jacqui & bridie's folk club

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Jacqui & Bridie’s Folk Club 50th Year and Final Night Liverpool Philharmonic Hall Sunday 23 January 2011 7.30pm Photo Mill Street. The folk club in full flow at the Domestic Mission on Mill Street, Toxteth.

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On Sunday 23 January 2011 Jacqui & Bridie's Folk Club met for a final, and very special, concert at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. Celebrating Jacqui's unique talent and her role in the history of Liverpool's music scene, singers and musicians from the Folk Club's past and present performed the duo's music and folk classics. Before the concert we learnt about the history of the club, with Tom Paxton, Peggy Seeger, and of course Jacqui McDonald herself.

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Page 1: Jacqui & Bridie's Folk Club

Jacqui& Bridie’sFolk Club50th Year andFinal NightLiverpool Philharmonic HallSunday 23 January 2011 7.30pm

PhotoMill Street. The folk club in full flow at theDomestic Mission onMill Street, Toxteth.

Page 2: Jacqui & Bridie's Folk Club

Jacqui wasn’t even at the firstCoach House Folk Club.WhileBridie hosted, Jacqui was at aSpinners rehearsal. Neither ofthem could know thesignificance of that evening.Spencer Leigh tells the story

Who knows? In another world, JacquelineMcDonald, aGeordie raised in Yorkshire, might have been playing on thisstage with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. In1957, when she was 20, she wanted to learn the oboe. Shediscovered that oboes were around £70 whereas she couldbuy a cheap guitar for £4. “I started practising the guitar onthe bus back fromHarrogate to Ilkley,” recalls Jacqui today,“I had a chord book and by the time I got back to Ilkley, Icould play a G chord.” Having learnt some chords, what wasJacqui to sing?

There hadn’t beenmass popularity for folk music until theAmerican group theWeavers mademillion selling records inthe early 1950s. They had success with an African chantWimoweh as well asOn Top Of Old Smokey andGoodnight

Jacqui& Bridie’sFolk Club50th Year and Final Night

Sunday 23 January 7.30pm

On our ‘tour bus’. Covering hundreds, even

thousands of miles travelling across thecountry

to gigs this little bug rarely let us down, even if

sometimes Bridie’s driving did.

“ “

In the summer of last year I received an email fromJacqui withthe seeds of an idea for this evening’s event. The polite but verylongmessage set out in detail formewho Jacqui is, andwhat hergeneration of Liverpoolmusicians achieved.

This was fascinating stuff, but actually I only had to read the firstline to understand, and to know that Liverpool Philharmonicwould helpmake this event happen. For one thing,most peopleworking at this venuewill have lost count of the number of timesthat artists appearing here - people like ChristyMoore, TomPaxton, Peggy Seeger, Al Stewart, JoanBaez andDickGaughanfor example, the “household names” of folkmusic - have told oftheir visits to the folk club in Liverpool or about how Jacqui &Bridie inspired them in someway. And if, likeme, you are a fanof live folkmusic and are interested in themusical roots andtraditions of the city of Liverpool, then it’s difficult to avoid thestories and songs connectedwith the duo and their club.

I have been privileged over the last year to haveworked as part ofthe core teamwriting Liverpool’s bid to become aUNESCOCityofMusic, a fascinating process of research and debate that hasled to discussions long intomany nights on the key influencesand contributions tomusic in the city of the last 200 years.Jacqui andBridie are part of that story: for the folk club, for thesongswritten and collected, for their pioneeringwork in schools,and as ambassadors for Liverpool and itsmusic when on tour.

At first therefore I was disappointedwhen Jacqui toldme thatshewas bringing the club to an end after 50 years. But howfitting it is that itmeets for the last time here at LiverpoolPhilharmonicHall, where Jacqui andBridie performed onmanyoccasions in the 60s, 70s, and 80s andwhere they last recordedas a duo– the LP Jacqui andBridie Live At LiverpoolPhilharmonic – back in 1987.

