Help: West End of Darby

Subject: West End of Darby
From:
Date: 07 Oct 99 - 06:25 PM

I'm looking for lyrics,chords or a recording of a tune called "West End of Darby" or "Charlie's Pigeon". I've only ever heard it performed by Gary Amadon at the MI. renaissance festival. Can anyone help? Thanks, Bedlam

Subject: RE: Help: West End of Darby
From: bigJ
Date: 07 Oct 99 - 06:28 PM

The song is called 'The King of Rome'. If you put 'rome' (without inverted commas) in the Digitrad Search box it'll come up.

Subject: RE: Help: West End of Darby
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 07 Oct 99 - 07:39 PM

June Tabor sings it on - not quite sure - 'Aquaba'? And Iain MacKintosh on 'Risks and Roses', available from Greentrax. I think there is a true story, or at least a true background to the song, but I've tried in vain to find out from German and English pigeon racing bodies when exactly this disaster happened. I seem to remember reading about it in the papers in the early Eighties. - Susanne

Subject: RE: Help: West End of Darby
From: bbc
Date: 07 Oct 99 - 09:00 PM

Garnet Rogers has a very moving version of it on his recording, "Small Victories."

bbc

Subject: RE: Help: West End of Darby
From: GeorgeH
Date: 08 Oct 99 - 08:53 AM

Susanne: ISTR it's much older than the 1980s, but more recent than the 1880s! Anyway, the song dates itself: "But Charlie had a dream "And in nineteen thirteen "Charlie bred a pigeon that made his dream come true"

The story behind the song is that its author (Sudbury - sorry, I can't remember his first name) was searching through the reserve collection of a Derby museum when he came across a stuffed pigeon labeled simply "The King of Rome". This perplexed him sufficiently for him to research the exhibit's background, and the song is a fairly true rendition of what he found.

[Note that it's Derby - a UK Midlands town - rather than Darby.]

The notes on the song in DT agree it was recorded by June Tabor on Aquaba. A very fine song on a very fine CD.

G.

Subject: RE: Help: West End of Darby
From: bigJ
Date: 08 Oct 99 - 02:26 PM

The song was written by Dave Sudbury and if I remember rightly - and I don't always these days - it was written to take part in a new-song competition. Anyway, it appeared on an LP containing a selection of the song entries for a competition which was sponsored by the Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, England. The LP was called 'The Rough With the Smooth' and it appeared in 1987 with Dave Sudbury performing the song. I don't think the 'King' won the competition, it was 'Hunting the Buffalo' by Sally Barker which is also on the record.

Subject: RE: Help: West End of Darby
From: lamarca
Date: 08 Oct 99 - 05:00 PM

June Tabor sang it in concert here a couple years ago, and said that in honor of his victory, the "King of Rome" was allowed to live out a pigeon's normal life span, then stuffed and put into the museum, rather than becoming roast squab one evening for dinner (as many racing pigeons who weren't champions wound up when the pigeon breeder was short on funds and groceries...)

Subject: RE: Help: West End of Darby
From: Sam Hudson
Date: 08 Oct 99 - 06:23 PM

We've seen the poor stuffed thing in the museum at Wollaton Hall near Nottingham. Ken Russell recently made a film about folk music, and he got June to sing the song outside the Hall.

It's rather nice to know its fame has spread so widely!

Subject: RE: Help: West End of Darby
From: Llanfair
Date: 08 Oct 99 - 06:38 PM

What film was that, Sam? Bron.

Subject: RE: Help: West End of Darby
From: Bedlam
Date: 13 Oct 99 - 08:09 PM

Thanks for your help, everybody.

Subject: RE: Help: West End of Darby
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 14 Oct 99 - 08:14 PM

I'll second that! This thread is almost as great as Spancil Hill in its way. Next time I'm in the area I'll certainly go to Wollaton Hall. Thank you all. - Susanne

Subject: RE: Help: West End of Darby
From: GeorgeH
Date: 15 Oct 99 - 11:06 AM

Big J: That rings a bell . . ISTR being told that a section of the judges felt very strongly that "King of Rome" should have won, and went on to make various "potential singers" aware of the song.

OTOH I might have dreamed this . . .

G.

Subject: RE: Help: West End of Darby
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 15 Oct 99 - 06:42 PM

On the other hand, you might not, George. I've been told that Brian McNeill was one of those who thought the song should have won, and talked about it to fellow singers. - Susanne

Subject: RE: Help: West End of Darby
From: GUEST,Steve
Date: 26 Oct 05 - 02:17 PM

The pidgeon is in the Derby museum. I saw it there a few years ago along with its history. My partner loves singing the song and sang it to a group of elderly pidgeon fanciers from the Derby area some years ago. It was a particular favourite at a session in Wardlow Myres. Thelandlord would suddenly appear at the doorway making pidgeon noises and even appeared, one night, with a specially prepared dead pidgeon, suspended from a long stick by a piece of string. My partnet, trooper that she is, managed to complete the song before disolving into laughter!

Subject: RE: Help: West End of Darby
From: barnacle
Date: 27 Oct 05 - 02:30 PM

I was there - at Keswick, that is, not Derby, or Rome even. I cannot remember Brian McNeill, but I do remember that June Tabor and Dave Goulder were also judges for the "Legal and General" songwriting contest.

One of the participants stumbled over his words and there was a rumble that he could not have written it himself, otherwise he would have remembered.

Later that day, Dave Goulder stumbled when singing "January Man".

Just goes to show eh!

Subject: RE: Help: West End of Darby
From: Carol
Date: 27 Oct 05 - 04:07 PM

Malcolm Austin has written a great parody - it's called the Cat that Roamed - all about Charlie the cat and some pigeons etc.

Subject: RE: Help: West End of Darby
From: Grab
Date: 27 Oct 05 - 04:11 PM

Steve, the 3 Stags is where I heard it most too. :-) When I used to go there fairly regularly (during uni), a climber called Woody was infamous for singing it every week.

Graham.

Subject: RE: Help: West End of Darby
From: R. Padgett
Date: 27 Oct 05 - 04:36 PM

The Rough with the Smooth ~ Songsearch ~ Brewery Arts Centre Kendal
Vinyl contains 12 out of the many songs which were submitted to the Songsearch competition in 1985/6 (it says)

Contains Hunting the Buffalo ~ Sally Barker

The Fitzroy Girl ~ Pete Arnold

The King of Rome ~ Dave Sudbury

Maggie's Pit Ponies ~ Nancy Nicolson

Home is Where the Heartbreak is ~ Joey Parratt

What will you Wear? ~ Paul Metsers

Seven Summers ~ Dave Goulder

I was given the album to review in Stirrings, god help us about 1987

Ray

The King of Rome I have heard many times and the best ones i have heard are usually from singers with their hearts in the right place; that is not technically singing wise but delivery and understanding without question superb.

It isnt the best singers that necessarily win competitions it is how the feelings are conveyed and the spirit

(altho this was a song competition admittedly)

Subject: RE: Help: West End of Darby
From: Charley Noble
Date: 27 Oct 05 - 04:52 PM

Having heard Micca sing the parody "The Cat that Roamed" I can attest that the faint-hearted should cover their ears, not to mention anyone with good taste.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble, with a calico Maine cooncat on his lap