Review: Alvar Smith: A Sailor and his True Love: Traditional Singing from the Blaxhall Ship Veteran VT164CD 

Review 

Alvar Smith: A Sailor and his True Love: Traditional Singing from the Blaxhall Ship Veteran VT164CD 

Now, this really is a delight! A full-length survey of Alvar Smith’s singing of “old songs and comic songs learnt from his grandfather Arthur Smith, his uncle Bob Scarce, Cyril Poacher, Bob Hart and others”, as the notes explain. This singing was centred around Blaxhall Ship pub, which is of course well documented as a place with a long-standing tradition of such activity, about which the CD booklet gives some information, although there were certainly also several other pubs in the vicinity which hosted regular singing nights too. (1) The album was recorded live at Sheffield’s New Musical Traditions Club in November 2025, where Veteran director Mossy Christian writes that “it was a pleasure to hear Alvar in such good voice.” (2) 

He certainly is. What we have here is a good selection of songs, comic and serious, which Alvar has picked up from family and community over the years, and the track list reads as a veritable catalogue of material that is familiar to anyone with an interest in traditional singing in the area. Most have been recorded by other singers, some by several, but Alvar does bring his distinctive stamp to them in every way, despite this familiarity. Of the singers mentioned previously, many recordings were made of Bob Scarce, Bob Hart and Cyril Poacher, and Alvar’s grandfather Arthur can be heard singing A Sailor and his True Love and Health to the Barley Mow on the Folktrax CD Saturday Night in a Suffolk Pub, with recordings made by Peter Kennedy, (3) and seen singing the latter on Kennedy’s film The Barley Mow. (4) Alvar’s version of the former is included here; there is certainly a true continuity of tradition in this respect. Alvar was exposed to the music from an early age, having spent much of his childhood with his grandparents in Blaxhall. However, he didn’t actually take up active singing on a regular basis until he retired from being a gamekeeper at the age of 65. The story of a young man exposed to music, and often being actively involved with it, at an age free from responsibility, and then giving it up to start and support a family, to return to it later, is a common enough one. However, Alvar’s profession made it more imperative that he followed this course of action, as he relates in the booklet notes: “I didn’t go in there at all when I was working. I was gamekeeping you see, and you didn’t wanna go in to pubs, then poachers knew where you were – they’d only gotta look through the window! I didn’t go in again until I retired”. (5) Be that as it may, since retirement Alvar has taken up singing with a vengeance and sings regularly in The Ship and elsewhere. It is therefore wonderful to have a full album of his material. 

The CD starts off with Katie Howson giving us the step dance tune Pigeon on the Gate whilst Alvar narrates about his childhood, music and gamekeeping – a nod perhaps to the opening of the CD Good Order! Ladies and Gentlemen Please? (6) – where the BBC announcer sets out the proceedings over step dancing by Louisa Howard, accompanied by a melodeon player. Whether or not, it’s an effective introduction, setting the scene for what follows: eighteen songs, nearly all unaccompanied, but with occasional backing from Katie Howson’s melodeon or Mossy Christian’s concertina, this being unobtrusive and appropriately supporting Alvar’s vocal lines.

The singing starts appropriately with The Nutting Girl, forever associated with Cyril Poacher, from whom Alvar learned it. (7) It’s an auspicious start: sure and engaging with this old local classic. This is followed by the jocular music hall Slap Dab, also associated with Cyril Poacher, a nice change of pace and ambience. It has to be said that this is the case throughout the CD programming – a good intermixing of the ballads and serious stuff with the more light-hearted material. It reflects what would probably comprise a night’s singing from a company and works very well. The magnificent Bold General Wolfe follows, a version from Bob Hart, as the notes attest, but also sung regularly by Bob Scarce, including his wonderful version on Neil Lanham’s Blaxhall Ship recordings. (8) Alvar treats it with suitable gravitas; he certainly holds his own compared with the other singers. The pace and mood changes again with the bouncy, concertina-accompanied Underneath Her Apron, another much-loved song locally. Then we have Wheel Your Perambulator, John, seemingly a music hall number if ever there was one, although its origins are rather uncertain, and Alvar’s version rolls along nicely, accompanied by Katie Howson’s melodeon. The CD tune notes give the caveat that “the humour in the final verse is in bad taste by the standards of today”, with its comic depiction of – ludicrous – spouse ill-treatment, but all I can say is that Alvar had no problem delivering it at the album launch in Stowmarket very recently where, with his self-deprecating grin, it only engendered smiles and laughter. (9) 

