PARRYNORMAL FABULOUSNESS Tonight saw the return of the inimitable Tony Parry as MC. He sang Brian Bedford's "Wings", recorded by many artists but probably most famously by the recently departed folk legend, Vin Garbutt. Tony then sang one of his own compositions "Song For June". Following Tony was club stalwart Henry Campion. He performed Neil Young's "Tell Me Why", "Here, There and Everywhere" by Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay". Next up were duo 'Bimbling'. Sean and Hannah gave us "Wrecking Days" by Kitty Macfarlane, "She Moves In Her Own Way" by The Kooks, Hannah's "Time And Tide" and the traditional "Raggle Taggle Gypsy". Then it was time for one of our favourite Irishmen to come to the stage. James Rowley is a powerful performer and he sang two John Martyn songs; "May You Never" and "Lullaby". Following James was 'Young Bob from Fishbourne'. Bob sang "First Leaves of Autumn" by Gallagher and Lyle and "Blue Bonnet Spring" by Nanci Griffith. The penultimate act of the first half were 'Vanessa's Villains'. With Vanessa on vocals, Derek bass, Keith guitar and Richard on sax, they performed; "Honeysuckle Rose" by Fats Waller, "Forever You And Me" by Imelda May, and Django Reinhardt's "Undecided". To finish the half, Jim Brown gave us a couple of songs; "Early Morning Rain" by Gordon Lightfoot, and "Dixie Darling" written c. 1936 by A P Carter of the Carter Family. After the break and raffle, Tony & Mary Parry sang Jon Cleary's "Frenchman Street Blues" and then joined by Steve West on "Erie Canal" a song written in 1905 by Thomas S. Allen after canal barges were converted from mule power to engines. Steve remained on stage to gather together 'The Elderberries'. Derek (he of aforementioned V.V.'s) on banjo, Carole on uke and Geoff on guitar performed; "Carrickfergus", "Sway", a song derived from "¿Quién será?", a 1953 Rumba instrumental song by Mexican composers Luis Demetrio and Pablo Beltrán Ruiz and famously recorded by Dean Martin, and "Last Thing On My Mind" by Tom Paxton. And talking of Sway, next up was local bluesman Mike Shipman from the Sway Delta. Accompanied by Tony Parry on Harmonica, he gave us "Everybody Ought To Make A Change" by Sleepy John Estes, "Can't Be Satisfied" by Muddy Waters, Bo Carter's "My Pencil Won't Write No More", and his own composition, the hearfelt "Burger King Blues". Our final two spots of the evening saw the return of James and Jim. James sang "Peaceful Easy Feeling" written by Jack Tempchin and recorded by The Eagles in 1972 on their debut album, and Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". Jim performed "Mississippi River Blues" by Big Bill Broonzy and "She Thinks I Still Care", written by Dickey Lee and Steve Duffy and recorded in 1962 by George Jones. A fabulous evening of diversity. Next time, Wednesday 5th July, special guest Ian W Brown and plenty of floor spots. See you then!

"Open Floor" at Lymington Folk & Blues Wednesday evening from 8:15pm at the Thomas Tripp in Lymington. Free admission, infamous raffle, MC Tony Parry.

