LIVERPOOL FOLK SINGERS & MUSICIANS

Writers and performers of Liverpool folk-songs and the folk clubs they performed in. and to home LYRICS page.

Here is some information about singers, performers and writers of folk and folk-style music in Liverpool and Merseyside. 1960s. Click on a name in the Contents List below, to go to the item for that person or folk-group. For the words of the songs themselves please return to the Liverpool Lyrics page. Please feel free to click here to email me with more information about any of the songs, and especially if you can offer some more lyrics or answer some of the Questions. Back to my Home Page and Index

SINGERS' PAGE. I am using this page to hold information about the various singers and writers of Liverpool folk-songs, so that such information as comes my way will be made available, while leaving the Songs/Lyrics page to be just that. Some items may prove to be inseparable from their composer, but I'm giving it a try. Anybody got any suggestions of people to be included? Anybody got some information, data, or appreciations that they feel should be available on internet?

CONTENTS LIST. LOL ROWBOTHAM and The WALLASEY WRECKERS. who ran their club in Liscard, Wallasey, but who are now "resting". KEVIN BARGEN and The TRAVELLING PEOPLE. who ran their "Wheel-house" folk- club at Saints Peter & Paul, Waterloo, Crosby. Most of the original members are no longer active, but Kevin Bargen has re-formed the group, and are involved in a variety of events. BILLY MAHER; Billy, currently a presenter on BBC Radio Merseyside, has written an enormous amount of songs, in a folky-pub style, he has popularised many songs written by other people, and still earns his bread and drippin' by selling CDs of them, so I have no intention of doing him out of a crust. But a few of his songs have passed into general consciousness, and are so widely almost known round Merseyside as to qualify as Liverpool folk-songs. Which is why I have included "I stand making wellies all day", and "The mighty Well !" (which was written by John Dillon.) Billy is also responsible for what may prove to be a definitive version of "We're off, we're off in a motor-car", of which there seem to be so many versions (world-wide). He is also the source for a song which may be entitled " Where the Mersey flows tonight." (See my Lyrics page, and Question Corner. JOHN DILLON wrote THE WELLER (originally THE WELL SONG) was written for Billy's Maher's old group, The Jacksons. Billy's then performing partner, Billy Jackson, had asked hom to write a song for them after the success of A DOUBLE THICK MARMALADE BUTTY! The "Weller" song I knocked out was a three chord, slightly country sounding thing. The two Billys folksied it up and added the banjo intro. They then released it on their Flowerpot Records label. They were happy with it and John was happy for them. JIM BENNETT , a Liverpool born performance poet and lecturer, who has written at least two Liverpool songs, about "Docklands" and "Superlambanana" There is an interview with him, and photo on http://www.poetrykit.org/iv00/bennett.htm . and his own page is http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/1127/ please follow this link to my own Jim Bennet page .for the "Liverpool" songs Jim wrote STAN JARDINE; please follow this link to my page for Stan. BRIAN JACQUES was for many years a folk-singer round the clubs, first with a couple of his brothers/cousins, known as the "Liverpool Fishermen", and later with Liz. Brian himself has now supplied all three verses of the song that he uses for his JacquesTown programme. - see "My Liverpool" in the CONTENTS section - and you can contact him only by snailmail at BBC Radio Merseyside. MIKE TREANOR; who was a stalwart of Liverpool Barbershop, and a keen folk-singer, is now living in Spain, in Torrevieja. STAN KELLY was a major figure in the 60's folk scene, singing and writing some of the best-known tunes. Now living in London, he is still very keen on anything to do with the folk scene. He has the lyrics of his songs in "The Stan Kelly Songbook" in his web-site, at http://www.feniks.com/skb/music/lull.html and includes many Liverpool "folk" songs, and for which he adds lots of information. See near the foot of this page for a large section about Stan. JOE CLARKE ; He writes (Sept o5) "Apart from 60 Country songs I have composed, I have allso wrote a few Liverpool songs, (Scottie Rd party,) (Burbo Bank) (Great Hommer St) (The Ocean Queen) I am at present in a court case against (The Maverics) I wrote the song (Dance The Night Away) It has grossed Four Million Dollers up to date, any how my web page http://countryjoe.homestead.com Email me on countryjoe@blueyonder.com