More comic fare follows with Running Up and Down Our Stairs, light and with outdated humour (as the notes maintain), but still with Alvar showing good command of the material, and then Chickens in the Garden, in much the same way – a light and easy-going song that would fit into almost any rural environment anywhere, actually written by the African-American composer James A Bland, and published in 1883. (10) Quite a testament to how far these composed songs, disseminated by sheet music before the age of recorded sound, could go. A more sober mood is then invoked by the sentimental May I Come Home Again and A Boy’s Best Friend Is His Mother, both from Bob Scarce. Folklorist A L Lloyd was famously very disparaging about Norfolk singer Walter Pardon’s love of such sentimental and ‘lightweight’ material, even though he greatly appreciated him as a singer, and to modern ears the sentiments expressed in such songs are perhaps difficult to find resonance with, but they were beloved of many traditional singers and formed a core part of their repertoires. Alvar’s assured delivery breathes life into both songs and provides an interesting window into what was popular in times past, whilst still managing to entertain contemporary audiences. 

Solid traditional fare makes up the rest of the album. Faithful Sailor Boy – in this instance from Cyril Poacher again – is very popular in this region and elsewhere, although not actually of any great antiquity. Alvar follows the fine tradition, with a robust performance. Probably even more popular is A Sailor and His True Love – more commonly Pleasant and Delightful or sometimes The Larks They Sang Melodious. (11) As mentioned, this – the title track of the CD – was recorded from Alvar’s grandfather Arthur, by Peter Kennedy in 1953. It’s quite a tour-de-force in Alvar’s hands, or rather with his voice, his dialect-rich delivery bringing out the story in fine style. Further local and national favourites Flash Company and The Handsome Cabin Boy continue to showcase the local preferences in song and Alvar yet again shows himself master of the material. The wistful I Wish I Was Single Again changes the mood and again Alvar’s delivery does it full justice. The bawdy Little Ball Of Yarn provides yet another change of tone: a cheerful piece of erotic jocularity, long popular with country singers on both sides of the Atlantic. The album ends with the lightweight compendium of comic verses of To Ra Loo, very popular, usually with a title something similar to this one or from one of the lines, such as Hold Yer Row, taken from Norfolk singer, dulcimer player and step dancer Walter Jeary, to give another local version. (12) It’s a fitting end – with a smile – to a fine set of songs from this superlative singer. 

Alvar Smith has a fine, powerful dialect-inflected voice. He sounds like those he learned from, particularly Cyril Poacher, but he is also very much his own man. Only very occasionally is there the hint of strain in his performance due to age. This is certainly not the product of an old boy in his dotage running through uncertain versions of material from a moribund, unappreciated tradition. There is real life and vigour here, also the consummate skill in handling an audience of the seasoned performer – whether it be on concert stage or in local pub. His recent performance in Stowmarket, alluded to earlier, to launch the CD, demonstrated a man totally at ease with his audience, a mixed group of people and ages who were thoroughly enjoying the experience. It was probably a very wise choice to record Alvar in front of an audience. The immediacy comes across and it works very well. 

This must be the first full-length album devoted to a traditional singer from East Anglia since Veteran released Ray Hubbard’s Norfolk Bred (VT155CD) in 2007. (13) There have, to the best of my knowledge, been very few released in this vein from anywhere else in Britain in the last few decades either – aside from private releases – with Topic’s last effort being Sheila Stewart’s From the Heart of the Tradition (TSCD515) of 2000 and Veteran’s Will Noble: It’s Gritstone for Me (VT161CD) of 2017: albums reflecting a vibrant and active performer with a considerable repertoire. On that basis alone, this Alvar Smith album is very important. One consideration I had before embarking upon this review is that it is difficult to evaluate a disc by someone you know – someone with whom you had a lengthy conversation not many days ago – with the risk of compromising objectivity but, leaving such qualms aside, I have to state that I wholeheartedly recommend it: to anyone with any interest in traditional singing from East Anglia, with a closer interest in the singing tradition of Blaxhall Ship and its environs, but also in a much broader sense, because it is a wonderful example – and an increasingly rare one – of a superb English traditional singer at the height of his powers with a fantastic and varied, but also largely familiar, repertoire. It can be obtained from Veteran veteran.co.uk 