Folk and traditionalmusic have been amajor part of theprogramme at this venue again in recent years – indeed, oneprominentwriter recently described the venue as ‘Theundisputed home of folk in Liverpool.’We present themajorartists of the current folk scene in our After 8 series in oursmaller venue space, theRodewald Suite; andwe devised andproduced the ambitious and acclaimed Irish Sea Sessions projectas part of Liverpool Irish Festival in 2010, that had one localcritic awarding the concert 15 out of 10! It was also voted the bestfolk/roots event of the year by Liverpool Daily Post readers.Amongst the songs chosen by the Irish Sea Sessions artists aresome that youwill also hear tonight, performed either by theircomposers, or by the artists who first collected, recorded orpresented them. This is part of a living song tradition of this citythat is real and exceptional.

So tonight, let’s celebrate! This isn’t the end of something, butrather a spirited acknowledgement of the importance of asinging tradition at the heart of Liverpool’smusic scene, andrecognition of the centrality of Jacqui andBridie’s Folk Club tothat. None of uswould be here tonight if it wasn’t for Jacqui &Bridie. Thank you for your passion and yourmusic.

Simon GlinnExecutive Director,Liverpool PhilharmonicHall and Events

Page 3: Jacqui & Bridie's Folk Club

Irene. In September 1959, they toured the UKMoss Empirecircuit but probably because the group’s popularity hadpeaked, few people had bought tickets.

When Jacqui was in Leeds, she noticed that theWeavers wereperforming and rather than wait for a bus in the rain, sheattended their matinee. “The place was full ofschoolchildren,” says Jacqui “because they hadn’t sold manytickets and wanted an audience. It changedmy life. Therewere three men including Pete Seeger and a woman, RonnieGilbert. I thought, ‘I wouldn’t mind doing something likethat. I liked the fact that they were singing about the ColoradoRiver and the Grand Coulee Dam: it was real music asopposed to the pop songs of the day which I didn’tparticularly like.”

Jacqui’s opportunity came quicker than expected. She wastraining to be a gym teacher at the I MMarsh College inLiverpool and as theWeavers played the Liverpool Empire on27 September, she saw them again. Backstage, she met thevery tall Tony Davis, who told of the Friday folk nights whichhad started in the basement of Sampson and Barlow’sRestaurant, opposite the Odeon Cinema on London Road.Jacqui went the next Friday and sang the only suitable songsshe knew, the calypsoHold ’Em Joe and a yodeling song.

On their own initiative, the Spinners released Songs Spun InLiverpool, a live album recorded in 1962. Their repertoireincludedWhip Jamboree, John Peel and Johnny Todd(sung by Jacqui and now known as the theme from Z-Cars).Jacqui’s grandmother remembered The Sovereign Of TheSeas from South Shields, Hughie refashioned it as ChampionOf The Seas about a Liverpool sailing ship that broken therecord on the run to Australia in 1860. Adam In The Garden,was developed from something Jacqui remembered from agirl guide camp and indeed, there was a camp fire mentalityabout the way folk club audiences would join in the choruses.

OnMonday nights, Jacqui would rehearse with the Spinnersand Bridie thought of opening her own folk club in the CoachHouse itself. Early in 1961, an ad was placed in the LiverpoolEcho and the first person to knock on the door was StanMason. He had no idea what folk music was but those whowere comingmight enjoy his collection of stamps. Eventually,some singers turned up and the club did well, growing from20 to over 100. There was no Health and Safety legislationback then.

Jacqui and Bridie would dress similarly but not identicallyand this summarised their approach tomusic. Although theycould harmonise sweetly, it was the contrast in their voicesthat made them distinctive. Jacqui had a delicate voice, wellsuited to poignant ballads, while Bridie’s forceful, up-and-at-’em voice demanded to be heard. Similarly, Jacqui playedguitar andmandolin delicately while Bridie’s banjo could beheard across Liverpool. Both had comic timing and again itwas the combination of their humour and their reparteewhichmade them somemorable. Bridie possessed enormousverve and energy and could respond to any heckle. AftersingingKilgarryMountain one night, she had a very funnyrant about what Captain Farrell could do with his rapier. Shemight have done it every night for all I know, but it soundedspontaneous and was very funny.

