Paul Wisdom is a singer, concertina player and guitarist living in Norfolk. A keen morris dancer, he dances with both local and national Cotswold morris sides including Rumburgh Morris and Bunnies from Hell. He joined me in February 2020 for a chat and some songs.
A summary of the interview can be downloaded above.
Interview Keywords: instruments, concertina, duet concertina, guitar, 12 string guitar, mandolin, portable, morris dancing, music session, folk session, practical, concertina making, instrument making, concertina design, affordable, repair, tweaking, tuning, Norfolk, Suffolk, school, 1970s, concept albums, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, Free, practice, sing, singing, licks, riffs, chords, finger picking, accompaniment, Renaissance, Annie Haslam, Song for All Seasons, classical music, production, travel, USA, New Zealand, busking, income, simplistic, ‘morris tart’, keys, chromatic, volume, melodeon, adaptable, small
- Title: Midnight on the Water
- Performer: Paul Wisdom
- Date recorded: 13.2.2020
- Location: Wissett, Suffolk
- Recorded by: Megan Wisdom
- Composers: Ron Kavana/Luke Thomasson
- Notes: song to the tune of Midnight on the Water, a waltz from Texas, since recorded by Waterson:Carthy. See https://mainlynorfolk.info/watersons/songs/midnightonthewater.html.
- Title: Billy Boy
- Performer: Paul Wisdom
- Date recorded: 13.2.2020
- Location: Wissett, Suffolk
- Recorded by: Megan Wisdom
- Roud No.: 326
- Notes: Earliest versions of this song date from the 18th Century. It has been collected in Great Britain and North America. See https://mainlynorfolk.info/martin.carthy/songs/billyboy.html.
- Title: The Bells of Norwich
- Performer: Paul Wisdom
- Date recorded: 13.2.2020
- Location: Wissett, Suffolk
- Recorded by: Megan Wisdom
- Composer: Sydney Carter
- Notes: Julian of Norwich was a Medieval Christian mystic whose work, Revelations of Divine Love, is the first book in English known to be published by a woman. This song is in celebration of her, and includes the essence of her most famous quote: ‘All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.’ From https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/05/revelations-of-divine-love-julian-of-norwich-review-religious-visions.
- Title: Dancing the Sun Up
- Performer: Paul Wisdom
- Date recorded: 13.2.2020
- Location: Wissett, Suffolk
- Recorded by: Megan Wisdom
- Composer: tune Trad., words Paul Wisdom
- Notes: Paul wrote these words to the traditional morris tune From Night Til Morn, which was also used for the song The Maiden and the Palmer.
- Title: Spanish Ladies
- Performer: Paul Wisdom
- Date recorded: 13.2.2020
- Location: Wissett, Suffolk
- Recorded by: Megan Wisdom
- Roud No.: 687
- Notes: A L Lloyd states that songs of this title have been around since the time of Samuel Pepys. See https://mainlynorfolk.info/lloyd/songs/talcahuanogirls.html. It was popular during the 19th Century, possibly due to broadside versions such as this one: http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/static/images/sheets/05000/02375.gif.
- Title: The Mermaid
- Performer: Paul Wisdom
- Date recorded: 13.2.2020
- Location: Wissett, Suffolk
- Recorded by: Megan Wisdom
- Roud No.: 124
- Notes: This song dates from at least the 18th Century and was published by Child in his English and Scottish Popular Ballads (289). See https://mainlynorfolk.info/martin.carthy/songs/mermaid.html. Trilby (mentioned in recording) is a dog.