Chris Holderness September 2026 Notes: 

01: See, for example, Ginette Dunn’s survey: The Fellowship of Song: Popular Singing Traditions in East Suffolk Croom Helm (1980) 

02: CD booklet, p.1 

03: Folktrax Ftx 036. There are several recordings featuring these singers, and details are given in the CD booklet, but one of particular relevance is: Songs from the Idiom of the People of

Blaxhall (no cat. no.), a 2 CD set featuring Neil Lanham’s 1960s recordings from the pub, on his Helions Bumpstead Gramophone Company label. 

04: The film is part of the Topic CD/DVD package: The Barley Mow TSCD676D (2014). 05: From the biography section of the booklet notes: p.3. 

06: Veteran VT140CD Good Order! (2000). The presenter is probably the composer E J Moeran. For information about Moeran collecting traditional songs in Norfolk and Suffolk, see: Chris Holderness: E J Moeran: Collecting folk songs in East Norfolk – in his own words MT219 (18/01/09) mustrad.mainlynorfolk.info 

07: Cyril Poacher can be heard singing the song on The Broomfield Wager Topic 12TS252 (1975), Plenty of Thyme Musical Traditions MTCD303 (1999) and Neil Lanham’s Blaxhall Ship 2CD set, as no 03, above. 

08: Bob Hart’s version can be heard on Songs from Suffolk Topic 12TS225 (1973) and A Broadside Musical Traditions MTCD301-2 (1998). Bob Scarce’s version can be heard on A Soldier’s Life for Me Caedmon TC 1164 (1961) and Topic 12T196 (1971) as well as on Neil Lanham’s Baxhall Ship 2CD set, as no 03, above. 

09: Although domestic spouse ill-treatment is no laughing matter, it does seem to have been the subject of much rough, ludicrous humour over the years, as witness the antics of Mr Punch in the ‘Punch and Judy’ shows, where it manifests itself very violently. Certainly what’s on offer in the song here is comic rather than ugly. 

10: A prolific composer, James Bland is probably most remembered today for Oh, Dem Golden Slippers, which is rarely sung but played very frequently as an instrumental tune. Another local recording of Chickens in the Garden is Harry Green’s, Treat My Daughter Kindly, released on Veteran CD The Fox and the Hare VT135CD (2010) – reviewed in a previous newsletter.

11: For another version from Blaxhall Ship, see the XTRA LP The Larks They Sang Melodious XTRA 1141 (1974), where it is sung by Bob Scarce (recorded very shortly before he passed away). This LP has been reviewed in a previous newsletter. 

12: Recorded by Peter Clifton and Ann-Marie Hulme in Northrepps, Norfolk, in 1977. A version based on this can be heard on the CD Rig-a-Jig-Jig and Friends All Ashore Sounds of East Anglia SEA003. Another Suffolk version is Percy Ling’s on Topic LP The Ling Family 12TS292 (1977), as The Man all Tattered and Torn. This LP has been reviewed in a previous newsletter.

13: Reviewed in a previous newsletter.

Following on from a busy August, with both Folk East and our stand-alone event in North Lopham, September has proven to be a busy time, with involvement in both Bungay Folk Festival and the Traditional Music Day in Stowmarket. 

For the former we were assigned the glorious Three Tuns in the town centre, with its warren of rooms, stairs and hallways, and decided upon the cellar, which contrived to give a suitable atmosphere and good acoustics, with its low ceiling and stone and wood floor. A couple of hours of the usual mixture of song, tunes and step dancing followed. As well as the usual stalwarts, it was great to have some new faces – and voices – contributing, with some people drifting in and out across the proceedings as they made their way around festival events, and a considerable number staying for the duration. In all, there was considerable interest in the music, with the dulcimers unsurprisingly piquing people’s curiosity to a great extent. It was gratifying to be part of the festival. 

The Traditional Music Day in Stowmarket saw us in the British Legion, which certainly proved to be an amenable and welcoming venue. First up was a tune workshop in the late morning with about a dozen people attending to run through a selection of tune types – jigs, waltzes, hornpipes, polkas and schottisches – with tunes with a local provenance. We got through quite a few in the hour and a half and hopefully such exposure – and enthusiastic participation from those present – will serve to help give the tunes wider currency. 

