Help: Are English Tapestry still about ?

Subject: RE: Help: Are English Tapestry still about ?
From: GUEST,John L
Date: 20 Dec 12 - 05:59 AM

I saw them at Toad Hall Folk Club Ilford in the late 60's or early 70's & they were superb! They certainly left a mark on my memory cos i've just looked them up on the internet! Nice to see that others remember them fondly too. What a shame tho that they never made a recording.

Subject: RE: Help: Are English Tapestry still about ?
From: r.padgett
Date: 30 Nov 12 - 04:03 AM

Yes some nice traditional harmonies certainly Brian and Ruth are the main group (duo) team with added third member(s)

My personal view and I did see them live at least twice and someone has been good enough to let me have a copy of the recordings etc was that they were trying to be TOO GOOD, that is, in my view FOLK needs and expects singers to be real people with faults (o right sorry, yes)

Could find perfection a little irritating, songs are sung differently every time, not totally the same and with harmony this can change sounds a great deal!

nO futher elaboration as you could have a different opinion

Ray

Subject: RE: Help: Are English Tapestry still about ?
From: GUEST,Cornish
Date: 30 Nov 12 - 03:50 AM

Love to get hold of a contact email for Andrew Taylor who sang with them in the 1970 ,s
If he is you uncle are you in touch?
He was my best man but lost touch this century !
Reply to [e-mail]

Subject: RE: Help: Are English Tapestry still about ?
From: GUEST,SRD
Date: 10 May 12 - 04:33 PM

They were guests at Farningham whilst I was involved there. We even persuaded them into the studio to hear what their set sounded like. I think Blossom tried to persuade them to make an album on the Coachhouse label but they decided against it. Whether the tapes of the live set were preserved only Blossom knows.

Subject: RE: Help: Are English Tapestry still about ?
From: GUEST,Susie
Date: 09 May 12 - 08:43 PM

They performed for me at Folk At The Malt in Altrincham years ago and they were superb!

Subject: RE: Help: Are English Tapestry still about ?
From: The Sandman
Date: 09 May 12 - 06:26 PM

The Bromley incident, that sounds like Bromley Traditional Music club,I remember it well.
Unfortunately,Dave Bryant has died, as have most of BTMC.

Subject: RE: Help: Are English Tapestry still about ?
From: The Doctor
Date: 30 Mar 12 - 06:58 AM

English Tapestry are definitely not still performing, more's the pity. Ruth and Brian Brittain still live just outside Cambridge, and their baby, Piers, has grown up. I remember your uncle, Pollywog, very well. He had, and probably still has, a great voice, which shone particularly when he did the Inkspots songs and the like. Ruth reckons her voice has gone, though I find that hard to believe. Either way neither she nor Brian sings much these days. They do have, however, a large collection of rehearsal tapes which, if all goes to plan, I am to help them transfer to CD, after which I hope to persude Brian to make some of them more widely available. I have a number of private recordings, but as several of them were made using battery-powered cassette recorders the quality leaves a lot to be desired. If anyone else has any recordings do let me know. 'Another rain', which was actually written for them, was always one of my favourites, along with The Holmfirth Anthem and The Streams of Lovely Nancy.

Subject: RE: Help: Are English Tapestry still about ?
From: GUEST,pollywog
Date: 29 Mar 12 - 08:11 PM

My uncle Andrew was in the group, I believe in the later years. I don't think he still performs with them though, and not sure if they are together. I may be able to find out...

Subject: RE: Help: Are ENGLISH TAPESTRY still about ?
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 23 Jan 02 - 05:13 AM

Boab, If you were around Folk Clubs in those days (I was) perhaps you won't be zimmerless much longer ! Anyway, if you read the top of this thread, Ruth had only just produced an offspring when I last saw her about 20 years ago - so they can't be that old.

Subject: RE: Help: Are ENGLISH TAPESTRY still about ?
From: GUEST,Boab
Date: 22 Jan 02 - 10:56 PM

English Tapestry---once, about 35 years ago, in Hexham folk club; very good, as I recall. Can't see them being out and about without zimmers nowadays------

Subject: RE: Help: Are ENGLISH TAPESTRY still about ?
From: Sarah the flute
Date: 22 Jan 02 - 03:39 AM

I can do PM to anyone really THAT interested but I'm certainly not posting it here!!!

Sarah

Subject: RE: Help: Are ENGLISH TAPESTRY still about ?
From: sledge
Date: 21 Jan 02 - 08:10 AM

Don't you just hate it when people go "I know something really juicy and I'm not going to tell you"

:)

Sledge

Subject: RE: Help: Are ENGLISH TAPESTRY still about ?
From: Sarah the flute
Date: 21 Jan 02 - 03:33 AM

It is Bromley in Kent but as for the "incident" it is not for public airing!!!