In June 1964, Jacqui and Bridie turned professional thusbecoming Britain’s first female professional folk duo and theydecided to tour North America for six weeks. Clubmemberscame to the Pier Head to wave them goodbye when theysailed direct (those were the days) from Liverpool to Quebec.They found work on university campuses and secured spotson radio and TV. They visited the American folk singer JeanRitchie, whom they hadmet on a UK tour. She showed themsome dancing dolls from her childhood. They were entrancedand an idea took shape.

Jacqui and Bridie’s six weeks in North America became sixmonths and when they returned, they appeared in the concertroom at St. George’s Hall and talked about their experiences.Theymentioned the dancing dolls and the audience toldthem, “We’ve got them here.”

GlynnHughes, a rhythm guitarist, remembered a song thathis mother had sung. It concerned Seth Davey, a streetentertainer in Liverpool who had dancing dolls. He rewrotethe song as Come Day Go Day. Doreen Turton, a clog-maker’s daughter fromWigan, made Jacqui and Bridie somenew dolls. The singers could stand them on a plank and oncethey hit the plank, the dolls would dance.

3Jacqui and Bridie’s Folk Club 50th Year and Final Night

Performingwith a hero, Jean Ritchie. O

n our first

trip to America in ’64 wewere thrilled to

play gigs

and festivals with somany artists we’

d admired.

Leaving for America. In 1964members the folkclub turned out enmasse to wish us bon voyage forour first trip across the Atlantic.

Page 4: Jacqui & Bridie's Folk Club

Bridie recalled in 1984, “When we came back from America,we found the Seekers were in the charts with JudithDurham’s lovely voice. They sang some folk songs and it wasinteresting that were getting national acclaim and somethingwas happening to folk music. The Spinners had gone fullyprofessional while we were away and we got on a TV showwith other folk musicians calledHootenanny. Folk music wasbecoming very popular. Themain difference between popand folk was that folk songs made you think a bit.”

Folk clubs were springing up all over the country and at onepoint there were 28 different ones onMerseyside. You couldbe out every night at a folk club. Geoff Speed, who haspresented BBC RadioMerseyside’s Folk Scenewith StanAmbrose since 1967, ran his own club inWidnes:“Liverpool was one of the first areas where folk clubs startedmushrooming. No doubt it was the success of the Spinnersclub plus the fact that there were somany songs fromLiverpool itself. People love hearing songs about where theylived”.

As with the Beatles in Germany, Jacqui and Bridie had goneto America and come back a finely honed duo: indeed, theybecame the first professional female folk duo in the UK. Theyknew each other’s strengths and weaknesses and were able tobuild upon them. Returning to their weekly folk club, it wasevident that they needed bigger premises. When the duoentertained a luncheon club at a Unitarian church inMillStreet in the Dingle, the minister offered them his church hallfor a weekly meeting. That is how Jacqui and Bridie came tobe at their best known venue, the Domestic Mission.

Unlike the Spinners’ club which hadmoved to Gregson’sWellat the top of Brunswick Road, the Domestic Mission wasunlicensed. Young teenagers could be admitted and soJacqui, Bridie and their friends performed for an audiencefrom ages 15 to 80. Indeed, theirs was the only folk club in thearea to cater deliberately for a family audience. It was lessrowdy than some clubs and the patrons were coming for themusic. However, they might lose the audience during theinterval to the pub.

Maybe it was always thus with Aunt Nellies playing thepianos in the parlour, but the 1960s was a decade when thepeople startedmakingmusic. Almost anyone who could singor could play an instrument was encouraged to do so inpublic and there was a vast rise in beat clubs, jazz clubs andfolk clubs throughout the country. Following a TVdocumentary, Liverpool was called The Singing City andDaniel Farson’s “Beat City” cements this point.