Later on in the afternoon saw the “Tune-Up” event itself and it has to be said that at first it did seem as if it wouldn’t take off. There were so many things happening, with people here, there and everywhere, that people who had said they’d take part weren’t anywhere to be seen – although some had said they’d be delayed. Anyway, several of us decided gamely that we should run through some tunes and hope for the best. Mercifully, before too long at all the hall began to fill as people began to arrive, step dancers appeared, and more performers in general turned up. So, panic over, we settled into a vibrant few hours of music, to what soon became a packed hall. A great atmosphere ensued, with many contributions of song from several people ranged around the room. Special mention must be made of Dick Miles, who came all the way from Ireland to take part, and Martha Harwood, who made her fiddle debut with a rendering of Walter Bulwer’s Polka No 3, to much applause. In all, it was a very enjoyable occasion and, as always, it’s great to incorporate a “Tune-Up” into a wider event, as well as the separate ones in various places, as we usually have. 

With the frantic summer season coming to an end, we are back to the monthly stand-alone events, which will continue for the foreseeable future – as long as there’s enough interest to make them viable. Next up is Dereham Cock on Sunday 18th October, from 3.00 to 6.00. 

We hope to see you there!

Chris Holderness September 2026

Through the hesitant sunshine we headed to the picturesque and newly-thatched King’s Head, in another foray into the south of the county, this time to North Lopham. The spacious bar given over to us proved to be a perfect place, with its low ceiling and wooden floor. The bar filled up and we had a pleasant mix of familiar faces and new, our ranks being swelled by several singers and musicians from across the border. This gave great variety to the usual programme of local song, music and step dance. Highlights, as ever, were the dulcimer duets of Richard Blake and Tom Knight, and the varied instances of step dance, from four practitioners, all with their own unique styles. There was also a great selection of songs, including some wonderful harmony singing. Special mention must be made of Michael Czarnobaj, not only for coming all the way from Ely, as he does so regularly, but also for performing the broom dance, with a broom borrowed from the pub for the purpose. 

In all, it was an enjoyable occasion, with our usual traditional fare, and great to see some new faces amongst the stalwarts. It would be great to give the pub a return visit at some point in the future. In the meantime, the “Tune-Up” events continue monthly, with dates being finalised for 2027. Catch us at the Trust’s Traditional Music Day on 19th September, in the British Legion, with a tune workshop preceding it for those wishing to have a run through a selection of tunes of different types from our repertoire – see the programme for full details. Our next ‘stand-alone’ event follows that, at Dereham Cock on Sunday 18th October. As ever, we hope to see you then. 

Chris Holderness August 2026

In 1952, as part of his extensive collecting of traditional music and song in Britain and Ireland for the BBC, Peter Kennedy found himself in the north Norfolk area of Blakeney and Morston. Here he collected country dance tunes, primarily from Blakeney blacksmith Herbert Smith, information about the dances and a few songs. These, along with more material collected locally by Kennedy on another trip in 1955 and by Seamus Ennis in 1956, were eventually released, firstly on cassette, then later as a CD, as Norfolk Village Songs and Dances. (1) Prior to that, some of the material had been used in at least one of the As I Roved Out series of radio programmes, broadcast on Sunday mornings. (2)

Before we delve into the contents, it’s as well perhaps to consider the provenance of the release of this material. The story seems to be that, on leaving his employment with the BBC, Kennedy took all of the recordings he and others had made with him, claiming them as his own. He then released them in a large series of cassettes on his Folktracks – later Folktrax – label. They were subsequently reissued as CDs, with sparse information, aside from track listings, and a distinctly low-rent feel about them. Considerable controversy has raged about this situation and the products themselves and I don’t wish to go into that here. Suffice to say that these releases were at least a way of obtaining these wonderful – essential – recordings, until Peter Kennedy’s death, after which they became unavailable. Topic Records obtained the rights to the material and started a reissue programme (3), but only a fraction has been made available and that includes nothing from the disc in question. It unfortunately means that the material is very difficult to find. More about the presentation later, but at least the music was released for a while, even if in far from optimum form, from what was by any standards an incredibly productive initiative, producing a large body of priceless recordings of the musical heritage of the British Isles.

