The Old Songs Podcast

Today, I'm talking to broadside ballads singer, Jennifer Reid. Although Jenn has been involved in researching and singing these songs for a decade, I'm ashamed to say that she only turned up on my radar when she appeared as the ballad-singing bar owner, Barb, in the recent BBC adaptation of The Gallows Pole. I've since discovered that she's a force to be reckoned with - one of the most passionate proponents of old songs that I've so far had the good fortune to meet. In this conversation, we discuss her background with broadsides, their history, what a ballad hawker might have been, who might have been singing these songs and why, and how Jenn ended up singing unaccompanied traditional songs to a Pulp audience at the behest of Jarvis cocker. Along the way, we chat a little about one of her favourite ballads, 'The Bury New Loom' [Roud V9197]. Pull your ear goggles on and let's get underway.

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? But, like buses, you wait ages for an Old Songs Podcast episode and then two come along in quick succession. Because this edition is the first in a two-part thing. Today, we’re chatting to Jim Moray about passing the two-decade mark as a professional musician, about one of my favourite of his traditional arrangements, the ballad 'Lord Douglas' [Roud 23], about a new album coming soon, and about an upcoming festival in his name. The second part to this podcast is going to be recorded live, in front of an audience - possibly even you, dear listener - at the Jim Moray festival on Jun 17th at Cecil Sharp House in Camden, North London, where we’ll be joined by Jim, Nick Hart and a number of other guests. I’ll stick the tickets link on the page accompanying this episode. We’re focusing this episode loosely around the song, 'Lord Douglas', which Jim originally released 10 years ago, winning Best Traditional Track at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in the process. We’re also using it as an opportunity to talk to Jim about his career so far. Listen out for tales about the time Amy Winehouse mistook him for a photographer’s assistant, his relationship with folk music and gadgetry, and his theories on how arranging traditional ballads is like writing a week’s worth of Eastenders.  And, as an extra special treat, listen out for the final track in the podcast - usually an unaccompanied ballad, but this time an exclusive - a recording of 'Lord Douglas' from the Abbey Road sessions that make up his new album. Once again, our thanks to the English Folk Dance and Song Society for their ongoing support, and we hope to see some of you at JimFest on June 17th. Tickets for the Jim Moray Festival are available now from this link. The Old Songs Podcast is supported by the English Folk Dance and Song Society.‘Lord Douglas’ podcast notesThis article is accompanied by a partial transcript of the sections that discuss Jim’s career. You can find that in our Jim Moray interview.LinksThe English Folk Dance and Song SocietyThe Vaughan Williams Memorial LibraryThe Jim Moray FestivalTrack listing‘Lord Douglas’, Jim Moray, taken from the album Skulk (2012)‘Lucy Wan’, Frankie Archer, taken from the single Lucy Wan (2022)‘Earl Brand’, Gigspanner, taken from the album Natural Invention (2020)‘The Douglas Tragedy’, Ewan MacColl, taken from the album The English & Scottish Popular Ballads (The Child Ballads) Vol​.​5 (1956)‘Lord Douglas’, Moonaroon, taken from the EP Seeds<

