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04 Dec 19 - 06:11 AM (#4022193) Subject: Birmingham Folk Clubs 1950's to 1970's From: Diamond Geezer I am attempting to put together/document a history of folk clubs in Birmingham from the 1950’s through to the 1970’s, and have been working on this project for about a year now. The fruits of my labour can be seen at https://historyofbrumfolkclubs.uk/ . As you will be able to see, I have a lot of information on a few clubs and a small amount of information on a lot of clubs. Can any of you folkies out there help fill in the missing bits of info for me? If you have any memorabilia or missing information and are able to scan and send it to me that would be great, please use the following e-mail address phil.cross@blackdiamondfolkclub.org.uk . Otherwise add any info to the Mudcat thread and I will pick it up from there. |
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04 Dec 19 - 12:02 PM (#4022239) Subject: RE: Birmingham Folk Clubs 1950's to 1970's From: Big Al Whittle Let me count the ways. i feel like I could write a book about at least twenty of the clubs mentioned. |
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04 Dec 19 - 01:42 PM (#4022250) Subject: RE: Birmingham Folk Clubs 1950's to 1970's From: Andy M Save us from the book, maybe a couple of oral histories recounted would help? |
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04 Dec 19 - 01:56 PM (#4022255) Subject: RE: Birmingham Folk Clubs 1950's to 1970's From: GUEST,LynnH Have you tried getting in touch with Pete Coe and Chris Coe? |
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05 Dec 19 - 03:53 PM (#4022351) Subject: RE: Birmingham Folk Clubs 1950's to 1970's From: Big Al Whittle I think maybe the Campbell kids could tell you a fair bit. Tommy Dempsey, and the members of Drowsy Maggie - Mike Blair for instance. Resident at the Beggars Bush for many years then the Coach and Horses in West brom . Les Noden, now living down in Brixham - but a resident at the Old Crown in Digbeth. Steve parkes, mudcatter and ex oppo of barrie Roberts who ran The Fitters Arms in Walsall. Harvey Andrews =- son gwriter extraordinaire since the 1960's. the Harvesters folk group who had a residency on the Sutton/ Erdington border. Someone help me out Ian....... malcolm stent (ex of the timoneers) resident at The Boggery in Solihull. playwright, DJ, songwriter and god knows what else. Gordon Mckendry now over in Port Rush - used to run Bearwood with Eddie Jones. And of course Nina Ssifris, of the Blackthorn Club who runs the Moira Folk Club and festival near Burton on Trent. malc gurnham and is still active on the ON THE COVENTRY SCENE. Dave Sampson still runs the Fletch in Coventry. And Rob Armstrong of the New Idiot Grunt Band is still making guitars. Jane lloyd knows everybody and can tell you everything. A lot of these people are on Facebook. |
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05 Dec 19 - 04:24 PM (#4022355) Subject: RE: Birmingham Folk Clubs 1950's to 1970's From: GUEST,Diamond Geezer Been in touch with Pete And Chris Coe, also the Harvesters and Les Noden. Also spent half a day with Harvey Andrews earlier this year. Sent an e mail to Malcolm Stent, but got no reply. Will try the other contacts mentioned. Thanks |
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05 Dec 19 - 08:50 PM (#4022381) Subject: RE: Birmingham Folk Clubs 1950's to 1970's From: Big Al Whittle There was also Andy Dwyer's folk club at The Unicorn at Orton on the Hill. Andy also ran the Prince of wales in Tamworth, and The Globe. Andy is on FB. And he did the Wigginton Hotel. Jasper Carrot played The Wigginton the week he was number one - there queues roundthe block. I think one of Derk Brimstone's kids had a folk club in Hopwas for a while - but I don't remember much about it. The roebuck in Erdigton was a dave Sampson venue. Dave booked all the folk stars of the time. Capstick, jeremy Taylor, jake thackeray, waterfallm fred Wedlock... Ian campbell's the Jug of Punch. The Station Hotel in Sutton run by the students at the technical college. Another important venue was The Repertory theatre in Brum. Folk at the Rep started after 11.30pm Friday nights. In the summer the Festival was held there - i saw carthy there wearing a white suit (very rock and roll!) in the albion band. The Christmas midnight concert at the rep was one of the events of the year. Prohibition down Dale End. |
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05 Dec 19 - 09:04 PM (#4022384) Subject: RE: Birmingham Folk Clubs 1950's to 1970's From: Big Al Whittle Also worth mentioning is The Songsmith magazine published by barrie Roberts and Bill Caddick. And also Cosely Folk Club run by Taff Thomas of magic lantern fame. i saw Pete Coe there and dan Fone, and Tim laycock who lives down in Dorset nowadays. dan is somewhere in Ireland, but he's on face book. he had an agent in Astwood bank that handled Alex campbell as well. The Fighting Cocks in Moseley was also an arty venue that occasionally hosted folk acts. |