Despite their nationwide popularity, both the Spinners andJacqui and Bridie determined to continue their weekly nightsin Liverpool. Being close to the community enabled them todevelop their repertoires and they would use club nights totry out newmaterial. Several of the folk artists, includingJacqui, played guitars made by a local musician, StanFrancis.

4 Jacqui and Bridie’s Folk Club 50th Year and Final Night

J&Bon stage

Recording for Granada TV.We used to play t

he Old

Shakespeare Club on London

Road regularly, this

particular showwas recorded f

or broadcast.

TomPaxtonTom Paxton.A very younglooking Tomdoing a turnat the folkclub.

The programme.Wewere delighted to see ournames on the same bill as the likes of MississippiJohnHurt, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Sonny Terry &BrownieMcGhee and Gordon Lightfoot.

“ “

Page 5: Jacqui & Bridie's Folk Club

By now, folk music was taking off, largely because of BobDylan and the Byrds, who recorded amplified folk songs. Iremember Bridie chastising the Byrds one night as they hadrecorded The Bells Of Rhymney but had no idea how topronounce some of theWelsh names.Whilst checkingthrough some old papers to write this piece, I came acrossTony Davis commenting that a folk singer was “not a youth inan army surplus jacket andmop hat droning a protest”,though, of course, to many people Donovan was just that.

A lot of folk clubs had come out of Communist Party meetingsand they were heavily left-wing. As Alexei Sayle had aCommunist childhood in Liverpool, I asked him if he hadever gone to any folk clubs. “Certainly not,” he replied, “Ihated folk music.”

Although there was a left-wing bias in Jacqui and Bridie’sclub, it was never verbalised. Jacqui and Bridie’s repertoireoften expressed their humanitarian feelings and at one stage,they toured a refugee camp.

Following this folk music explosion, there was a split in thefolk clubs with some favouringmore contemporarysinger/songwriters and others wantingmore traditional fare.Definitely the Spinners and possibly Jacqui and Bridie werein the latter group, but in a way both groups were unique asthey had a passion for songs aboutMerseyside. When I heardJacqui and Bridie sing about the area in Cathedral In OurTime and Parky Laney Street, I wondered how such esotericmaterial was received if they were performing in Birminghamor Southend. Probably very well as they were always touring.Neither Jacqui nor Bridie came from Liverpool but singingthese songs gave them a joint identity.

But their songs could come from anywhere. Once Jacquiand Bridie wanted to learn FourMarys from JeannieRobertson’s repertoire. They went to see her in Aberdeenonly to find that Joan Baez had been round the week beforewith the same purpose. Undeterred, they learnt the song andput in their act.

Another unique factor was Jacqui and Bridie would drawtheir followers together once or twice a year for concerts atLiverpool Philharmonic Hall. These concerts were sometimesrecorded so you can still hear the marvellous rapport betweenperformers and audience and howwell loved the performerswere. It was something of a novelty to have folk at the Phil:apart from Buddy Holly in 1958, the Phil even didn’t touchpop or rockmusic until 1970.

The Liverpool Philharmonic concerts would be advertised toJacqui and Bridie’s folk club audiences and they wouldcirculate posters and leaflets around the other clubs in area,perhaps making guest spots in the process. At LiverpoolPhilharmonic the concerts were muchmore structured thanthe folk nights: they could use lighting effects and they hadset lists. Stan Francis recalls guesting with the Spinners: “Iwas on stage with them at the Phil and we all lined up at theend. I remember Hughie saying to us, “Bow”, and I thought,‘They’ve moved into show business now.’”

During 1965, when Jacqui and Bridie were the guest artistsfor the Leesiders at the Central Hotel in Birkenhead, PaulSimon came out of the audience for a floor spot. “He was veryslick, which we certainly weren’t,”says Jacqui, “and he was amarvellous guitarist and I was very impressed.”