Episode 8 of the second series of The Old Songs Podcast, supported, so very kindly, by the English Folk Dance and Song Society, is an unusual one as it focuses on an old tune rather than an old song. Prepare yourself to delve into the background of one of the most well-known Morris dancing tunes, 'Princess Royal'. Joining Jon Wilks to discuss the tune is one of the country’s finest melodeon players, John Spiers, or "Squeezy" as he’s fondly known as on the English folk scene. Many of you will know Squeezy as a founding member of Bellowhead, not to mention a myriad of other bands he steps in and out of when the road calls. Over the course of an hour or so, the pair look at the history of 'Princess Royal' tune. Did it start life as an accompaniment to English Morris dancing, or does it stretch further back and over greater distances than that? Squeezy tells us a bit about growing up, somewhat hesitantly, in the Morris tradition, and talks about the difference between being a musician performing this tune on stage and a musician playing for a Morris side. He explains what a jig is, what a reel might be, how to recognise a slow, and who’s wearing the trunkles in this relationship? Squeezy mentions video clips and different versions throughout, which we have listed and embedded below. LinksOver the course of the episode, John Spiers and Jon Wilks mention the following things:The English Folk Dance and Song SocietyThe story of Cecil Sharp and Headington Quarry MorrisMat Green (Magpie Lane) playing and dancing 'Princess Royal' on YoutubeTrack listingJohn Spiers playing the Abingdon version on the Spiers and Boden album, Bellow, 2003Spiers & Boden playing the Bampton version on their album, Vagabond, 2008Magpie Lane playing 'Princess Royal' on their 2006 album, The Oxford RambleClannad playing 'Mrs McDermott' on their 1973 album, ClannadMat Green of Bampton Lane, performing the tune while dancing a jig (see above)The Unthanks singing 'The Scarecrow Knows' from the soundtrack to the TV series, Worzel Gummidge, released in December 2022Jim Moray singing ‘Gypsies’ from his 2003 album, Sweet England'Princess Royal' from Morris On, released in 1972A snippet of Eliza Carthy and Nancy Kerr performing the B part on their 1995 album, The Shape of ScrapeJohn Spiers performing an exclusive version of the North Leigh version, spoken about in an earlier part of the conversationFor more info on John Spiers, head to johnspiers.co.uk.

This Christmassy episode of the Old Songs Podcast turns the tables slightly, as Nick Hart interviews Jon Wilks about a traditional folk song of wintery note, 'The Gloucestershire Wassail' [Roud 209]. The pair chat about the history of the song, where it was collected, where it travelled to, what the lyrics might refer to, the definition of wassailing, and its connection to Britpop (or all things). Everything you ever wanted to know about 'The Wassailing Song' is right here in this episode, so strap your ear-goggles on and summon your wassailing bowl. ‘The Gloucestershire Wassail’ podcast notesLinksOver the course of the episode, Nick Hart and Jon Wilks mention the following things:The English Folk Dance and Song Society'The Gloucestershire Wassail' on the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library websiteNick Hart's yellow handkerchiefsGwilym Davies online collectionThe Prince Albert Carol Consort, StroudNotes on Blur's version of 'The Wassailing Song'Nick Hart's photo in 'A Christmas Carol'Track listing‘The Wassailing Song', performed by The Grizzly Folk'The Gloucestershire Wassail', performed by Magpie Lane'The Kentucky Wassail', performed by John Jacob Niles'The Wassailing Song', performed by Blur'Wassail', arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams'The Halsway Carol', performed by Jackie Oates'The Gloucestershire Wassail', performed exclusively by Jon WilksFor more info on Jon Wilks, head to jonwilks.online.

Roud 2 goes under so many titles, it might be easier just to stick with 'Roud 2' and be done with it. Whether you know it as 'When I was on Horseback' or 'The Unfortunate Rake', or any of the other titles you may find, it's a grizzly old song with a fascinating history. And who better to discuss it with than Debbie Armour of Burd Ellen, always a fun person to chat with, not to mention an absolute font of folk knowledge. Debbie discusses the fact that it appears to be more than one song, the golf course approach to traditional song, as well as the ways she went about interpreting it... and the ways in which her daughter responded. It's a funny conversation, in spite of the misery that the song brings. Dig in, why don't you?Over the course of the episode, Debbie Armour and Jon Wilks mention the following things:The English Folk Dance and Song Society'When I was on Horseback / The Unfortunate Rake' on the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library website'The Unfortunate Rake: A Study in the Evolution of a Ballad' album (Folkways FS 3805)St James Infirmary, San FranciscoIan Lynch, Fire Draw Near podcast'Lucy Wan', as discussed by Nick HartTrack listing‘When I was on Horseback', performed by Mary Doran'When I was on Horseback', performed by Steeleye Span'Katie Cruel', performed by Bert Jansch, Beth Orton & Devendra Banhart'St James Hospital', performed by Martin Simpson'The Girl who was Poorly Clad', performed by Bryony Griffith and Alice Jones'St James Infirmary Blues', performed by Louis Armstrong'Adieu Adieu', performed by The Watersons'The Chariot', performed by Burd Ellen'When I was on Horseback', performed by Susan McKeown'The Trooper Cut Down in his Prime', performed by Laura Smyth & Ted Kemp'When I was on Horseback', performed exclusively for the Old Songs Podcast by Debbie ArmourFor more info on Debbie Armour and Burd Ellen, including the new album, head to burdellen.bandcamp.com.

