FifeSing3: Old Songs & Bothy Ballads

'Some Rants o Fun'

With a selection of fine guest singers and an audience most of whom are singers, the album captures the atmosphere of a singers' event with around half of the songs joined in fine chorus.

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Track List:
1: Gordon Easton Barnyards o Delgaty 4:09
2: Anita Best In Bristol there lived a Fair Damsel 3:51
3: Bob Blair The Collier Laddie 6:12
4: Maureen Jelks Bonnie Susie Cleland 6:40
5: Geordie Murison Atween Stanehive and Laurenkirk 2:51
6: Ellen Mitchell Young Johnstone 6:19
7: Anita Best The Bonnie Banks o Fordie 4:03
8: Ron Bissett Amang the Neeps and the Barley 2:22
9: Margaret Spiers A Fair Maid in her Garden Walking 4:02
10: Gordon Easton BriggieÕs Gerse Park 3:42
11: Duncan Williamson John Barleycorn 3:53
12: Anita Best The Union from St JohnÕs 4:48
13: Hamish Grant The Lassie and the Butcher 4:02
14: Susan McClure TraivellerÕs Joy 6:18
15: Gordon Easton The Beggar Man 5:14
16: Henry Douglas The Brundenlaws 3:59
17: Maureen Jelks Bonnie Glenshee 4:15

The Singers
Anita Best
Special overseas guest Anita Best was brought up in one of the fishing outports of Newfoundland - on Merasheen island in Placentia Bay, depopulated during NewfoundlandÕs community re-settlement program of the 1970s. Her early life in one of the most culturally rich parts of Newfoundland inspired a fire and passion to collect and interpret a tradition and culture which seemed to be departing in tandem with the disappearing communities. Recognised as an outstanding traditional singer, she has recorded several albums, hosted a CBC Radio series and runs a bi-weekly concert in the summer months. AnitaÕs three songs on this album represent some of the wide spectrum of songs that are part of NewfoundlandÕs rich singing tradition - songs originally from England such as In Bristol there lived a Fair Damsel, ancient ballads such as the rare Bonnie Banks o Fordie versions of which are still sung in Scotland and The Union from St JohnÕs one of very many Newfoundland shipping disaster songs.

Gordon Easton
Gordon is from the Blackhills of Tyrie near Fraserburgh, where his family has crofted for generations. He learned many of his old songs from his mother and grandmother and is well-known for his fiddle, jewÕs harp and ÔmoothieÕ playing, not to mention his considerable skills as a ÔdiddlerÕ. He has become a fixture on the festival competition scene, sometimes entering as many as five competitions. Gordon opens the album with the classic bothy ballad Barnyards o Delgaty. His second song, the humorous BriggieÕs Gerse Park, is full of his rich Buchan dialect. His fine version of the The Beggar Man - a song whose authorship is often attributed to King James VI - comes from his motherÕs repertoire.

Bob Blair
A singer with a love of Scottish lyrical songs and traditional ballads, Bob is originally from Fife and now lives in Glasgow where he is a member of the Glasgow group Stramash. Whilst living in England in the 1960s and 70s, Bob was a member of Ewan MacCollÕs Critics Group and has long been an admirer of EwanÕs songs and work. Here Bob sings The Collier Laddie, a song that refers to his native Kirkcaldy.

Maureen Jelks
From the age of four Maureen was brought up in the old Overgate in Dundee but spent some of her later childhood years with her family in London. Her love of folk song developed after returning to Dundee and meeting in with the Stewarts of Blair. As well as her own two CDs she has contributed to several other compilations such as Scots Women on the Greentrax label. She has been a guest at many festivals including the Whitby Festival, Auchtermuchty and the Celtic WomenÕs Festival in New Orleans. Here she sings the Dundee ballad of Bonnie Susie Cleland and brings the album to a close with Bonnie Glenshee - a song largely from the Stewarts of Blair.

