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01 Feb 09 - 04:11 AM (#2554235) Subject: Interview: Ed Pickford From: Colin Randall 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. |
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01 Feb 09 - 06:08 AM (#2554276) Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford From: peregrina Colin, you mean that Salut Live! bestrides the globe from Dubai to the Americas, surely? |
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01 Feb 09 - 08:23 AM (#2554374) Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford From: Leadfingers Great stuff ! |
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01 Feb 09 - 03:29 PM (#2554692) Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford From: folkypaul 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 |
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01 Feb 09 - 06:02 PM (#2554809) Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford From: John Routledge 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. |
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02 Feb 09 - 04:23 AM (#2555059) Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford From: peregrina part 2, Ed Pickford interview at Salut! Live more now, great stuff! |
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02 Feb 09 - 10:37 AM (#2555253) Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford From: Colin Randall 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 |
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02 Feb 09 - 10:33 PM (#2555816) Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford From: Azizi 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! |
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04 Feb 09 - 01:44 AM (#2556763) Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford From: Colin Randall 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 |
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04 Feb 09 - 03:02 AM (#2556783) Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford From: Dave Sutherland 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. |
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04 Feb 09 - 12:53 PM (#2557169) Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford From: Colin Randall 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.... |
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05 Feb 09 - 03:03 AM (#2557706) Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford From: Dave Sutherland 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 |
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05 Feb 09 - 05:01 AM (#2557753) Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford From: folkypaul 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 |
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15 Feb 09 - 09:45 AM (#2567425) Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford From: Colin Randall 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. |
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04 Nov 12 - 10:46 AM (#3430823) Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford From: GUEST,guest 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. |
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04 Nov 12 - 11:26 AM (#3430838) Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford From: GUEST,guest peregrina 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. |
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05 Nov 12 - 11:06 AM (#3431344) Subject: RE: Interview: Ed Pickford From: GUEST,Eileen An excellent CD! |