Emily Portman, Rob Harbron and Jon Wilks discuss the traditional ballad, ‘The Trees They Do Grow High’ [Roud 31], a song that Emily and Rob have recorded for their new album, Time Was Away. Subjects covered include the duo’s first encounter with traditional folk music, their work with the English Folk Dance and Song Society, Emily’s interpretations of the song’s themes, its history, the source singer that Emily learned the song from, the modes and the melody, and how Rob goes about creating accompaniments for traditional songs. They also chat about the album itself and the forthcoming tour to support it. The Old Songs Podcast can be found on all decent streaming platforms.The Old Songs Podcast is supported by the English Folk Dance and Song Society.‘The Trees The Do Grow High’ podcast notesLinksOver the course of the episode, Emily Portman, Rob Harbron and Jon Wilks mention the following things:The English Folk Dance and Song Society‘The Trees They Do Grow High’ [Roud 31] on the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library websiteFolkWorksMonday Folk Singers OnlineThe Vaughan William Memorial Library archiveFind Emily Portman and Rob Harbron gigs on the Tradfolk Events CalendarThe initial songs released from Time Was Away on SpotifyTrack listing‘The Trees They Do Grow High’, as performed by Martin Carthy‘Long-A-Growing’, as performed by Steeleye Span‘Growing (The Trees They Do Grow High)’, as performed by Eliza Carthy & Nancy Kerr‘Long A-Growing’, as performed by Mary Ann Haynes‘Long a-Growing’, as performed by Emily Portman and Rob Harbron‘Long a-Growing’, as performed by Emily Portman exclusively for The Old Songs PodcastPhoto Credit: Camilla Greenwell

'Shallow Brown' [Roud 2621] is a much-loved and rather mysterious traditional folk song. Collected on both coasts of the United States, as well as the South coast of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Canada, the most common versions of this mesmerising sea shanty hint at heart-breaking experiences of the transatlantic slave trade. In this, the fourth episode of the second series of The Old Songs Podcast, folk singers Angeline Morrison and Jon Wilks discuss the song's known history, the singers and collectors involved with it, and their own experiences of first hearing and performing the song. LinksOver the course of the episode, Angeline Morrison and Jon Wilks mention the following links:The English Folk Dance and Song Society‘Shallow Brown’ [Roud 2621] on the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library websiteThe Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du BoisShanties from the Seven Seas by Stan HugillTrack listing‘Shallow Brown’, performed by Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith'Shallow Brown', performed by Norma Waterson, Eliza Carthy & the Gift Band'Shallow Brown', performed by John Francis Flynn'Shallow Brown', performed by June Tabor'Shallow Brown', performed by Sting'Shallow Brown', performed by Angeline Morrison exclusively for The Old Songs PodcastFor more info on Angeline Morrison, head to angelinemorrisonmusic.bandcamp.com

'The Brisk Lad' [Roud 1667] was collected from Edith Sartin by the Hammond brothers in 1906 in Corscombe, Dorset. Also known as 'The Sheepstealer' and 'All I Have is My Own', it has been performed and recorded by many traditional folk singers over the ensuing century (and a bit). Jimmy Aldridge and Sid Goldsmith chose to speak about the song here for its political content, and will be singing it at their Cecil Sharp House gig on October 5th (tickets are available here). Jimmy and Sid chat here to Jon Wilks about the history of the song, where they first heard it, and what it means to them as modern interpreters of traditional songs. This episode is dedicated to the memory of Paul Sartin.  

