Folklore: Goodbye to 2019

So, perhaps we should take one last look over our shoulder at the past before the future engulfs all our hopes and dreams.

Sadly, among those whose musical journey ended in 2019 were three exceptional contributors, in their own, very different, ways, to the folk and acoustic music scene.

The first ‘casualty’ of 2019, in February, was the presenter of BBC Radio Merseyside’s Folkscene for 47 years, Geoff Speed, who passed away at the age of 76.

Geoff’s history in the broadcasting and folk music scene is both a fascinating and an interesting one, as it covered virtually the whole of the period, from the beginnings of the “folk revival” to 2014, when he was forced to retire through illness.

Born in Widnes in 1942, his understanding and knowledge of folk music and its often specialist audiences was second to none.

That is why his programme, jointly co-presented and produced with another Merseyside icon, Stan Ambrose, who died in 2016, was such a success and became the longest running folk programme in the world.

A very different part in people’s perception of our music was played by Danny Doyle, the likeable Irishman with the golden voice who left us in August, at the age of 79.

Danny went on to become a fixture in the Irish charts with an unheard of three No 1 hits, including the much-loved classic, The Rare Old Times.

The latter had the remarkable distinction of toppling Abba’s, Take A Chance On Me, from the top spot in 1978. Imagine that happening today?

He became the Val Doonican of his time, but without the rocking chair, and went on to sell thousands of records, worldwide. He left, like many of his contemporaries, to live in America performing in concert up to 2016 before retiring through ill health.

The third, and perhaps the most missed from the UK folk scene, in a performing capacity, was Tony Berry, front man and lead singer with the legendary Lancashire group, The Houghton Weavers, who died, in June, at the age of 69. Tony Berry was truly a giant among men, both in stature and charisma, with an uncanny knack of communicating with his audience that many of his fellow performers so sadly lack these days.

Tony was there from the start when, in 1975, he, Norman Prince, John Oliver and (on occasions) Alan Fawkes formed, The Houghton Weavers.

There were inevitable line-up changes over the years but, by the end of the century the trio of Tony, Dave Littler and Steve Millington were well established only later to be brought back to a quartet by Jim Berry.

I am privileged to have known them all since I played, with my own band, at their Westhoughton Folk Club, back in the 1970s and the finest tribute I can pay to Tony, and his fellow ‘Weavers’, is that, in all that time, and wherever our paths have crossed, be it the biggest concert stages in the world or the humblest back street pub rooms of Britain’s folk clubs, they have always remained the same, down to earth, friendly, Lancashire lads that they started out as all those 40-odd years ago.

On the positive side, we saw Wiz Jones celebrating his 80th birthday by performing a concert, whilst Richard Thompson celebrated his 70th with a big concert that illustrated that this master guitarist was still just that - a master!

Steeleye Span celebrated their 50th year together and, of course, those rolling stones of folk-rock, Fairport Convention, just kept rolling on!!!

In the UK things went along pretty much as they always had done although it was a struggle for some of the smaller venues, especially the smaller folk clubs, that continued to rely heavily on dwindling and ageing audiences. Among these, Heswall Folk Club came - and went!

Thankfully, there seems to be plenty of ‘new blood’ at the numerous open mic nights that continue to spring up and maybe folk and acoustic music, like all other things, must evolve this way if it is to survive for future generations.

Given that some of you will have received a Christmas Box in the form of tokens or money to spend on your music passions by your loved ones, you may consider taking out subscriptions to one or two of the surviving folk magazines that are published in the UK.

I would suggest The Living Tradition, Scottish-based but covering all of the UK, a very well-produced, informed and interesting magazine at £36 for 12 issues (two years) and, Folk North West, the most local with detailed listings of folk clubs and events from Cumbria down to Cheshire and North Wales and many articles and reviews.

Published quarterly, this excellent magazine celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2017 and costs just £13 per annum or £26 for two years and is great value.

Subscriptions can be taken out to all the above through their own websites. Sadly, as with the coming and going of folk clubs, the national magazine, Froots, has fallen by the wayside this year, as publishing and printing costs soar, as happened with, Taplas, Wales’ only dedicated folk magazine, a few years ago.

On the other hand, you could always buy one of the best folk albums of 2019, and, if you have not already added it to your collection, how about, Hide and Hair, the debut album of the biggest success story of the year, Trials of Cato, the Wrexham band who set out to conquer the UK folk scene and achieved it.

Following their BBC Radio Welsh Folk Award for Best Emerging Band, this May, they followed up, in this year’s prestigious BBC2 Folk Awards, by winning Best Album of the Year for that debut album, released in 2018.

Unusually, Trials of Cato took a rather different route to becoming one of the fastest rising bands in the UK.

As graduates of Cambridge University, this musical trio of friends, all English teachers by profession, found a mutual interest in the Celtic music of their Welsh homeland, all having originated in North Wales.

In the summer of 2015, their travels took them to the Lebanon, where they surprisingly found that their music started attracting large audiences and they almost acquired a cult status over there.

Encouraged to try their hand in the much more competitively charged atmosphere of the UK music scene they returned in 2016 with a 12-month “make or break” plan that has more than exceeded their expectations.

Some readers will already know my opinion of their awesome talents, and comparisons made to two of their own heroes (and mine), Planxty and Silly Wizard, have brought them recognition and bookings all over the UK.

With a new album planned in February their rising star should continue to shine throughout 2020.

Next week we will look forward to another new folk year with the same message, “whatever you do and wherever you go, enjoy your music”, and have a good one.