Sarah

Subject: RE: Help: Are ENGLISH TAPESTRY still about ?
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 20 Jan 02 - 06:12 AM

The Bromley Incident - if that's Bromley Kent then it's my part of the world. Tell me more.

Mind you, I was hoping to find out where Brian and Ruth were, but I do remember James as one of Tapestry's tenors.

Subject: RE: Help: Are ENGLISH TAPESTRY still about ?
From: Sarah the flute
Date: 19 Jan 02 - 03:31 AM

So what is he doing now guys? The "bromley incident" as it was cheerfully referred to at one time is definately not for a public forum but it was very funny at the time. Looking back it was a bit cruel but the basic concept was one of ego busting. Sounds from your comments like I failed miserably!!!

Sarah

Subject: RE: Help: Are ENGLISH TAPESTRY still about ?
From: AndyG
Date: 18 Jan 02 - 12:40 PM

Yes, sorry Jon, James was in English Tapestry at one time and so he is that old.

Otherwise: "No comment".

And "iscrete" yG

Subject: RE: Help: Are ENGLISH TAPESTRY still about ?
From: English Jon
Date: 18 Jan 02 - 08:07 AM

oh! do tell...

Can't say I know him that well. I've got his album though which is >ahem< "good in parts", as the proverbial curate once said of his egg.

My mate Mike doesn't like him at all though...Apparently JE has been very rude on several occasions. None of my business though.

EJ

Subject: RE: Help: Are ENGLISH TAPESTRY still about ?
From: Sarah the flute
Date: 18 Jan 02 - 03:40 AM

Do you know him then? Havn't seen him since an unfortunate incident at a party in the early 1980s when I think we upset him!!!

Sarah

Subject: RE: Help: Are ENGLISH TAPESTRY still about ?
From: English Jon
Date: 17 Jan 02 - 07:16 AM

Eisner is enough to see anyone off. Didn't realise he was that old.

EJ

Subject: RE: Help: Are ENGLISH TAPESTRY still about ?
From: Sarah the flute
Date: 17 Jan 02 - 03:51 AM

I knew James Eisner who sang with them for a while around 1981/1982 but havn't heard anything of them since. .... maybe he saw them off!!!

Subject: RE: Help: Are ENGLISH TAPESTRY still about ?
From: AndyG
Date: 16 Jan 02 - 01:30 PM

Well, well, well...

I can't be much help I'm afraid.

I can safely say that they (English Tapestry) are no longer performing. Whether their individual components (as it were) still perform I can't say. I can look into this when I next get a chance.

AndyG

Subject: RE: Help: Are ENGLISH TAPESTRY still about ?
From: A Wandering Minstrel
Date: 16 Jan 02 - 10:27 AM

Not seen them since they were at the Cambridge Mayflower in '91. I particularly remember their Origami version of "I have a Furze Field..."

AndyG may know something of them?

Subject: RE: Help: Are ENGLISH TAPESTRY still about ?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 15 Jan 02 - 04:32 PM

20 years ago was when I saw them too!! In fact, I still have the poster!!!

Whatever happened to them, did they ever record anything?

LTS

Subject: RE: Help: Are ENGLISH TAPESTRY still about ?
From: Mr Red
Date: 15 Jan 02 - 01:12 PM

Not unravelled yet, but a very appropriate THREAD. what?
Not seen them myself or heard of them in the last 15 years.

Subject: RE: Help: Are ENGLISH TAPESTRY still about ?
From: Ringer
Date: 15 Jan 02 - 12:55 PM

I know nothing of their current status nor whereabouts, but I remember having heard & liked them at a Unviversity Folk Club about 35 years ago.

Subject: Are ENGLISH TAPESTRY still about ?
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 15 Jan 02 - 12:04 PM

Does anyone know if the unacc. harmony group ENGLISH TAPESTRY are still around ? They were based in Cambridge, UK and were a trio comprising husband and wife Brian and Ruth Britain (I think that's how they spelt it) plus a tenor voice (that part of the group varied over the years). I last saw them about 20 years ago when I booked them for my club at Blackheath, SE London. Ruth had just had a baby then. Beside the harmonies they managed some wonderful syncopation. I remember a lovely version of (Ralph McTell's ?) "Another Rain" as well as "Brig Fair" and a hunting song in which they had a chorus of hounds, horses, and finally huntsmen "Wah-wah-wah-ing" at the hunt ball.