A big thank you to everyone who joined our event in Long Melford on Sunday 28 June – and who made it so welcoming for some of the newer attendees! We had songs from Johnny, Nick, Pauline, Colin & Karen, plus tunes from Otis Luxton, Colin & Karen, Johnny, Pauline, and a few more musicians; a great range of tunes and songs with some true East Anglian classics in the mix (Redwing and Oh Joe The Boat Is Going Over, amongst others). Special thank you to Johnny for leading an impromptu country dancing session, teaching some of the younger attendees the Heel & Toe Polka – beautifully danced!
It was great to welcome plenty of people who were new to EATMT events, and to see so many people trying out jig dolls to accompany the music – and even better, at least one audience member is now keen to seek out other opportunities for folk and traditional song. We’ve obviously recommended Long Melford Folk Club (second Friday of the month, from 8pm, at Long Melford’s Cock & Bell pub) but if you know of any other nearby favourite folk clubs, singarounds, or other welcoming events, let us know!
Here for perusal are a couple of LPs of the singing tradition in Suffolk, both released in the 1970s, the Ling Family disc in 1977 and Flash Company in 1974. Both feature largely well-known singers who had significant contact with the wider world of enthusiasts once they had been ‘discovered’ and acted as source performers in that milieu – the ‘real thing’! (1)
Irish folk song expert John Moulden reviewed the first of these, scathingly, in 1978 (2). In a discussion of the Ling Family disc and also Johnny Doughty’s Round Rye Bay for More album (3) – about which he was equally unenthusiastic – he commented, “In the context of an impoverished tradition, singers like the ones on disc 2 have their place as song carriers. But being an Irishman and living in an area where good singing is to be found quite easily, I doubt whether I will be able to force myself to listen to this record again. Is it really a service to folk music to publish such style-less and boring stuff?”
Stiff dismissal indeed. To be fair, Mr Moulden later contended that “since the value of a singer and his performance does not count in tradition but only the singing, I have to confess that my strictures had no point whatsoever”, whilst still maintaining that he hadn’t changed his mind about the LPs. (4) Fair enough, if that was his opinion, but “an impoverished tradition”? Surely that area of Suffolk had anything but an impoverished singing tradition, given the status of venues like Blaxhall Ship, Snape Crown and Eastbridge Eel’s Foot, as well as the recordings of Peter Kennedy, Neil Lanham and others in the heady days of the 1950s and early 1960s. (5) Granted, the tradition was in something of a decline, perhaps, as it was not being taken up by a younger generation, but the material collected by Ginette Dunn and Keith Summers in that decade would suggest that it was still in a healthy state at that point at least, whatever the future may bring. (6)
It is from Keith Summers’ recordings that the first LP, The Ling Family, is taken, one of several discs of his field recordings released by Topic around that time. (7) What we have is a selection of songs from two brothers, George (b 1904) and Geoff (b 1916), and their cousin Percy (b 1906), from the large Ling family of singers (8) from Blaxhall, Suffolk. The Ship in the village needs no introduction as the premier singing pub of the area and the Lings were foremost as singers there for countless years, passing on the songs down through the generations, where “transmission of songs from them (the older ones – a group of brothers) to younger members of the family was common,” as Ginette Dunn comments in the sleeve notes.
George Ling gives us six songs, all at a fair pace. It is interesting that he moved to Croydon as a young man, in 1926, and lived there for the rest of his life, having already absorbed a fair repertoire before leaving the area. He sings in an assured, brisk way, giving us here a good selection of solid traditional fare: On Board the Leicester Castle, The Lakes of Coolfin, The Deserter and Jolly Jack the Sailor, as well as the Napoleonic epic The Bonny Bunch of Roses and that sturdy East Anglian favourite Nancy of Yarmouth. His younger brother Geoff, who stayed in the area, has a slower, declamatory style. Of the five songs here, once again there is solid traditional fare, with Green Bushes (actually regarded by the family as George’s song) (9), Died for Love, Little Ball of Yarn and On the Banks of the Clyde, as well as A Group of Young Squaddies, which perhaps seems cloyingly sentimental to modern ears (whereas the more traditional material does seem somewhat timeless by comparison), but which is quite representative of that type of song which occurred frequently in rural singers’ repertoires.