Anyway, to return to the content of the disc under review: this north Norfolk coastal area proved to be a fruitful one. In the neighbouring villages of Morston and Blakeney Kennedy found reference to the Long Dance and a tune to accompany it. Ann Mary Bullimore, then landlady of Morston Anchor, gives a delightful description of the dance, which took place in “our barn”, as she describes the annex or lean-to room on the side of the pub (easily visible in old photographs of the place) and also plays the tune for the dance on the pub piano, increasing speed as she does so (although this doesn’t seem to have happened when accompanying the dance). Peter Kennedy, by his own admission, decided that ‘long dance tune’, or something similar, wasn’t name enough for the tune, and decided to call it Rig-a-Jig-Jig, the title of a play-party song of the nineteenth century. (4) The song has no connection whatsoever with the tune – it was merely Kennedy’s whim – but it is as Rig-a-Jig-Jig that this Long Dance tune has gone into wider currency.

In neighbouring Blakeney, Kennedy also recorded the tune from fiddler Herbert Smith. (5) He plays it with the clear intonation and solid rhythm of a seasoned player for dances, being about 60 at the time the recording was made. Here we have a local tune for a local version of the ubiquitous Long Dance, from neighbouring villages, played by people for whom the dance, and others, was an integral part of their social events. The late Barry Callaghan was quoted as saying in 2007 that the tune is “a favourite jig widespread throughout East Anglia.” (6) This isn’t really the case. The recordings from Smith and Bullimore seem to be the only ones made; it doesn’t appear anywhere else in Norfolk, or elsewhere in East Anglia. In fact it seems to be a very rare example of a tune with very limited location, as far as a narrow ‘traditional’ rationale is concerned. It has of course become very widespread throughout the Folk Revival. What Barry Callaghan was probably referring to was that John and Katie Howson’s Old Hat Band played the tune, (7) which doubtless was responsible for it being picked up locally. More nationally, its eventual popularity was probably due in the main due to seminal revival band Oak recording it. (8)

Be that as it may, both Ann Mary Bullimore and Herbert Smith give very spirited performances of the tune. There is also quite a bit more from Herbert Smith, and to these ears this material is worth the price of admission alone. Aside from Rig-a-Jig-Jig (to stay with its new name), he gives us more jigs with Tommy Make Room For Your Uncle and Starry Night For a Ramble, the latter rather different from the EFDSS-published version, which seems to have gained wider currency. (9) Snippets of talk, not all included on the CD, have him mentioning such tunes being used for dancing locally. We also get the hornpipes The Four Hand Reel and Blakeney Hornpipe, the latter a version of The Lass on the Strand and the former quite remarkably different from more common versions of the tune. (10) We also have a version of the Heel and Toe Polka and another untitled one. Herbert Smith says, “Take your partners for a polka” before launching into an un-named three-part tune which then merges into the ubiquitous Oh Joe, the Boat is Going Over. This tune, divorced from the Oh Joe part, now has fairly wide currency locally and has been recorded by several prominent revival musicians. (11) We also have a Highland Schottische tune, which seems to be totally unrelated to any other tune of that, or similar, name, and a version of the Varsovienna, with his comments as to how the tune fits the dance. Clearly, Herbert Smith has had a considerable influence on local musicians and the wider ‘English Country Music’ revival, despite the limited nature of the availability of the recordings. His highly rhythmic, relatively unadorned style and clear tone would be ideally suited for the dances he played for locally. (12) What is also remarkable is the fact that his tunes – or versions of tunes – are unusual, both for the area and more generally. Herbert Smith was a sterling example of an English country fiddler. For that reason alone, and given that there aren’t really that many examples of such players, this recording is of paramount interest and importance.