'Sweet Lemany' [Roud 193] is a traditional folk song that has entranced countless singers, not least Hannah Martin of Edgelarks, SykesMartin, Gigspanner and Saltlines. The song is an aubade (a piece of music for the morning) and features mystical lyrics that may (or may not) refer to a druidic figure and the magic of early summer. Ahead of her performance with SykesMartin at Cecil Sharp House on September 29th, 2022, Hannah joins Jon Wilks on the Old Songs Podcast, supported by the English Folk Dance and Song Society, to chat about the history of the song, where she first heard it, and what caught her attention in the first place. Make sure you stick around to the end of the podcast to hear a truly gorgeous, unaccompanied performance of the song by Hannah Martin herself. 'Sweet Lemany' podcast notesLinksOver the course of the hour, Hannah Martin and Jon Wilks mention the following links: The English Folk Dance and Song SocietyThe Cecil Sharp's People website'Sweet Lemany' [Roud 193] on the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library websitePaul Sartin discusses Marina Russell on the Old Songs PodcastBilly Bragg discusses the Copper Family on the Old Songs PodcastPre-order the Saltlines albumVisit the SykesMartin page on the Edgelarks websiteBook tickets to see SykesMartin at Cecil Sharp HouseThe Tradfolk Instagram channelTrack listing'Sweet Lemany', performed by Burd Ellen'Sweet Lemeney', performed by Peter Bellamy'Lemany', performed by Nick Hart'Sweet Lemany', performed by Jarlarth Henderson'Sweet Lemany', performed by the Askew Sisters'Sweet Lemany', performed exclusively for the Old Songs Podcast by Hannah MartinFor more info on Hannah Martin, head to Edgelarks.co.uk.

Everything you ever wanted to know about the traditional ballad, ‘Lucy Wan’ [Roud 234] can be found in the first episode of the second series of The Old Songs Post, featuring the English traditional ballad singer, Nick Hart. On this page you’ll find all the notes, links, track listings, etc, mentioned in the podcast itself. It can be heard by clicking the player below, or on the majority of podcast platforms, from Apple to Spotify to Mixcloud.The Old Songs Podcast is supported by the English Folk Dance and Song Society.‘Lucy Wan’ podcast notesLinksOver the course of the hour, Nick Hart and Jon Wilks mention the following links:The English Folk Dance and Song SocietyNick Hart's work on the Cambridge folk songs at Cecil Sharp HouseThe Helen Harness Flanders Collection at Middlebury College, VemontNick Hart’s gig at Cecil Sharp House on September 28th, 2022The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library at Cecil Sharp HouseMary Humphrey’s article on Charlotte Dann and Ella BullThe Lucy Broadwood CollectionSouthern Harvest, Frank Purslow/ Steve GardhamTim Chipping’s article on Kate Bush and traditional music from fRoots magazineTrack listing‘Lucy Wan’, performed by Frankie Archer‘Fair Lucy’, performed by Elmer George‘Lucy Wan’, performed by Nick Hart‘Lucy Wan’, performed by Spiers & Boden‘Lucy Wan’, performed by Martin Carthy‘Sheath and Knife’, performed by Ewan MacColl‘Lucy Wan’, performed by Jim Moray ft. Bubbz‘Lucy Wan’, performed exclusively for the Old Songs Podcast by Nick HartFor more info on Nick Hart, head to nickhartmusic.com.