Percy Ling, from whom we have five songs, gives us the equally sentimental Little Sweetheart. His pace is very similar to Geoff’s: unhurried and deliberate. There is a vein of comedy in his material, with the bawdy The Lobster and The Man All Tattered and Torn. Also present are two perennial Suffolk favourites: Fagin the Cobbler and Underneath Her Apron; the former, in which the protagonist sometimes bears a different name, deals with the situation of an alcoholic wife, who is eventually reformed, and the second the predicament of an unexpectedly-pregnant young girl, rather light-hearted treatment of both of these circumstances, it has to be said, but popular nonetheless. (10) Of his performing, Percy comments in the sleeve notes, that, “I first started singing in pubs when I was 18 – you had to be the right age that time of day. I had some good nights in Tunstall Green Man, Snape Plough, The Eel’s Foot, Butley Oyster and Blaxhall Ship. I picked up songs from all over.”
And so it seems: Geoff and Percy as regular singers in the pubs of the area, and George too when back on visits. A selection of songs from three men whose repertoire was grounded in the family and area. The previously mentioned John Moulden commented, in another review – that of Irish singer Mary Ann Carolan’s Topic record (11) – “Is it necessary to say that records of traditional singing are always a disappointment?…Even the best recording is a poor substitute for the raw bar. Further they compress experience in a well nigh intolerable way, putting a night of songs, or a fortnight’s, into three quarters of an hour and without any of the ambience.” He does have a point, it has to be conceded. There is no substitute for experiencing a performance live, in its actuality, but what if that is no longer possible? Surely even as a document of something no longer extant it is worth preserving. I would venture to say that it does. As to “style-less and boring stuff”, I would certainly have to disagree. I will admit that the first time I heard the LP I wasn’t overly impressed; it was all somehow too austere. Time, much further listening and a much greater appreciation of what the singing tradition entails, has led me to revise that view considerably. Although all three men have their own distinct style, there is also something very typical of east Suffolk performances with all of them. All three are vibrant bearers of this tradition.
Which brings us on to the second disc which, on the face of it, seems rather similar to the first: both have the rather austere-looking sleeves which Topic favoured at the time (and which I have to say I do rather like) and both feature three local male singers. Two of them, Bob Hart and Percy Webb, are from the same area of Suffolk as the Lings, above, and the third, Ernest Austin, from Great Bentley in Essex. The album was released in 1974 and comprised recordings of Bob Hart and Ernest Austin by Tony Engle in 1973, together with live recordings of Percy Webb at The King’s Head, Islington, in 1968 (it doesn’t say by whom). In the sleeve notes Mike Yates talks of Vaughan Williams collecting songs in Essex and then goes on to state, “Although collectors were active in other parts of England, time has shown that it is only in East Anglia that such traditions now remain to anything like a similar extent,” with the inference that these three men were fine examples of this then-continuing tradition, which indeed they were.
The LP kicks off appropriately with that perennial local favourite, The Bold Princess Royal, sung by Bob Hart – who at this point had already had a full LP of his singing issued. (12) He has a rather gentle, soft style compared with many of his singing companions. There are countless performances of this song, and certainly Bob Hart’s is as good as any. Much the same can be said for the breezy Seventeen Come Sunday, which follows it. Good, solid traditional fare, with life breathed into them by his assured delivery. The remainder of the LP side is given over to Percy Webb, with four live tracks. Here we have crowd-pleasing favourites, well-paced and with the opportunity for the audience to join in at times, which they can be heard doing on occasion. The Faithful Sailor Boy, Flash Company, Wheel Your P’rambulator and Go and Leave Me: all lively and well-suited to Percy Webb’s declamatory style. He was regarded as being the life and soul of any singing session, and here he doesn’t disappoint. With reference to the previous contention about the sterility of non-live circumstances, whether or not the fact that these are live performances gives them more immediacy is a moot point: I would venture that it’s not really the case here.
Side two includes four more tracks by Bob Hart. If his other two performances were of staunchly traditional material, here there is more variety. There are traditional songs in the form of the sly Rap-a-Tap-Tap, which must have been the delight of farm workers, with its tale of one of their number having greater sexual prowess than their employer, much to the satisfaction of that employer’s wife, and the very common Barbara Allen. The first was common enough in East Anglia, the latter all over the English-speaking world. Once again, Bob Hart gives us enjoyable versions in which the stories unfold effortlessly. We also get more recent material in the form of The Gypsy’s Warning, a song of American origin from the 1860s, and The Song of the Thrush, a music hall number set in Australia. The remainder of the side is given over to two tracks by Ernest Austin: the old warhorse John Barleycorn (13) and a composite of Hares on the Mountain / The Knife in the Window, which I suppose deal together with different aspects of relationships between women and men! Although with a very different delivery, Ernest Austin also has a somewhat ‘quiet’ style, in a similar vein to Bob Hart. (14) In all, a dozen tracks of a fair selection of songs, mostly fairly typical of the kind of material that was sung locally by pub singers, by three veteran practitioners.