There is more to the disc than Herbert Smith though. Thirty tracks in total, although one is a snippet of Smith demonstrating his tuning – and the fact that he tuned his fiddle a tone low, which does not seem to have been an unusual practice. (13) Of further dance tunes we have a very sprightly Yarmouth Hornpipe on mouth organ, played by Leslie Lawson, the same tune also given here by Percy Brown, with ‘Shrimp’ Davies step dancing. Percy Brown, a melodeon player who lived near Aylsham, (14) was of course another musician who has exerted great influence on the Revival, although probably not through these recordings. (15) His muscular and rhythmic playing was much in demand to accompany dancing, and particularly step dancing.(16) He also sings the light Kitty Gray and, to finish off the CD, gives us Sheringham Breakdown, in conjunction with fellow melodeon player Bob Thompson, to accompany an un-named step dancer. Bob Thompson does not seem to have any tracks released elsewhere and remains a less well-known figure, although the late step dancer Richard Davies of Cromer remembered him playing. Here he also gives us an alternative (and perhaps more usual) Heel and Toe Polka. A third melodeon player – showcasing what was undoubtedly the region’s most common instrument for pub music and to accompany step dancing – is Albert Hewitt, father of renowned step dancer Dick Hewitt, and certainly no slouch himself as dancer and musician. Here we have the Southrepps Hornpipe (17) and The Breakdown, as given – actually Sheringham Breakdown again. All three show their prowess as dance musicians, Thompson and Brown with similar styles on two-row instruments and Hewitt more austere with his one-row playing. Step dancing really needs to be seen, of course, to be experienced properly, but the two step dance tracks work very well, the CD ending on a spirited note as a step dancer comes in about half way through the track. It’s a shame we aren’t told who they are.

As well as the instrumental music, there are also ten songs, as well as a short track of Herbert Smith talking about singing contests locally. Phil Hamond of Morston, a blind ex-army major, gives us Still I Love Him, accompanied by his own melodeon, and the unaccompanied The Foggy Dew. His rich dialect-inflected singing somewhat belies his background and social status. (18) The Foggy Dew is common enough in East Anglia; Hammond’s tune is quite unusual for this well-known song. Neville Grout of Cromer sings the emigration song Castle Gardens, to melodeon accompaniment, although the notes don’t state whether it’s his own. (On aural evidence it doesn’t appear to be.) This proceeds at a leisurely lilt, a track slightly marred by a bit of pitch fluctuation. Blakeney’s Billy Dickerson gives us the locally-composed The Young Girls of Blakeney, a fanciful paean to the girls of the village. The remainder of the tracks seem to have been recorded in Southrepps and some were undoubtedly taken down by Seamus Ennis on his visit there in 1956. (19) Sid Load gives us the sly and once-popular Rap-a-Tap-Tap (Farmer’s Servant), one song broadcast in As I Roved Out in January 1955. (20) He certainly relishes the story in the song. Leslie Bane gives us a steady and clear The Dark-Eyed Sailor and Faithful Sailor Boy, both perennial East Anglian favourites; an excerpt of the former was also broadcast in January 1955, in the same programme. Another track given here which was broadcast as above was Leslie Lawson’s magnificently paced The Dolphin. Finally we have a couple of tracks certainly recorded by Seamus Ennis – he took many songs, although often just fragments, from brothers Harry and Ben Baxter in Southrepps Vernon Arms – the latter was the landlord. Here Harry Baxter gives us a soft-voiced Blow the Candle Out and then both brothers perform a rousing In Scarborough, a rare example of unison singing from the area.

So, Norfolk Village Songs and Dances gives us a wonderful selection of music recorded in the 1950s, a time when there were still a great many practitioners in evidence, even if elderly. It is of course just a tiny fraction of the material collected in the British Isles at the time. There are three volumes devoted to Harry Cox, for instance, to give a local example. This disc, running at a little under an hour, gives us a supreme collection of music from this tradition in north Norfolk. It is a crying shame that it has never had a ‘proper’ release with presentation and notes of which it is worthy. An example of the shoddy packaging is that the monochrome inlay contains a picture of a fiddler, but it isn’t even Herbert Smith. When asked about it, Peter Kennedy admitted that he was just looking for a suitable photo, didn’t have one of Smith or any of the other performers, and so used one of Lincolnshire fiddler James Fussey. (21) That requires no further comment as to the respect accorded the material. More importantly, the disc has been long unavailable and Topic Records seem to have stopped their reissue programme years ago. One can only surmise that there just isn’t sufficient interest in the material in this country to warrant the expense of packaging it properly and reissuing it in a form worthy of the material. In some places, box sets of discs of such material might be issued, with weighty booklets of information to accompany them – Yazoo Records’ 7 CD set of Kentucky Mountain Music springs to mind as an example of such specialist-interest material (22), but there are many others – but sadly there does not seem to be much interest in England’s traditional musical heritage, apart from the relatively small amount of aficionados, and so I strongly suspect that the material will remain unissued.
Be that as it may, this is a superlative recording. The Herbert Smith tracks are essential and all of it is wonderful stuff. In lieu of any alternative at present, find someone who has a copy of this gem and ask them to make you a copy!