TO NAME BUT ONE! MC Bob Long took control of the excited mob that had gathered at the Thomas Tripp for May Time celebrations and sang "You May Leave But This Will Bring You Back", written by Will Shade and first recorded and released by Memphis Jug Band in 1930. Then it was Nick West's turn to placate the growing audience on his harmonica and piano backing track, playing "Somewhere Only We Know", originally composed by Tim Rice-Oxley but a big hit for Keane in 2014, and Leonard Cohen's "Halleluja". Next up was Paul Taylor. He sang two John Fogerty songs; "Bad Moon Rising" and "Proud Mary" and the Jagger/Richard classic, "Brown Sugar". Following Paul were Jim Brown and Al & Heather Slipper. They sang "The Great Divide" by Kate Wolf, and the traditional "Two Dollar Bill". Then it was time for our featured artists of the evening; Innominata. Their first set included; "Banks of Red Rose", "Here's A Health To The Company", "The Water Is Wide", "Smooch On The Porch/Trip To Sligo", "My Love's Like Some Pretty Little Bird", "The True Lover's Farewell" and "The Gentleman Soldier". After the break and raffle, The John Meriton Trio took to the stage. John, assisted by Ian Maclaughlan on bass and Jon Hardcastle on lead guitar, played a selection of John's songs; "Rachman", "Little Dylan", "This Is The Place", "Stourton Down" and "Mr Market". Our penultimate performer was our very own Jonathan Klein. He performed three of his own compositions; "Farewell Sweet Europa", "Traveller's Song" and "Sleeping With The Saints". And finally, the second set for Innominata which included; "Slieve Russell/Cock and Hen/Farewell to Whalley Range", "Blow Boys Blow", "Exile of Erin/Conlon's Reel", "Spanish Ladies", "Return to Inishmore/The Glass Island Reel", "McKechnie's Farewell", and "I'm A Rover". A great evening, busy, exhausting, so much fun! Apologies to the performers we couldn't get onto the stage. However, June is another "Open Floor" and an opportunity for those who didn't play tonight to book a slot. MC next time sees the return of Tony Parry to the fold!!! Thank you again for supporting really live acoustic music!

This Wednesday, 3rd May, Lymington Folk & Blues host an "Open Floor" with guests 'Innominata'. Free admission, all welcome, all acoustic, and raffle. Starts 8:15pm at the Thomas Tripp in Lymington. Get there early to get a seat!

Lymington Folk & Blues Club

Timeline Photos

Ron Lakey provided us with this poster which he thinks is from 1967! Thank you Ron.

WARM WELCOME FOR SUSSEX MAN IN LYMINGTON MC Jon Ellis kicked off the evening with "England" by Ralph McTell (highly appropriate in the present world circumstances) and a Russian song, sang in Russian, with the English title "The Last Trolley Bus". Following Jon was Ron Lakey. Although no longer living in the town, Ron was a stalwart of the local folk scene in the early days and helped to run the 'Black Scorpion Folk Club' at the Literary Institute in New Road. He kindly gave us a flyer from 1967 and this has been entered into the archives! He sang "Close The Door Lightly When You Go" by Eric Andersen, Bob Dylan's "One Too Many Morning's" and "Lady From Baltimore" by Tim Hardin. Then it was time for the first set from our special guest, singer/songwriter Greg Harper, from Sussex. Greg performed "For King And For Country", "Well Spun Lies", "Gossamer Wings", "Cool Clear Water", "The Broom Way", "Colours", and "The River", all very well received by the appreciative audience. After the break and raffle, Steve Moorhouse came to the stage. He sang three of his own songs; "Sweet Rosemary", "That's What Happens When We Send Our Sons To War", and "Ghosts And Echoes Of The Past". Next up was Carole West. She gave us "Yesterday" by Mr McCartney, "Plaisir d'Amour", and "Inside Out" by Imelda May. Carole was followed by 'Tin Angel', a five piece band performing mainly early "old time"/"bluegrass" numbers. They performed "Deep Ellum Blues", "Carry Me Back To Virginia" written by James A. Bland, "Shake Hands And Tell Your Mama Goodbye" recorded by the 'Mississippi Sheiks', "John Henry", "Jealous As I Can Be", another 'Sheiks' song "Call That Religion" and finally a "new" song "You Ain't Going Nowhere" by Bob Dylan! To end the evening, Jon welcomed back Greg for his second set. He sang "Birdsong", "Gibbet Wood", "Cuckmere Shore", Leonard Cohen's "Bird On A Wire", "Shapes Of Grey" and "Bricks And Dust", the title track of his latest CD, which is getting great reviews in the music press. Another excellent night. Next time, 3rd May, local legends 'Innominata'.

This Wednesday, 5th April, our special guest is Greg Harper. Greg is a Sussex based singer/songwriter who Fatea magazine have described as being..."able to compress the essence of a story, the emotion, the cause and effect into four and a half minutes takes a rare talent, and one that Greg Harper seems to have in his soul." Main support from Tin Angel. Starts at the Thomas Tripp in Lymington 8:15pm. Free admission. Infamous raffle. Be good to see you.