All three performers were predominantly land workers, although Bob Hart did spend quite a lot of time at sea as a trawlerman, which undoubtedly had some bearing on his repertoire. All were born in the 1890s. Their repertoires collectively stretch back into the Nineteenth Century, showing a considerable continuity with the past. Not that this is surprising, given the nature of the tradition they were part of. On that basis this album is a valuable addition to the many that Topic Records released in the 1970s, dealing with East Anglian traditions, as well as elsewhere. So, what we have here is a pair of LPs of local traditional singing, from an area which still had a vibrant tradition within living memory and of which these men were prime practitioners. They probably would not be a good starting point for someone curious but inexperienced with reference to this tradition, being rather austere as they are, but to enthusiasts they contain riches a-plenty. Certainly they are vital to anyone interested in the singing tradition in east Suffolk, or indeed in East Anglia more generally.
Chris Holderness June 2026
Notes:
1. Four of the singers – Geoff Ling, Percy Ling, Bob Hart and Percy Webb – all appear on The Larks They Sang Melodious Transatlantic XTRA XTRS 1141 which is a record of a meeting of the ‘tradition’ and the ‘revival’ – reviewed in a previous newsletter
3. Johnny Doughty: Round Rye Bay for More – Traditional Songs From the Sussex Coast 12TS324, released in 1977
4. As No 2, above
5. A great many recordings were released by Peter Kennedy on Folktrax and Neil Lanham on the Helions Bumpstead Gramophone Company label, but none are in print. Of interest and available are: Good Order! Ladies and Gentlemen Please Veteran VT140CD (Recordings from Eastbridge Eel’s Foot) and The Barley Mow Topic TSCD676D (Peter Kennedy recordings and Blaxhall Ship film)
6. See: Ginette Dunn: The Fellowship of Song Croom Helm, 1980. CD collections of Keith Summers’ local recordings are Good Hearted Fellows Veteran VT154CD, 2006, and A Story to Tell Musical Traditions MTCD339-0 (2 CD set), 2007. Reviews of both can be found at mustrad.mainlynorfolk.info See also note 7
7. Two LPs: The Earl Soham Slog: Step Dance and Country Music From Suffolk Topic 12TS374, 1978, and Sing, Say and Play: Traditional Songs and Music From Suffolk 12TS375, 1978
8. The LP sleeve notes by Ginette Dunn give much information about the family, as does her book – No 6, above
9. Information about song ‘ownership’ is also discussed in the sleeve notes and book, as No 6, above
10. A good comparison version of Fagin the Cobbler is Charlie Stringer’s Kibosh the Cobbler on Who Owns the Game? Home-Made Music HMM LP 302, 1984, and Veteran VT130CD, 2001 – reviewed in a previous newsletter. Bob Hart’s version of Underneath Her Apron can be heard on Bob Hart: Songs from Suffolk Topic 12TS225, 1973
11. As No 2, above. The album is Mary Ann Carolan: Songs From the Irish Tradition Topic 12TS362, 1982
12. As No 10, above
13. A good comparison is Roy Last’s version on HMM LP 302 / VT130CD, as No 10, above
14. The two Ernest Austin tracks were reissued on Harry Green and Other Essex Singers Veteran VT135CD, released in 2010
Saturday 6th June saw the Suffolk village of Laxfield celebrate 800 years of being granted a market, the charter having been bestowed by Henry III in 1226. The East Anglian Traditional Music Trust was invited to provide a musical aspect and so several of us descended upon the village in some decidedly unsettled weather, in order to oblige. The setting was suitably historic as the marketplace sits alongside the sixteenth century Royal Oak pub, and is also sandwiched between the Guildhall, of a similar age, and the largely fourteenth century church.
The Unthank Irregulars’ repertoire is certainly not of that antiquity but we did work our way through a broad selection of country dance tunes, the great majority of which have a local provenance. Fiddle, dulcimer and banjo provided the sound, taking our cue perhaps from the iconic English Country Music recordings of Walter Bulwer, Billy Cooper, et al. Various stalls provided the backdrop, despite unhelpful squalls disrupting the proceedings to an extent, from time to time. There was much interest overall and quite a few youngsters delighted in having a go with a small melodeon or step dancing.