The voice you hear at the beginning of this episode is the voice of the late, great traditional singer, Cecilia Costello, one of Birmingham’s finest, explaining how her father would present this week’s song back in her childhood in Victorian England. ‘The Cruel Mother’ is a huge song, and even that’s an understatement, but it’s also a song that really underlines exactly how an old song can remain relevant to a modern audience. It’s one of my favourite songs, so I was delighted when my guest, Rosie Hood, chose it as her subject song for this episode. We had a really amazing conversation, taking in one of the darker songs in the traditional cannon, its origins and the various interpretations that it has been given, not to mention the sense of responsibility that one feels as a performer taking it on. Rosie Hood was one of the first singers I got to know when I became interested in traditional music. Born in Wiltshire, she has been singing folk songs since her childhood, and continued singing them through her university days in Glasgow. She now lives in Sheffield where she sung, until very recently, with the Dovetail Trio. Her solo album, The Beautiful and the Actual, is one of my favourites of the last few years, featuring a beautiful duet of ‘The Cruel Mother’, sung with Emily Portman. It’s a peculiar twist of fate that this song has cropped up on our schedule around Halloween, and while the song is undoubtedly dark and eerie, it’s also incredibly poignant and unbelievably sad. I hope our conversation does not come across as too flippant. It’s a hefty tale we’re here to tell, and we wanted very much to do it justice. During the conversation, we look at how these old songs can inspire new responses and interpretations, specifically through gorgeous music by one of the aforementioned Emily Portman, one of my favourite songwriters. Rosie also talks about the difference between covering a modern song and interpreting a folk song, and why a song might come and stay with you for a while before going and living with someone else. As we’ve already heard, we explore the background of one of the song’s source singers, Cecelia Costello, but also the collecting work of Alfred Williams of the Upper Thames region. I knew very little about him before meeting Rosie. If you’ve never heard of a folk singing competition in which a singer might for 16 hours straight, then this is the podcast for you. In short, to use the wrong word, this is a long episode. You may want to split it into two. However you approach it, I hope it touches you on some level, as I hope all of the episodes from this first series have done. This is the last episode I’ll be recording for a while, but it has been an absolute pleasure chatting to the singers who have taken part, and a real delight introducing these songs to old-songs listeners old and new. 

Episode 12 of The Old Songs Podcast opens with the earliest known recording of this week’s Old Song, The Banks of Green Willow [Roud 172]. It’s the sound of David Clements, singing in either 1906 or 1909 – we’ll come to that later – recorded on wax cylinder by either Charles Gamblin and George Gardiner, or the legendary composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams at Basingstoke Workhouse. The origins of the recording are fittingly obscure, given that the origins of the song itself throw up plenty of similar confusion. Banks of Green Willow was chosen by this week’s guest, Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne, who – if you stick around to the end of the podcast – also gives us his very own unaccompanied rendition. I won’t say too much about Cohen or the song, as he does a fine job of introducing both over the course of the hour-long episode. Suffice it to say that his solo album, Outway Songster, was a permanent fixture in my earphones about three years ago, and I’ve since taken the opportunity to see him at whichever festival we’ve both turned up at. He’s an amazing musician, and he’s long had the tradfolk bug as badly as the rest of us. It’s an extraordinary song that leads us off down multiple rabbit holes, so make sure you’re sitting comfortably.This episode features recordings of Banks of Green Willow by Jackie Oates, Granny’s Attic, Tony Rose, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Fred Jordan (Watery Grave).Check out his work with Granny’s Attic, and look out for his forthcoming second solo album, as well as the book he mentioned here, Southern Songster. The next episode, all being well, will feature Rosie Hood discussing the huge ballad, The Cruel Mother, so listen out for that.