5

Posters by Tom Sweeney. Tom, thegraphic designer and printer in Fleet StLiverpool, did all the posters for ourconcerts at Liverpool Philharmonic.

“ “

Page 6: Jacqui & Bridie's Folk Club

6 Jacqui and Bridie’s Folk Club 50th Year and Final Night

Jacqui and Bridie were constantly recording. In 1964, theyreleased their first single,Roving Jack, a song whichmentioned 22 Liverpool streets. After that theymade severalalbums for different labels. They recorded forMajorMinor,which had the same owner as Radio Caroline, so they wereassured of pirate airplay from the North Sea. They appearedon national TV and radio shows such as CountryMeets Folk,often with Liverpool’s Paul Brady andHankWaltersrepresenting country.

Among the guests at Jacqui and Bridie’s club were Phil Ochs(who wrote There But For Fortune), the oneman band DonPartridge (honouring a commitment to play for £12 aftermaking a Top 10 single), Robin Hall and JimmieMacgregor(Football Crazywas ideal for Liverpool), the Scottish duo theCorries, and the creators of the radio ballads, EwanMacColland Peggy Seeger. Jacqui and Bridie often performedMacColl’s Shoals Of Herring and First Time Ever I Saw YourFace. They introduced both theMcCalmans and theHoughtonWeavers toMerseyside.

When Tom Paxton was appearing at the Free Trade Hall inManchester, he was bundled into a car as soon as he hadfinished by a friendMarnie Spencer, and he appeared at theDomestic Mission, borrowing Jacqui’s guitar to perform TheLast Thing OnMyMind.

Nomatter who the guests were, most people went to the clubto see Jacqui and Bridie. They were very comic together andthey created their own rapport with regular performers,notably the docker ArthurWilliams with his hilarious poemsof Liverpool life. Jacqui and Bridie performed his PostChristmas Blues (based on a song by Cyril Tawney) and asurreal song about St John’s Beacon with its revolvingrestaurant. Arthur told Jacqui and Bridie about the vibrancyof Paddy’s Market and theymade a radio programme aroundit, which incorporated their song, Paddy’s Market, thatbecame popular in its own right.

There was some exceptional local talent. PeteMcGovern, whoran theWashhouse folk club, wrote InMy Liverpool HomeandRent Collecting In Speke: Stan Kelly, a salesman with aPorsche, wrote Liverpool Lullaby andWhatWas The Colour:Willy Russell was starting his performing life as a folk singerand onememorable night at the Domestic Mission, ShaneFenton, who would go on to become Alvin Stardust, did afloor spot.

The travelling became excessive as therewere folk clubs all overthe country: pityMartin Carthywhomanaged it all by publictransport. Jacqui andBridie covered 55,000miles in one year, andthis is largely before themotorway network. Theywould return tothe club eachweek and tell the audience of their travels. “WewenttoGermany to entertain the British troops,” said Jacqui oneweek,“andBridie entertained themone by one.”

For some time, they also had Jacqui and Bridie’s MondayAfternoon from 4pm to 5.40pm onMonday afternoons on BBCRadioMerseyside. It was a sort of Savile’s Travels as they wouldinterview people they hadmet during the week including, ononememorable occasion, Dusty Springfield.

Being popular in Scotland was clearly something of a two-edgedsword. “I’m very glad that we went to all these wonderful placesand had wonderful times,” says Jacqui, “We did a lot of theScottish folk clubs and I can remember Barbara Dickson beingon the door of the Dunfermline folk club taking themoney.”

After 10 years Jacqui and Bridie had to give up the DomesticMission as the area was being redeveloped. The premises havenow been demolished and they could only find licensedpremises after that. The clubmet in pubs in London Road andHanover Street and for a time, at the Holiday Inn in ParadiseStreet. “Once they put us by the swimming pool,” recalls Jacqui,“We were on one side withmicrophones and the audience wason the other, and the hotel guests were swimming up and downbetween us. I don’t blame them: they had paid goodmoney tostay in the hotel and they wanted to swim.Wemade a lot of

Left

BBC RadioMerseyside.