At 3.00, despite the threat of rain – which didn’t materialise at this point – we adjourned to the churchyard for maypole dancing (yes, not quite seasonal, but nearly!) Much enthusiasm for this, including from several adults – thus ensuring the continued fertility of the village for the future (hopefully!) Unfortunately another round of music in the marketplace was cut short by winds so fierce they blew the line of stall tents across the road and almost up against the guildhall. This ended the afternoon’s proceedings.
All was not over though, despite steady rain now beginning to fall. The venue changed to TheKing’s Head – The Low House – on the other side of the churchyard, for Rumburgh Morris to demonstrate their prowess, which they did very effectively and with spectacular display, in the covered area of the pub’s garden. Lavishly decked-out, they worked their way through a good selection of dances, to a fairly sizeable band; all was greatly appreciated by the considerable number of people seated around the dancing area.
In all, it was a very enjoyable way to help the Laxfield villagers celebrate their historic day, in some beautiful surroundings, despite some malignant efforts by the weather to try to wreck the proceedings; the various musical aspects seem to have been greatly enjoyed and appreciated by the locals and hopefully the Trust’s involvement in the event helped to further awareness of our local musical heritage and arouse some curiosity concerning it.
An Afternoon of Music, Song and Dance – Sunday 31 May 2026 Shirley Harry
We were delighted to bring our ‘Afternoon of Traditional Music, Song & Dance’ to a completely new venue this month – the Fromus Centre, in Saxmundham. The centre has is very well equipped with lots of parking, even though it perhaps wasn’t the easiest to find!
There were lots of new faces alongside more familiar participants and things got off to a jolly start with an intro tune from the ensemble led by Tracey Wisdom, Michael Cherbanoj, and who were joined by Paul, Bill, Mike, Alan and Ann.
Eammon Andrews performed a stirring song, Doreen introduced stepdancing – and was joined by a enthusiastic beginner. We enjoyed performances by Alan on his recorder, both Ann, and Bill Johnston led tunes on the melodeon, followed by a fiddle tune from Paul.
Songs were performed by Eammon, Dave Pring, Marianne, Mike Acott, Tracey Wisdom and John gave us a sea shanty.
After a welcome break (the cakes were obviously delicious as we had absolutely no leftovers!), Michael Cherbanoj of Mepal Molly explained a little about Broom Dancing and demonstrated, accompanied by the musicians. Jill Pring, Alvar Smith and Noel all gave wonderful renditions of songs.
Our jigdolls were introduced by Doreen and while several of our number had a go with our demonstration jig dolls, Doreen, Michael and Eammon performed some more step dancing.
It is always a treat to find a new venue for these afternoons and, given the warm and enthusiastic welcome we received, we hope to return soon.
A Good Ole Norfolk Tune-Up at Erpingham Spread Eagle
Sunday 17th May
It has to be said that we were rather a select bunch on this late Sunday afternoon, as illness and clashing events had thinned our ranks somewhat. Despite this, we were collectively more than able to field a team and what ensued were several enjoyable hours of traditional music making into the early evening.
As ever, the band rolled out sets of jigs and hornpipes, polkas and schottisches, with the occasional waltz changing the tempo. Dancers danced – Barry Mobbs and Monica Rackham waltzed and glided through the polka; there was much step dancing too, the room’s wooden floor proving an ideal platform, and Monika Wiedemann showing that schottisches certainly are ideal step dancing tunes, as well as Josh Dart showing his prowess throughout. Not to be outdone, Sheila Park’s dancing doll, made for her by Harry Cox, also put in an appearance several times in the course of the event.
The two dulcimers of Richard Blake and Tom Knights were, as always, an instrumental highlight, with Tom reeling off tunes learned from grandfather Reg Reader and both players sparring off each other – duelling dulcimers perhaps – with such as the On the Green / Pony Trot Polka set.
Interspersed with this were a variety of songs from various of us in the company, a key – but unintended – theme of which seemed to be poaching, transportation and the press gang, not infrequent subjects in the songs of our forebears though. Mention must be made too of Rosa Dart’s lovely duet rendition of Little Cock Sparrow with her father, got from the recording of Suffolk singer Roy Last, and seemingly something of a family tradition.
In all, a satisfying time, despite the absence of several stalwarts, and therefore a more subdued atmosphere in some ways, although a rollicking good tune-up in the main. We next turn our attention to south Norfolk – Shotesham Globe on Sunday 14th June, from 4.00 to 7.00.