In the last episode, number 10, we chatted with Jim Moray, so I thought for a bit of consistency I’d use his version of this episode’s song to kick us off. That’s off his album The Outlander, and that’s the wonderful Josienne Clarke – who we must get on this podcast one day – singing with him. So, the song is Lord Gregory, and my guest this week is Debbie Armour, one half of the Scottish drone folk outfit, Burd Ellen. There’s a reason why I’ve not kicked off this episode with her version, and you’ll see why if you keep listening. Quite simply, it’s epic, and really deserves some time and space of its own. You’ll see. Of course, Lord Gregory has its numbers. Roud 49 (we’ve spoken a lot about what a Roud number is in previous episodes), and Child 76. Possibly. I’ll let Debbie explain. Better that way. We’ve spoken about Child a lot in the past, too, but this time we also bring up Bertrand Harris Bronson. If you’re not sure who he was, his chief role in traditional music was in collecting together all the tunes he could find to accompany the texts that Child had published. The book you want to go and find is called The Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads, which was published in four volumes between 1959 and 1972. So, Debbie chose to chat about Lord Gregory (or The Lass of Roch Royal, or Annie of Lochroyan, or the Maid of Ochram, or perhaps even Who’s Going to Shoe Your Pretty Little Foot – so many titles) for a whole bunch of reasons, which will soon be revealed. One thing I’ll say first, though: it’s rare to meet someone who has clearly spent so much time and energy thinking about a ballad as Debbie has with this one. It was a real privilege to hear what she had to say, and to basically sit on the sidelines as she held forth. What a great way to spend a Sunday morning. So get yourself very comfortable and open your mind to the wonders of this amazing song. You’ll learn about Bess Cronin, free-form singing, the Rule Of Three, and why Debbie thinks a traditional ballad is like a round of golf. Oh, and there’s stronger language in this episode than usual, not because Debbie brings out the foul mouth in me, but because Lord Gregory deserves a real tongue lashing. And that’s what he gets. 

OK then. This one’s an epic. In this episode, Jim Moray and Jon Wilks discuss the traditional song, “The Leaving Of Liverpool” [Roud 9435], where it came from, and the fascinating journey it went on to become one of the best-known songs in the cannon.Along the way they touch on the history of sea shanties, the idea that songs can have a nationality, the concept of “composition in performance”, how ballad singers remember all the words, how traditional songs can alter even while in one person’s repertoire, the importance of the singer to the song, how a singer works as an editor for traditional songs, and why Jim is drawn to compare this song to “Don’t Look Back in Anger”. Phew!This week’s Old Songs Podcast is waterlogged with nostalgia. Roud number 9435 is better known as “The Leaving Of Liverpool”, and it’s one of those folk songs that have, at various points in its history, managed to weigh anchor and ship into a larger consciousness. The story behind this song of longing and homesickness is a journey in itself – full of twists and turns – made all the more fascinating by the fact that it was only ever collected twice, both times within the same harbour. And yet it’s a song that has been sung by many thousands of people across the English-speaking world. Unusually for the Old Songs Podcast, this is a song I chose to speak about, rather than asking an interviewee singer to choose it. And I knew exactly who I wanted to chat to about it. As we’re about to hear, it’s a song that was once ubiquitous, but seems to have been somewhat neglected in recent years, perhaps until Jim Moray recorded a version on his 2019 album, The Outlander. When Jim came to the Whitchurch Folk Club and performed ‘The Leaving Of Liverpool’ in October last year, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house, and it has been stuck in my head ever since. Perhaps it’s because the world feels so off-kilter these days that I wanted to get stuck into a song that tugs and the heartstrings and almost weighs you down with yearning. Whatever the reasons, it was a delight to chat to Jim about this gorgeous piece of music and perhaps reintroduce it to the listeners of The Old Songs Podcast once again. So, batten down the hatches and hoist the mainsail. We’re heading for the wide ocean. 