IRISH NIGHT SPECIAL Our appreciative audience not only witnessed a splendid evening of mainly Irish music but also our first experience of being recorded live by New Forest Hospital Radio. MC Steve West introduced the evening's first guest, Larry Callan, originally from Dublin. Larry's set included Irish favourites such as; "Beggarman", "Nancy Spain", "Spanish Lady", "Carrickfergus" and "From Clare To Here". Next onto the stage were the Bob Smith Orchestra, known locally as the BSO! Their set included tunes and songs. The four main tune styles were well represented with polkas such as "Lakes of Sligo" and "Murphy's Delight", jigs like ""Old Joe's" and "High Road to Sligo" reels such as "St Anne's" and "The Banshee" and for good measure a couple of hornpipes; "Gypsys" and "Fairies". And songs such as "Galway Shawl", "Star of the County Down", and "Black Velvet Band". After the break and raffle, Carol Richards read a poem "Oh, To Be A Leprechaun" and Steve sang "She Moved Through The Fair". Then it was time for our second genuine Irishman of the evening, Jason Hinchey from Limerick. His set included songs that wouldn't have looked out of place in his friend and mentor Christy Moore's songbook. "Missing You", "City of Chicago", "The Weekend We Spent In Amsterdam", "Fields of Athenry", and "The Leaving of Liverpool" were all performed with much passion and gusto. And finally, our last guests of the evening, Celtic Knot. Their set consisted a number of polkas and jigs, and popular songs like; "Tell Me Ma", "Galway Girl", "Whisky In The Jar", "Ride On" and a well deserved encore, "The Irish Rover". Next time, 5th April, Greg Harper is our guest, with support from Tin Angel and The Elderberries and a few floor spots. See you then.

This Wednesday, 15th March, Lymington Folk & Blues are having an Irish Night special with guests Celtic Knot, BSO (Bob Smith Orchestra), Jason Hinchey and Larry Callan. Starts at 8:15pm at the Thomas Tripp in Lymington. Free Admission.

This Thursday, 9th March, Milford Folk Club and Lymington Folk & Blues present Ninebarrow at the Community Centre in Milford on Sea. Support from The Teacups and one or two special guests. £10 admission on the door, starts 7:30.

RUNNING OUT OF SUPERLATIVES Sometimes words are not enough to describe an evening like this. If you weren't there, you missed something special! I was MC for the evening and our first performer was Steve Moorhouse. He sang Amy MacDonald's "This Is The Life", "Time In A Bottle" by Jim Croce and Razorlight's "America". Following Steve was Henry Campion. Our 'enry sang Cyril Tawney's "Sally Free And Easy", "Follow It On" by Megson and a rousing version of "San Francisco Bay Blues" by Jesse Fuller complete with Kazoo! Next up was Laura Sunderland on her accordion. Being St David's Day she played a Welsh lullaby, "Suo Gan", "Sweet Jenny Jones", "David Of The White Rock" and "Llwyn Un", better known to the English as "The Ash Grove". Then it was Jonathan Klein's turn to come to the stage. He performed two of his own songs, "I Believe In The Blues" and "Five More Minutes In Paradise", and "Your Song" by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. To finish the first half in style, Kadia were invited to the stage. Brilliant musicianship and vocal harmonies underpin the Kadia sound. They performed "Just As The Tide Was Flowing", "The Outlandish Knight", "Beast of Bodmin Moor/Raggle Taggle Gypsy" and "Captain Ward". I'll say it again: Absolutely brilliant. The lads are launching their new EP on 1st April 2017 at St Andrews Church, Kinson, Bournemouth. After the break and raffle, Nick West performed Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love" and "Tears From Heaven" by Eric Clapton on his chromatic harmonica backed by his own pre-recorded piano track. Then we had visitors to the area brave enough to come to the stage. Pen & Phil from Stockport sang "Wagon Wheel" by Bob Dylan & Keith Secor and the traditional "Midnight Special". Mike Cole was our second accordion player of the evening. He played "Salmon Tails/Dorset Four Hand Reel" and "South Australia". Then it was Dick Etherton,who sang "Seven Daffodils" and a Gaelic love song, the title of which eludes me! And finally..... The Hobos! In their usual style they rocked through "Galway Girl", "Carolina Star", "Fiddler's Green", "Two Dollar Bill" and "Home Boys Home". Coming up.... 15th March is our Irish Night special and 5th April Greg Harper.