube
here

And Pound a Week Rise and the Worker's Song--sadly, as relevant as ever today.

Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford
From: GUEST,Eileen
Date: 05 Nov 12 - 11:06 AM

An excellent CD!