Chris Holderness August 2026

Notes:
1. The album was first released as a cassette and then, in expanded form, as Ftx 328. No date given.
2. Broadcast on 02.01.55. A copy of most of it is in the Russell Wortley Collection in the British Library. See: Chris Holderness: MT221: Southrepps: Singing and step dancing in a north Norfolk village (27.01.09) mustard.mainlynorfolk.info for more details.
3. Six releases of Peter Kennedy material were released, some multiple CDs, under the editorship of Reg Hall, as an extension of Topic’s Voice of the People series. 4. Words are given at tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:Rig-a-jig.
5. See: Chris Holderness: MT179: Herbert Smith: Fiddling Blacksmith of Blakeney (08.08.06) – as 2 above – for details of Herbert Smith’s life.
6. Mentioned in The Traditional Tune Archive, as 4 above.
7. A recording is on The Old Hat Concert Party OH1CD (1999 – CD reissue) 8. Oak: Welcome to Our Fair Topic 12TS212 (1971)
9. The Old Swan Band recorded Starry Night… as Starry Night For a Randy on No Reels Free Reed FRR 011 (1976), mishearing, according to Rod Stradling, Herbert Smith’s title.
10. The Old Swan Band also recorded Blakeney Hornpipe as Blakeney Breakdown on No Reels, as 9 above. Rod Stradling told me that the only way he could get the recordings
originally was by sneaking a tape recorder into Cecil Sharp House; Jim Eldon recorded The Four Hand Reel on The Brid Fiddler Stick SDCD003 (2004 – CD reissue). 11. Herbert Smith’s Polka was recorded by Webb’s Wonders on Bob Davenport: Down the Long Road Topic 12TS274 (1975); Tufty Swift: How to Make a Bakewell Tart Free Reed FRR 017 (1977).
12. For more details about Herbert Smith’s playing and that of other East Anglian fiddlers see: Chris Holderness: The Devil’s Box in the East – Traditional Fiddle Playing in Norfolk and Suffolk (08/24) www.eatmt.org.uk.
13. Another example is Herefordshire fiddler Stephen Baldwin: English Village Fiddler Leader LED 2068 (1976) and Here’s One You’ll Like, I Think MTCD334 (2005). 14. See: Chris Holderness: MT211: Percy Brown: Aylsham melodeon player (30.11.07) – as 2 above – for details of his life and music.
15. Some tracks of Percy Brown’s playing were included on English Country Music from East Anglia Topic 12TS229 (1973). This was very influential – reviewed in a previous newsletter.
16. See: MT211, as 14 above, and Chris Holderness: MT291: The dancing Davies: Step dancing fishermen of Cromer (11.02.14) – as 2 above – for more information about step dancing in the area.
17. The names of Yarmouth Hornpipe and Sheringham Breakdown seem very long-standing and widely-used in the area. It’s unclear whether Blakeney Hornpipe and Southrepps Hornpipe were equally so, or added by the collectors. Katie Howson plays a version of the latter on The Old Hat Concert Party – as 7 above – where she calls it Albert Hewitt’s Hornpipe.
18. See: Chris Holderness: MT198: Billy Lown and Philip Hamond: two north Norfolk singers (01.02.07) – as 2, above – for information about Phil Hamond.
19. Full details given in Chris Holderness: MT221, as 2 above. The article contains photographs of Seamus Ennis collecting in the pub; Ben and Harry Baxter can be heard more fully on As I Roved Out: Songs from Norfolk: Ben and Harry Baxter (Folktrax Ftx 234).
20. More details of the broadcast of 02.03.55 are given in Chris Holderness: MT221, as 2 and 19, above.
21. James Fussey’s playing can be heard on Folklife Feasts and Customs of Cambridge and the Fens (Folktrax Ftx 423).
22. Various: Kentucky Mountain Music (Classic Recordings of the 1920s and 1930s) Yazoo 2200 (2003).