STAN HUGILL CELEBRATION WEEKEND. Here is (most of) an email which I received via Stan Kelly-Bootle. Do spread the word. "After a great deal of searching we are now all systems go for the one and only Celebration "Here's to Stan" on the weekend which sees 100 years since the day he was born the dates being 18th and 19th November 2006 (yes this year) Well at long last we have got the venue! Right in the city centre of Liverpool -appropriately on Lord Nelson Street - just behind Lime St Station is The Liner ( until its recent refurbishment it was the Gladstone). It has been redone with an ocean liner theme and it is GREAT NOW is the time to make a definite booking as numbers are limited and will be done on a first come -first served basis. A booking form was intended to be with this email, but you will need to email us. click here to email Jan & Ken There will be a single cost to cover everything in all the venues and this will be will be £18pp - EUR26pp -$31pp for the weekend festivities - and this will include a T-shirt and commemorative CD These will never be available anywhere else! Please remember that this does not include food and accommodation charges this is just to cover the costs! The main room will be the central singing venue and there will be 2 other smaller quieter rooms where videos will be shown and talks given also within the Britannia Suite is a spacious lounge area where people can sit and chat - have a drink - we have been promised a bar for our exclusive use! This whole area is so new the publicity material is not yet printed but we have been promised some photo's and we will post these on the Hugill web site as soon as we have them. For those travelling to Liverpool from distant parts we are arranging information packs for other hotels, eating places and places of interest to be made available> We are trying to think of everything! If you would like to be part of this one and only event please email us, to get your name down for a booking form AS SOON AS POSSIBLE together with a small deposit £5.00 - EUR10 - $10. As we have always said NO ARTIST WILL BE BOOKED OR PAID - but we hope that everyone will sing their own tribute - this is simply a special event to celebrate a special man and we hope that all those who come will have a truly memorable weekend. Once people have agreed to sing we will keep everyone informed. Please remember that this weekend is for everyone so your ideas - the loan of any painting you may have - videos etc will be very welcome - just tell us And finally please spread the word and email this to any friends who may be interested - we really want this to be the best possible weekend - don't be the person who says " I wish I had been there Jan and Ken Lardner click here to email Jan & Ken A DOUBLE THICK MARMALADE BUTTY was written by Frank Lewis, who also wrote 'The Wellie Song' was written by Sarah's dad too. Billy Maher sang many of Frank's songs. Thanks to Sarah for providing the words for this page. GAry du Rose writes;Frank Lewis was my teacher in Primary School, and was from Liverpool. Around 1982 -85 and he would get his guitar out and sing it to us. The last I heard of him he was living in Birkenhead, if there is anything else i might know about him please ask. He also wrote a song called "I'm a Great Man"all about him running for the bus as a teenager on his way to work." Back to Contents List click here Back to theTop of the page.

PAGE FOR FOLK CLUBS?? In May 06 John Rouse wrote;"Just been looking at your Folk Song pages (thanks to a link from Mudcat Forum).

My girlfriend (later my wife, and now alas deceased) and I used to go to several Folk Clubs in Liverpool in the early 1970s. The three I remember were Atlantic House on Hardman Street, The Dolphin, which started in an hotel near St George's Hall, and then moved to somewhere above the Fire Station in Canning Place, and the Polytechnic Folk Club which was accessed across a bit of waste ground off Tithebarn Street.

This snippet does not fit neatly into any of my current pages. So I think "Singers" page will have to become "Singers and Folk Clubs" page until we see how it develops.





THE STAN KELLY SONGBOOK, available from his site, http://www.feniks.com/skb/music/lull.html includes;
The Banks of the Condamine The celebrated football fan Comeallye and gobackagain Four pounds a day Graduation day I wish I was back in Liverpool Johnny Todd Kelly the boy from Killanne < Kelly's prayer Last night we had a do The leaving of Liverpool Liverpool lullaby < Lord Franklin My old Mark Two O'Reilly's coconut-coloured daughter The praties The quality of Mersey Repetitive love letter > A soldier's life is sad Space shanty Tide come all ye The topman and the afterguard
William Brown

SOME COMMENTS FROM STAN KELLY, STAN KELLY'S own PAGE www.feniks.com/skb/ and email him from there.(Keep trying; he's getting his current email address put in, soon, honest.)

He writes;
"Tony Murphy wrote the Orange & Green parody. Does anyone have cntact info forTony?
Glyn Hughes wrote Seth Davey. I was dere at de time, like. He died very young
Some confusion re-venues: I certainly sang with the Spinners etc below Sampson & Barlow's Grill, London Rd -- this was a regular venue for the early Spinners -- BUT the WashHouse club was held elsewhere, at least when I was guest -- it was run by the great Jacquie & Bridie -- Jacquie (from Bradford!) especially had close connections with the Spinners, in fact she was part of the group until J&B were formed. Old joke at the time: the only TRUE scouser in the Spinners was Cliff, the West Indian ;=)
Final toot: I'm alas the last surviving co-author of LERN YERSELF SCOUSE (Volume 1 first ed. 1966 and STILL in print from Scouse Press). Frank Shaw died some years ago and Fritz Spiegl passed away recently.
LOVE TO YOUSE ALL."

Some other sites that may interest you: The folksong index from Nottingham Univ. Ramblers.(RamSoc) The Spinners song "Ellan Vannin"history, words and audio. MacLennan Scottish Group (Kent). LIVERPOOL TALES a miscellany of stories, poetry, and writings about Liverpool and Merseyside. Lyrics and Tune Archives. A resource from many lands by Henry Kochlin from Germany. The WIRRAL SOUND. the marching band of Moreton (Wirral) Boys & Girls Brigades "Lancashire Folk" : details of folk activities in Lancashire, inc. bands & callers.

Disclaimer: The information on this page are as I have received it, and accepted in good faith. l To the best of my knowledge I have abided by commonsense, laws and ethics. If anyone has a problem with anything on this page, and wish for it to be corrected, improved,removed or credited please contact me via e-mail. If there is anyone I have failed to acknowledge please excuse the oversight, and contact me by mail with the necessary details to deal with the situation. GBJ. Back to my Home Page and Index