Presenting theJacquie &

Bridie radio show.

Right

Me playing at theCoach

House. Note, the blurred

figure in the background

is actually StanAmbrose

presenter of Folkscene on

BBC RadioMerseyside.

HerMajesty The Queen.Wemet TheQueen, with Frankie Vaughan, at theRoyal Command Performance in 1972.

Page 7: Jacqui & Bridie's Folk Club

7Jacqui and Bridie’s Folk Club 50th Year and Final Night

jokes but it was a very difficult evening and in the end, I saidto Bridie, ‘Do you want to sing the last song from themiddleof the pool?’ She jumped in and I followed her and about 30others joined us for The Leaving Of Liverpool. Themoresensible ones stripped down to their underclothes but wewere fully clothed.”

In 1978, Jacqui and Bridie appeared on a gala performancefor the Prince’s Trust at the Liverpool Empire. TheyperformedHarvey Andrew’s City Dweller and BackBuchanan Street, which had been written for a TVprogramme,Grief And Glory, by two brothers fromFrodsham, Gordon andHarry Dyson. It reflected themovesfrom the terraced houses to high rise flats. After the show, theQueen remarked that it was “relevant”.

In 1984, Jacqui and Bridie presented the Festival of Folk atthe Garden Festival which gave them regular employment ontheir doorstep for three months. To promote the event, theyrecorded DavidMallett’sGarden Song (sometimes called‘Inch By Inch’). The club continued in the Coffee House HotelinWavertree and then in Penny Lane.

Bridie’s health was failing and they gave their farewellconcert at Liverpool Philharmonic in 1987. They did a fewbookings, but her voice was going and she died in 1992.

Jacqui has kept the club going but has had to contend withmultiple sclerosis. The clubmet at Sefton Park Cricket Clubonce amonth. “We’re an ageing group,” says Jacqui, “and Iget friends coming along saying ‘I’ve had an awful day today.I got downstairs and realised that I put my bra on back-to-front, and it fits better that way.’”

During the 2010Hope Street Feast, Jacqui was pleased andsurprised to hear a tribute to the duo fromMike Neary andEithne Browne. “I loved hearing Eithne singing LiverpoolLullaby,” says Jacqui, “She changed key a few times. I mighthave done that but she was doing it on purpose.”

So this, after 50 years, is the final night of Jacqui & Bridie’sFolk Club. It is not a night for sadness as we should rejoicethat such a talented duo should havemaintained their base inthe city and done somuch for music in the area.

Jacqui and Bridie and their folk club are part of this city’s richcultural heritage. Let’s hear those songs onemore time anddon’t forget to sing along. Indeed, the most common criticismthat I used to hear of Jacqui and Bridie was that they madethe audience do the work, and why not?

Entertaining the folk club. Hosting at the Domestic

Mission, looks like someone just said something

funny, or are we laughing at our playing?

Entertaining the kids. At The Children’sHospital onMyrtle Street.

On board The Corinthia. Some of the folk

club came aboard to say goodbye.“

There is a selection of CDsandBooks on sale this evening.

All CDs, including re-masteredLPs andTapes,are available onwww.jacquiandbridie.com

Page 8: Jacqui & Bridie's Folk Club

TheHoughtonWeavers–Four friends (TonyBerry,NormanPrince and thebrothers,David andDenis Littler) formed theHoughtonWeavers in 1975 andquickly found afollowing in folk clubs throughout Lancashire andMerseyside including Jacqui andBridie’s. Theirregional TV show,Sit ThiDeawn, was very popularand it led to numerous national appearances. TodaytheHoughtonWeavers is a trio featuring originalmembers, TonyBerry andDavid Littler, aswell asSteveMillington from the country band, Poacher.Their varied repertoire includes folk song favouritesandwell as localmaterial such asOurGracie, TheBalladOfWiganPier and, one of the greatest songtitles of all-time, BernardWrigley’sTheMartiansHaveLanded InWigan.