“Every song needs an address.” So quotes Owen Shiers of Cynefin later on this in podcast – a sentence, I think, that sums up so much of what The Old Songs Podcast is all about. I lived for several years in North Wales, and perhaps I was too young and too busy being a young person to develop any serious interest in Welsh culture – something I’ve regretted as I’ve got older – but I’ve realised in recent years that I was there long enough to develop an ear for the language, much as you might do with a kind of music. I can’t pretend to understand it, and I certainly wouldn’t do it the disservice of saying I can speak or even pronounce any of it, but I adore Welsh music largely for the chance to bask in the sound of the language. When I started the Old Songs Podcast, I knew very quickly that I wanted to find someone who could come and talk in depth and with passion and enthusiasm about Welsh traditional songs. When a Twitter friend of mine, Rob Kingsbury-Barker, recommended Cynefin earlier this year, I dropped the artist, Owen Shiers, a line to find out more. Very quickly I realised I’d found that person. Cynefin’s album, Dilyn Afon, is a sumptuous, gorgeous collection of songs, collected from Owen’s home region, Ceredigion. It’s the musical summation of a journey, both personal and physical, of a young man trying to put his finger on where he comes from and what it means to be from that neck of the woods. It’s an album well worth ordering (here’s the link), and also a great leaping-off-point for an all-too-brief exploration of traditional Welsh music. In this episode, we’ve loosely based the conversation around the song, Myn Mair, but it’s as much about trying to poke our way around the edges of what is clearly a huge genre in its own right. I should point out that the opening track you’ll hear to is not Owen Shiers and Cynefin, but a version of our subject song, Myn Mair, as performed by Lleuwen, recommended to me by Owen. I wanted to show you that just so you can really start to see what is possible with these old songs – the raw material that they represent, from which so much can be done. Later on we’ll hear Owen’s own piano version, plus versions from 9-Bach and even a church choir. 

I’m writing this intro at 11:45pm on April 30th, desperate to get the podcast done in time for the very start of May. Why? You’ll see why over the next hour or so. In the traditional calendar, no month quite rivals this one. From the perspective of traditional song, it’s also the calendric home of one of my favourites. ‘Hal-An-Tow’, or Roud 1520 to give it its official numbers, is one of those songs that everyone involved in the traditional folk scene will know, but seems inexplicably unknown to the rest of the population. Why that is, it’s hard to explain, but this episode seemed like a great opportunity to help further its popularity. And who better to chat about it with than Lisa Knapp, one of my very favourite singers of any genre. Lisa’s 2017 album, Till April is Dead – A Garland Of May is something of a masterpiece – an extraordinary concept album that built on a huge amount of research that Lisa did into the subject of May and May traditions. There’s so much here to be getting stuck into – we’re discussing ‘Hal-An-Tow’, how Lisa made her album, and some of the incredible May traditions that exist in the UK. So we happily overran the usual hour or so that these podcasts last. Welcoming in the May, then, please get comfy and join me in welcoming Lisa Knapp to the Old Songs Podcast. 

‘Dives and Lazarus’ may seem like an odd song to look at in early April, given that it’s commonly thought of as a carol. But that’s the nature of The Old Songs Podcast. If the guest wants to discuss Christmas carols in April, then who am I to question their motives?It’s another unusual episode, recorded in the confines of coronavirus lockdown. My guest today is one of my favourite natterers – a man who could talk the folkie legs off Martin Carthy’s donkey, and also one of the chaps who helped me come up with the concept for this podcast. You heard him on the very first episode, in fact. It’s Nick Hart, broadcasting to you from what sounds like the rather rapid descent into utter madness. We’ll get on to that shortly. What’s lovely about ‘Dives and Lazarus’, or Roud 477 to give it its official number, is that it also gives us the chance to explore how these old traditional songs influenced a generation of classical composers, not least Ralph Vaughan Williams. And that’s not somewhere I think we’ve been before. So, without further ado, let’s get stuck in by opening a window onto the technical difficulties involved in recording a podcast in two different regions while under lockdown, not to mention the subtle art of synchronised clapping. You’ll see what I mean.    

