Folklore: Keele Folk Festival 1965

Subject: Folklore: Keele Folk Festival 1965
From: GUEST,ken Hall Saltburn Folk Festival
Date: 15 Jan 21 - 12:37 AM

Good (early) morning,


As you see from the time of posting of this message, I’m not sleeping very well in these Covid times, so I decided to further my quest to fill in some of the details of my early life that will contribute to a memoir part of which focusses on how I came to be a “folkie”.
In early July 1965 when Summer term finished, I moved back to Yorkshire, since technically I was still living at home and being financially supported by parents. Before I moved (my friend) Paddy had told me about a “Folk Festival” (on the weekend of 16th July) at Keele University, in Staffordshire (a new experience in those days), a function about which I had no knowledge. He suggested that we cycled to the event, him from St Annes and us (My brother Stephen and I) from Bradford.
We arrived at our destination and started to take in the atmosphere, which was electric. There was everyone, who was in any way connected to folk music in those days (as I found out retrospectively) names I remember include: Fred Jordan, The McPeakes, Dominic Behan, Packie Byrne, Louie Killen, so then to my request:
Were you, or do you know anyone who was, at Keele Folk Festival 1965 and took photographs. I’ve been on Brian Shuel’s website and scrutinised the images that cover 1965-6, but to no avail.
I need your help please:

Subject: RE: Folklore: Keele Folk Festival 1965
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 15 Jan 21 - 09:15 AM

'I’ve been on Brian Shuel’s website and scrutinised the images that cover 1965-6, but to no avail.'

Not quite sure what you're getting at there: his site shows 95 images from Keele

Subject: RE: Folklore: Keele Folk Festival 1965
From: GUEST,guest The Sandman
Date: 15 Jan 21 - 09:34 AM

is it worth contacting the omnipresent DocRowe. who ws the director of keeel at that time were the EFDSS involved?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Keele Folk Festival 1965
From: GUEST,Guest. Bob Blair
Date: 15 Jan 21 - 10:34 AM

Doc Rowe was not the director of Keele in 1965. I don’t think Doc was ever involved directly with any of the Keele Festivals or with its successor The National Folk Festival which moved to Loughborough although, as you say he was omnipresent complete with camera. John Heydon organised/directed the NFF if memory serves me right

Keele 75 was organised by The Federation of British Folk Clubs, which was basically a sub-set committee of the EFDSS, who provided secretarial (Rosemary ????} and admin help. Members of the committee included Tony Davis( the Spinners), Eric Winter, Martin Windsor and some other folk club organisers. I ended up as a member of the committee in somewhat ridiculous circumstances as a result of attending the 1974 AGM of The Federation.

The Federation didn’t just organise Keele. I remember we gave some grants to trad singers who had fallen on hard times.   We perhaps could do with something like that now in these COVID Days

Eric Winter was a hoarder of all sorts of folk ephemera and paperwork. Much of his material was inherited by Ian Anderson of fRoots, so if you want more info perhaps he has it and could help.

Bob Blair

Subject: RE: Folklore: Keele Folk Festival 1965
From: GUEST,bigJ
Date: 15 Jan 21 - 10:35 AM

Wasn't the first Keele Festival organised by the EFDSS with Rory McEwan promising to underwrite any losses. In the event it was a rousing success so his offer wasn't needed.
Or am I just imagining that, after all, it's more than half a century ago.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Keele Folk Festival 1965
From: GUEST,The Sandman
Date: 15 Jan 21 - 10:58 AM

Please note the full stop after Doc Rowe, the full stop alters the whole meaning of the two sentences.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Keele Folk Festival 1965
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 16 Jan 21 - 06:10 AM

The lack of a capital letter on the word who, might lead to confusion, as to whether the full stop, was meant to be comma, or not, methinks.
Sorry to be picky, but it's a habit I picked up somewhere :)

Subject: RE: Folklore: Keele Folk Festival 1965
From: r.padgett
Date: 18 Jan 21 - 02:59 AM

Yes the festival was set up by EFDSS and a FAC festival advisory committee did task FAC Chairman Rory McEwan with organisation of same

Eric Winter had been approached by EFDSS to look at feasibility of running a large scale folk festival event and Rory approached Keele University

From Sing mag Vol 8 no 2 1965 ~ "advertising" the event

Ray

Subject: RE: Folklore: Keele Folk Festival 1965
From: GUEST,Erich
Date: 18 Jan 21 - 03:12 AM

Recognised Hedy West in the Fotos from Brian Shuels website.