Hughie Jones–The only Spinner to be born inLiverpool,HughieJones is one of themost underrated songwriters onMerseyside andmost of the Spinners’ albums containa couple of his compositions.When the Spinnersdisbanded, he released a collection of his songs,Hughie’sDitty-Bag (1991) andhis subsequentalbums includeLuvStuff (1995),Seascape (1999)andLiverpool Connexions (2005).He ismuch indemand as a performer and especially formaritimeevents. One of his recent songs,TheMolesOfEdgeHill, is about theWilliamsonTunnels.

StanKelly–Born onMerseyside in 1929, StanBootle tookhisstage name from the song,Kelly TheBoyFromKillanne. Graduating fromCambridgeUniversity, hemaintained a dual career in computer science and infolkmusic.His key compositions areLiverpoolLullaby (recorded by JudyCollins, Cilla Black andJacqui&Bridie), IWish IWasBack InLiverpool (theDubliners, the Spinners) andWhatWasTheColour?(Jacqui&Bridie). Fanatically keen onLiverpool FC,Stan is likely to give us the first performance of hisrewritten folk song for the club’s newowner, JohnHenry, that is, if he finishes it in time.

JohnMcCormick–Althoughhenever had a yellow jumper, ‘Count’ JohnMcCormick ondouble basswas an integral part of theSpinners’ sound.He is recognised as one of the bestdouble-bass players in theUKand is known for hiswork in folk, jazz and rock. “Sometimes Iwish Iplayed amore portable instrument,” he says, “but Ilove the soundof the bass.”

JimmieMacgregor–CliffMichelmore used to say, “And the next tonight istomorrownight…” and theBBC-TV showwould endwith a song fromRobinHall and JimmieMacgregor.In 1960, they became famous forFootball Crazy (ofcourse!) but they are prouder of theGlasgow streetsongs they rescued fromoblivion. Their goodhumour hasmuch in commonwith Jacqui&Bridie’s

and they performed inLiverpool, often at their folkclub and once, in 1962, supported by theBeatles attheCavern. Jimmie stillmaintains an activeperforming andbroadcasting life in Scotland andit is a pleasure towelcomehim tonight.

MikeNeary–In 1993,MikeNeary graduated in drama andtheatre studies fromLiverpoolUniversity andsince then, he has had a varied careerwhich hasincludedTVappearances inNiceGuyEddie, ColdFeet andCoronation Street. Hewas in theRoyalCourt’s revival of SlappersAndSlapheads and theEveryman’s Present Tense.He is a finemusicianand last year, he performed a tribute to Jacqui&Bridie during theHope Street Feast. Jacqui heardhimand immediately invited him to performArthurWilliams’ poem,TheOneO’clockGun, inthis concert.

PagodaChinese YouthOrchestra–Nearly 25 years ago,whenMrLiu founded theChinese YouthOrchestra in Liverpool, it was thefirst inEurope and it remains the largest ensembleof its kind. The joyous sounds featuremanyChinese instruments, whichMrLiu has eithermade or imported. TheChinese YouthOrchestrahasmademany television appearances andhasbeenpraised by theChineseCulturalMinistry.They have collaboratedwith JahWobble andMrLiu himself was featured on the soundtrack ofTheLast Emperor.

The SenseOf SoundChoir–The SenseOf SoundChoirwas founded inLiverpool in 1992 andunder itsmusical directorJennifer John, the 40-strong choir has touredwithRussellWatson, been featured onnumerousrecords and takenpart in theRoyal VarietyPerformance. They haveworkedwithmany localacts includingConnie Lush andNeil Campbell) aswell as nationally known stars in all genres ofmusic.Whether performing in arenas or in a smallchurch for awedding, the Sense of SoundChoir isnever less than thrilling and they are at their bestwhenheard, as tonight, singing a cappella.