Geordie Murison
Geordie is an agricultural contractor from Mill of Craigiecat near Stonehaven. He is an enthusiast for traditional songs and bothy ballads and has a fine repertoire of songs many of which he has gleaned from singers in his area around Stonehaven. Here he sings the local bothy ballad Atween Stanehive and Laurenkirk.

Ellen Mitchell
Born in Glasgow where she has lived most of her life, her discovery of folk clubs and festivals gave her an enthusiasm for traditional song. She has taken part in competitions run by the TMSA and has won on three occasions - once with Twa Brithers learned from Sheila Stewart. In recent years she has been a guest at The National festival at Sutton Bonnington and at Whitby Festival and has recorded a CD along with her husband Kevin on the Musical Traditions label. Here she sings the ancient ballad of Young Johnstone learned from the singing of Betsy White.

Ron Bissett
A well known local bothy ballad singer, Ron came to Fife from Kincardineshire with his family when his father came as head shepherd to Kippo at Kingsbarns. He took his first job at Letham in 1950 - driving a pair of horse and living in the bothy. Here Ron sings Amang the Neeps and the Barley - a song composed in the 1970s by Jean Sutherland of Newburgh in Fife.

Margaret Spiers
Margaret now lives in Auchtermuchty but comes originally from Aberdeen where she was involved for many years in the Aberdeen Folk Club and where she heard many of the great traditional singers. Here she sings A Fair Maid in her Garden Walking which she learned from Daisy ChapmanÕs singing in the Peter Hall archive collection.

Duncan Williamson
Duncan was born in a bow tent on the shores of Loch Fyne in 1928, the seventh of sixteen children. At fifteen he began a travellerÕs life working alongside dry-stane dykers and thatchers, learning the craft of a horsieman and earning his way in the scrap metal trade. His traditional tales and ballads, transcribed for publication by his second wife Linda, have brought him widespread fame with invitations from far and wide. He has lived many years in Fife and, now retired, lives in Ladybank. Here he sings his rather fine version of the ancient John Barleycorn - a symbolic song representing the growth and cutting down of corn in the person of John Barleycorn - a song that has been collected many times in England, was known to Robert Burns and which first appears in the Scottish Bannatyne manuscript of 1568.

Hamish Grant
Originally from Inverness, Hamish now lives in Cupar but spent his medical student days in Aberdeen in the mid 1960s when the Aberdeen Folk Club was at its height - run at the time by such luminaries as Arthur Argo and Peter Hall. Here he sings a favourite of that time The Lassie and the Butcher often known as The Wind Blew the Bonnie LassieÕs Plaidie Awa - a song that was a favourite of the great Jimmy McBeath.

Susan McClure
Susan, who belongs to Glasgow, became involved in the folk tradition in her 20s enjoying sessions, small events and folk clubs and started singing about six years ago while supporting the Girvan Festival. Her enthusiasm now takes her to festivals and singing events all around Scotland, England and Ireland. She was inspired to sing TraivellerÕs Joy after hearing it sung by Alison McMorland at a session - a text from the Glasgow writer Helen Fullarton set to a traditional tune by Geordie McIntyre.

Henry Douglas
Born in the Yarrow Valley, Henry has farmed all his life, mainly at Howahill near Bonchester Bridge. He is an enthusiast for BordersÕ poetry and song and, from 1985 to 2000, he was Official Hawick Common Riding Song Singer and he cites the late Willie Scott as his great friend and mentor. He is a regular at his local Newcastleton Festival where he has won the traditional singing competition - most recently in August 2006 - with the ballad The Brundenlaws that he sings here.

Credits
Thanks are due to Jim and Edna our hosts at the Birnie Centre, Collessie and to all the artistes who have freely given permission for the inclusion of their songs on this CD. All proceeds from sale of the CD will go towards supporting the aims of the East of Scotland Traditional Song Group.

Recorded by Tom Spiers.
Design by Peter Shepheard.
Photo by Graham Brotherston.
Copyright in all songs is traditional arranged by the singer except where noted while copyright in the recordings is reserved to the East of Scotland Traditional Song Group and Autumn Harvest Recordings.