Resonance, Andy Williams and no football at The Pegasus

22:30

Tonight’s star turn was Garry and his resonator guitar on their first visit. He started with his own great song The Dog and the Banker, which was both funny and accurate. Second time around, he gave us Raglan Road in his own distinctive style. He finished the evening with a barnstorming version of Steve Earle’s Copperhead Road. Let’s hope he joins us again soon.

Inspired or otherwise by Andy William’s UK visit, David sang his 1970 hit Home Comin’ Man, written by the UK team of Roger Cook, Tony Macaulay and Roger Greenaway. I remember my Dad buying the single. Andy Williams’ voice was declared to be a national treasure by Ronald Reagan. Who could want for a better endorsement? Judging by his performance on Strictly Come Dancing a few weeks ago, it’s a shame that he didn’t retire at the top.

The future of The Pegasus is once again uncertain so it’s possible that it will cease to be one of our venues soon. We won’t miss the evenings when there’s live football on the TV. These evenings inspired Fred to write the excellent If It Wasn’t For Watching The Football (I’d Be Doing Something Worthwhile). This evening’s football was not on terrestrial TV. However, I was able to keep him up-to-date with the latest score in Arsenal v Liverpool match even though I didn’t like what I was telling him. As for future venues, we’re hoping to try out the Dog and Badger at Medmenham before Xmas. Watch this space for news.

Also featured were:

  • Dick: Let Union Be, Drew My Ship Into The Harbour, The Queen Gadee
  • Dave: Plough and Sow, Nova Scotia, Hop Picking – all his own work
  • Rosie and me: Kerry Polkas, Bold Donnelly, the reels The Shaskeen & Pigeon On The Gate, Fleetwood Mac’s Oh Daddy (prompted by our upcoming outing to see them, and which I’ll try to get right next time) and your Cheatin’ Heart (with very welcome resonator guitar support)
  • Gerry: Crash Test Dummies’ mmm mmm mmm mmm (an unusual song that was named by Rolling Stone as the 15th most annoying song ever) and Cat Stevens’ more conventional Moonshadow
  • Delia and Stuart: Sean South of Garryowen / Bear Dance as a concertina duet
  • Delia: Michael Row The Boat Ashore accompanying herself on of concertina
  • Stuart: The Snail (You’d Be The Same If You Carried You House) - this featured in Baring-Gould’s 1895 A Book of Nursery Songs and Rhymes
  • ‘Tring’ John: The Green Man, My Lady’s Coach
  • Fred: The Witches
  • Ian: Death Of a Lady, Spencer The Rover
  • Bob: Donovan’s The Magpie, Jonathon Kelly’s Ballad of Cursed Anna
  • Alison and David: Coshieville, Courting Too Slow (learned from Spiers & Boden / Bellowhead), The McGarrigle’s Work Song
  • Simon, David and Alison: John Tams’ The Year Turn Rounds Again, Steve Knightley’s Widdicombe Fair
  • John C: Same The Whole World Over
We’ll be at the Belle Vue in High Wycombe next week. I usually set up a minimal PA there because there used to be a lot of background noise. That seems to have subsided now, and few people used the PA last time. So we’ll be unplugged next week to see how that goes.

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