Jacqueline’s FolkGroup–Jacquiwill be performingwithmany of the folkmusicianswhohaveworkedwith her over theyears includingCathyMunroe, RoyDavies, TrishScanlon, PeterWestwell, JonathanGraham, andLynn Jenkinson.Hilary Taylor can’t be heretonight. Oneway and another, these friends havesupported Jacqui at the FolkClub and at variousvenues formany,many years.

HarveyAndrews–The singer/songwriter fromBirminghamhasbeenperforminghis beautifully craftedwork intheatres and folk clubs for over 40 years.He oftenappeared at Jacqui andBridie’s folk club.Hisexquisite songs includeGiftOfABrandNewDay, First YouLose YourRhyming and asuccession of poignant songs about his heroes–SongsForPhil Ochs,MrHomburgHat (TonyHancock),SongsThatHarryWrote (HarryChapin) andPleaseDon’t GetOnThePlane(BuddyHolly).His first volumeof autobiography,Gold StarToTheOzarks, was published in 2007.

JacobCarter–Jacob is following in the footsteps of his brotherNathan,who is a rising Irish country star. Bothplayed at the Jacqui andBridie’s folk club fromanearly age, an indication that the club has alwaysencouragednewand exceptional talent. Jacoblives inChildwall and loves singing, aswell asplaying fiddle and guitar.

TerryCoyne–Liverpool has a strong Irish tradition andTerryCoyne is one ofMerseyside’s topmusicians,playing traditional Irish flute andwhistle aswellas being a strong vocalist.

TonyDavis–Because of his size (six foot seven or twometres ifwe’re goingmetric) andhis outgoing personality,TonyDavis is the Spinner that first comes tomind.He is a living encyclopaedia of folkmusic,but he started by playing jazz and, in recent years,he has returned to that interest.Hehas had tocopewith health problemsbut he insists that he is‘hipless andnot hopeless’.We’re not surewhathe’ll be doing tonight but if he’s brought theclarinet, it’s jazz and if it’s the tinwhistle, it’s folk.

Gerry Ffrench–Gerry Ffrench still teaches onMerseyside, she isalso amusician and a regular attendee at JacquiandBridie’s folk club.Gerry has organisedmanymusical events includingLiverpool’s celebrationof female singers,Wimfest, and is involved in theHope Street Feast.

JohnGorman–WithRogerMcGough andMikeMcCartney, JohnGormanwas part of Scaffoldwhohad aChristmasNumberOnewith a rewritten rugby club songLily ThePink (1968) andmade theTop 10 in 1974withDominic Behan’sLiverpool Lou. John’shilarious, drunken version ofTenGreenBottleswas a highlight of their act. At present, John isdeveloping community theatre inBirkenhead andhe remains the funniestmanonMerseyside.Meethimand youwill come away feeling happier – andthat’s guaranteed.

An Evening with

Barbara DicksonSunday 19March 7.30pmLiverpool Philharmonic HallTickets £24, £29

In a return to her folk roots,Dickson’s new albumWordsUnspoken features a collectionof mainly traditional songs.Originally fromDunfermline,she emerged from the Scottishfolk scene during the 1960sworking with the likes ofArchie Fisher, Billy Connolly,Gerry Rafferty and Rab

Noakes. Barbara interpretstraditional songs withsensitivity and confidence. Seeher powerful performances ofBridge Over TroubledWater,TheMagicalWest, Smile InYour Sleepwritten by JimMcLean andMyDonald by thelate OwenHand.

‘It is no exaggeration todescribe Barbara as a greatsinger. She stood out amileamong folk singers of hergeneration and she hasconsistently shown her classwhen performing for a widerpublic. This is Dickson at hermost engaging’.Daily Telegraph

Tonight at Jacqui & Bridie’s Folk Club