Ewan MacColl
Memories of Warrington’s Minor Bird Folk-Song Club with Norman & Jack Froggatt
By Andy Green
The Froggatt Twins, now aged 88, share more memories of the Minor Bird Folk-Song Club. This time Jack and Norman focus on the many musicians who played at the legendary Warrington folk club from influential greats such as Ewan MacColl, Nic Jones and Alex Campbell to local ‘floor singers’ such as Dave Speight, Dave Clare and Graham Sowerby who cut their teeth at the club and have kept on performing. Interview recorded live in Radio Warrington’s studios on Thursday 3rd November 2022.
“The Good Old Way” Episodes 1-4
Part 1 of a 4 part series about British folk music. Originally aired on BBC2 on June 13 1983. This episode focuses on The Watersons.
Part 2 of a 4 part series about British folk music. Originally aired on BBC2 on June 14 1983. This episode focuses on Alison MacMorland and Peta Webb
Part 3 of a 4 part series about British folk music. Originally aired on BBC2 on June 15 1983. This episode focuses on Martin Carthy and Ewan MacColl.
Part 4 of a 4 part series about British folk music. Originally aired on BBC2 on June 16 1983. This episode focuses on Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger.
Sinead O’Connor & Christy Moore “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”
How Folk Songs Should Be Sung
Folk singer Martin Carthy examines the rise and fall of Ewan MacColl’s Critics Group.
Immediately after the success of the BBC Radio Ballads, Ewan MacColl set about the Herculean task of trying to drag British folk music into mainstream culture. Frustrated by the dreary amateurishness of folk song performance, he decided to establish his own centre of excellence to professionalise the art. He called it “The Critics Group”. MacColl tutored select artists “to sing folk songs the way they should be sung” and to think about the origins of what they were singing. He introduced Stanislavski technique and Laban theory into folk performance and explored style, content and delivery. BBC producer Charles Parker recorded these sessions to aid group analysis. 40 years on, the tapes have come to light. For the first time, a clear sound picture can be constructed of this influential group in action. Former group members Peggy Seeger, Sandra Kerr, Frankie Armstrong, Richard Snell, Brian Pearson and Phil Colclough recount six frantic years of rehearsing, performing and criticising each other. They recall the powerful hold that Ewan MacColl exerted which was eventually to lead to the collapse of the group in acrimony and blame. Presenter Martin Carthy MBE, now an elder statesman of the British folk music scene, shared many of McColl’s ambitions but didn’t join the group himself. He listens to the recordings and assesses the legacy of MacColl’s controversial experiment. Producers: Genevieve Tudor and Chris Eldon Lee A Culture Wise Production for BBC Radio 4
Listen at: How Folk Songs Should Be Sung – BBC Sounds