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BILL SMITH A Country Life: Songs and Stories of a Shropshire Man |
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Bill is probably a name unfamiliar to most readers of this magazine - or of most other magazines. Not surprising really as he gave up singing most of his repertoire many years before these recordings were made at the start of the 1980’s. When they were made by his son, Bill was in his early 70’s and in deteriorating health, unfortunately passing away in 1987. Despite his age there is a strength in the delivery of the songs. An agricultural worker whose forebears were prolific singers, Bill followed in their footsteps. He enjoyed learning songs at school but was reluctant to perform. Eventually his main stage was in the pubs in the local area in the company of other singers. Whilst Bill might not be a familiar name, some of his songs will be...The Outlandish Knight, Henry My Son, The Cuckoo, Down The Road, All Jolly Good Fellows, McCaffery, to mention a few. But many are just fragments as that was all he could remember - the majority being less than a minute long. Rod Stradling describes this collection as being one of the most important made. I am not qualified to disagree with him, so I won’t. It’s a challenging listen, and not one you would manage in one go, but I do feel better for the experience. Dave Beeby |
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