An Old Songs episode for these hard times, and one featuring a legend I’ve long admired: Mr Billy Bragg.I had been meaning to record something on “Hard Times Of Old England” for some time, but hadn’t had the time or contacts to do it justice. The coronavirus situation offered me time in abundance, and it just so happened that my ideal interviewee had some time spare, too.‘Hard Times of Old England’ was a very important song to me as it was a real gateway into traditional music. For a song with so few entries into the VWML archive, it has had a huge reach in terms of artists who have recorded it. Take a look at its page on Mainly Norfolk for a full discography.Hopefully, this’ll give you something interesting to do for an hour, whether you’re self-isolating or just plain bored. Let’s hope that these hard times will not last for long.What you’ll hear in this podcastOther than the interview you’ll hear with Billy Bragg, you’ll also hear recordings by:Stick In The Wheel (and I also mention a previous interview with them, which you can find here)Ron Copper (in the podcast, I refer to this recording being by Ron, while Billy Bragg refers to it as a Bob Copper recording. The confusion comes from the fact that the same recording has been published under different names in different placesThe Imagined VillageJerry Bryant and Starboard Mess, singing ‘Roast Beef of Old England‘The Young Coppers’ recording of ‘Hard Times of Old England‘The Copper Family. Hit up their website here.“The Tradesman’s Complaint“

I didn’t have to travel far to meet this week’s guest, my friend, kinda neighbour and fellow Whitchurch Folk Club organiser, Paul Sartin. In the wider folk world he’s probably best known as a member of Faustus, Belshazzar’s Feast and, or course, a former member of Bellowhead. But it’s Paul’s encyclopaedic knowledge of traditional folk music, and, in particular, songs from in-and-around Hampshire, that make episode 5 of The Old Songs Podcast particularly special. Regular listeners will notice that we’ve returned to a few topics we’ve already covered, and we re-meet characters that have cropped up before, but it’s so worth it when you’re with someone as scholarly as Paul. In particular, it’s his knowledge of the folk song collecting process that took place close to 120 years ago. As a direct ancestor to Edith Sartin and Marina Russell, two particularly noted source singers, Paul has spent a lot of time looking at the biographical detail of these people and what these songs meant to them. While we’re ostensibly discussing ‘An Acre of Land’, the song allows us to touch on a variety of other old songs. In the course of this episode you’ll hear performances from Eliza Carthy & the Gift Band, PJ Harvey, Martin Carthy, Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne, Tom Newman, Spiers & Boden, and, of course, the mighty Faustus. Here, then, is my friend and yours – Paul Sartin, freshly dosed on good coffee, hoeing down hard on ‘An Acre of Land’. Who featured in this ‘An Acre of Land’ podcast?A quick recap of the songs you’ve just heard. Clicking on the links below will take you to places to buy the songs.The podcast opened with ‘An Acre of Land’, performed by Faustus on their eponymous album.You heard Eliza Carthy & The Gift Band taking on ‘The Elfin Knight’, which appeared on the Anchor album.PJ Harvey sang ‘Acre of Land’ with Harry Escott on a standalone single.You heard Martin Carthy’s seminal performance of ‘Scarborough Fair’ from his debut album.Cohen Brathwaite-Kilcoyne’s brilliant, rousing performance of ‘Country Carrier’ is from his solo album, Outway Songster.The source singer you heard was Tom Newman, singing ‘All For Me Grog’ or ‘My Old Hat That I Got On’ to Mike Yates. For more on this song, see my blog post.Spiers and Boden performed ‘The Quaker / Brighton Camp’ on their Through and Through collection.And the two songs you heard from Faustus were, of course, ‘An Acre of Land’ and a clip of ‘Next Stop: Grimsby’ (which I mistakenly called ‘Last Stop: Grimsby’ – my apologies, both from their Faustus album (see the link above). That’s all for this week’s episode. See you in a couple of weeks with… well, you’ll have to wait and see. So many people to speak to, so little time! 

In the fourth episode of The Old Songs Podcast, we’re going on a journey. For an hour or so of your time, we’ll be exploring unaccompanied singing, and we’ll doing so in the company of one of my favourite traditional ballad singers, Jackie Oates, and the traditional Cornish song, ‘The Sweet Nightingale', collected by Sabine Baring-Gould (amongst others). For more info on the episode, head to: https://jonwilks.online/the-old-songs-podcast/ep4-the-old-songs-podcast-the-sweet-nightingale-ft-jackie-oates