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06 Dec 19 - 09:45 AM (#4022454) Subject: RE: Birmingham Folk Clubs 1950's to 1970's From: Andy M I'm unsure quite what Diamond Geezer is asking for here, and he seems to be getting a load of lists. In the early/mid sixties there were several city centre folk clubs, but only a few who regularly booked guests from the nascent pro performers. There were also excellent suburban clubs run by performer/enthusiasts, and the occasional venue putting on a folk act. The Campbell's Jug O' Punch was by a long way the biggest, with major UK/Irish & American guests. It was however a club that attracted an audience who generally did not go to other clubs, and was rarely (in my experience) patronised by other club organisers. It was here that Harvey Andrews honed his skills, and I'd be interested to know which other future pros (Coe/Caddick etc?) started their careers after my time. The other major influence in Birmingham began at The Peanuts, run by Pam & Alan Bishop, and the firs club I went to in around '64. They relinquished running it to join with Charles Parker and start the very focussed Grey Cock and B'ham & Midland Folk Centre. Guests were often true traditional performers. So many gaps that list can't fill. |
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06 Dec 19 - 02:10 PM (#4022514) Subject: RE: Birmingham Folk Clubs 1950's to 1970's From: Big Al Whittle Well early days! |
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08 Dec 19 - 01:54 PM (#4022866) Subject: RE: Birmingham Folk Clubs 1950's to 1970's From: GUEST,Seeyam Brijmohun You can try and get in contact with David Campbell the son of Ian. David is a folk singer himself now and performs at the Moseley Folk Festival in the private park. I'm pretty sure he will have a wealth of knowledge on the early folk scene in Brum. I've seen him make an appearance at the free folk singing evenings at the Prince of Wales, in Moseley. Good luck with the project. |
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08 Dec 19 - 02:17 PM (#4022873) Subject: RE: Birmingham Folk Clubs 1950's to 1970's From: GUEST,Gilly The Coseley club was at the Painters Arms and after Taffy went to do Magic Lantern Dave Hunt took it on, Dave is on here now and then and his memory is very good. John K and Sue Harris were regulars as well as Pete and Chris,Bill Caddick and a whole lot more, happy days |
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08 Dec 19 - 07:02 PM (#4022916) Subject: RE: Birmingham Folk Clubs 1950's to 1970's From: Big Al Whittle Also worth mentioning id Bob Lines who did sterling work running The Beggars Bush in Sutton where many people got started out. Also Bob did one in Sutton, in a hotel. That was where I saw a great number of artists, but one duo that sticks in my mind is Mick and Aiden Forde. Aiden gigged with Ian Campbell, Drowsy maggie, and more latterly with Noel Murphy. I believe Aiden also had some success with a song called Dublin, You're Breaking My Heart. Mick was a great picker of the guitar who could do some of Doc Watson's stuff. I think they lived Erdington, but the family were from Tuam. Here is Aiden https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBTX69uzLCk |
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09 Dec 19 - 04:38 AM (#4022954) Subject: RE: Birmingham Folk Clubs 1950's to 1970's From: Andy M The Coseley club was clearly very significant; at what period was it at its peak? The Black Country was the other side of Brum for me, and possibly late 60s/70s so I never went? Does no-one actually remember these later-to-be top professionals first beginnings? |
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09 Dec 19 - 07:30 AM (#4022974) Subject: RE: Birmingham Folk Clubs 1950's to 1970's From: Big Al Whittle Well I went in the mid 70's. By that time Magic Lantern were a big act on the folk scene. Pete Coe was very young but he was a good melodeon player and his song Joseph Baker was everywhere in every folk club. John Kirppatrick had a couple of albums under his belt and was generally thought to the best squeezebox player around. Dan Fone was going round with Alex Campbell as his young protege. I He could Deep River Blues - Doc Watson style. I saw him a bit later in a band called Ricky Cool and the Icebergs on TV. |
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09 Dec 19 - 07:30 AM (#4022975) Subject: RE: Birmingham Folk Clubs 1950's to 1970's From: Big Al Whittle Well I went in the mid 70's. By that time Magic Lantern were a big act on the folk scene. Pete Coe was very young but he was a good melodeon player and his song Joseph Baker was everywhere in every folk club. John Kirppatrick had a couple of albums under his belt and was generally thought to the best squeezebox player around. Dan Fone was going round with Alex Campbell as his young protege. I He could Deep River Blues - Doc Watson style. I saw him a bit later in a band called Ricky Cool and the Icebergs on TV. |
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19 Dec 19 - 06:29 AM (#4024552) Subject: RE: Birmingham Folk Clubs 1950's to 1970's From: Diamond Geezer Thanks to all the people who have added to this thread, but I already have some of the information that people have posted. What I am looking for is info which I am missing for a lot of the clubs I have found adverts for in various publications. One example is the 2nd City Folk & Blues Club article. https://historyofbrumfolkclubs.uk/717-2nd-city-folk-blues-club.html You can see that I don't know who the organisers or residents were, when it was formed, how long it ran etc. I am missing similar information on quite a number of clubs and would like to complete as much of it as possible. So if there is anybody out there who is willing to wade though all the articles and remembers any of the missing facts I would be grateful |