"Bob Dylan's Big Freeze"  BBC Radio

Bob Harris tells the story of Dylan's extraordinary two month stay in London during the freezing winter of 1962-3, and we hear from the people who bumped into him and sent him on his way, from the folk clubs of Accrington to the tailors of Carnaby Street.

In the summer of 1962, Dylan had been spotted by BBC director Phillip Saville in a Greenwich Village basement and invited over to appear in Evan Jones's play, Madhouse On Castle Street. Receiving a fee of 500 guineas, Dylan duly flew to London to star alongside David Warner.

While he was in London, Dylan stayed with Martin Carthy, who remembers chopping up a piano for firewood during that long cold winter! While in London, Dylan became a regular figure on the burgeoning folk club circuit.
Eventually, under the pseudonym of Blind Boy Grunt, Dylan also cut an LP, recorded in basement of Dobell's record shop on Charing Cross Road with the help of a crate of Guinness.

Dylan's eight week stay resulted in a burst of original songs (Don't Think Twice It's Alright, Bob Dylan's Dream) which were heavily influenced by his exposure to traditional English folk.

First broadcast BBC Radio 2, 10:30pm Tue, 25 Nov 2008
Repeated on BBC Radio 6 Music, 3:00am Sun, 20 Nov 2011

Bob Dylan's Big Freeze

Presented by Martin Carthy

Immediately after the success of the BBC Radio Ballads, Ewan MacColl set about the Herculean task of trying to drag British folk music into mainstream culture. Frustrated by the dreary amateurishness of folk song performance, he decided to establish his own centre of excellence to professionalise the art. He called it "The Critics Group".

MacColl tutored select artists "to sing folk songs the way they should be sung" and to think about the origins of what they were singing. He introduced Stanislavski technique and Laban theory into folk performance and explored style, content and delivery.

BBC producer Charles Parker recorded these sessions to aid group analysis. 40 years on, the tapes have come to light. For the first time, a clear sound picture can be constructed of this influential group in action. Former group members Peggy Seeger, Sandra Kerr, Frankie Armstrong, Richard Snell, Brian Pearson and Phil Colclough recount six frantic years of rehearsing, performing and criticising each other. They recall the powerful hold that Ewan MacColl exerted which was eventually to lead to the collapse of the group in acrimony and blame.

Presenter Martin Carthy MBE, now an elder statesman of the British folk music scene, shared many of McColl's ambitions but didn't join the group himself. He listens to the recordings and assesses the legacy of MacColl's controversial experiment.

Producers: Genevieve Tudor and Chris Eldon Lee 
A Culture Wise Production for BBC Radio 4

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 11:30AM Tue, 3 Jan 2012

http://carthyonline.wordpress.com/on-air/on-air-2010s/

"How Folk Songs Should Be Sung"

Ian McMillan starts The Verb New Year with Radio 3's language party from the Radio Theatre in London.

The singer-songwriter Eliza Carthy and members of her band will be joining Ian to kick off the song, celebration and dreams of new possibilities. Or to stave off the winter blues at the very least.

Producer: Allegra McIlroy.

Broadcast BBC Radio 3, 10:00PM Fri, 13 Jan 2012


Eliza Carthy on "The Verb"

"The Pretty Ploughboy" (Roud 186; Laws M24)

Harry Cox recorded in London, 1934. Organised by E.J. Moeran.
First released on 78 rpm in the UK by Decca OC87/88 circa 1934.
Available on Various Artists: "The Voice of the People Volume 2: My Ship Shall Sail the Ocean. Songs of Tempest and Sea Battles, Sailor Lads and Fishermen"
Topic Records TSCD652 (1998)

Eliza Carthy recorded in 2002. Produced by Eliza Carthy and Ben Ivitsky
Available on Eliza Carthy: "Anglicana"
Topic Records TSCD539 (2002)


Eliza Carthy & Harry Cox: The Pretty Ploughboy

A couple of selections from the Eliza Carthy and Norma Waterson album "Gift" as played on the Northern Sky Vaults radio show 24 and 26 December 2012.

1 : A Bunch Of Thyme
2 : Ukulele Lady / (If Paradise Is) Half As Nice

The tracks were chosen by Northern Sky reviewer and Come Sing It Plain...  editor Kev Boyd. Kev's review of the December 2012 Gift Band concert in Liverpool can be found on the Northern Sky website: http://www.allanwilkinson.co.uk/node/2683

Come Sing It Plain... is a Martin Carthy Fansite and Blog and can be found here: http://carthyonline.wordpress.com/

Northern Sky is a review website featuring CD, DVD and live reviews together with audio interviews covering a broad range of musical genres.

Northern Sky Vaults is an online radio programme based around the website's content and can be heard every Monday at 7pm GMT (repeated Wednesdays 5pm)

Northern Sky:
http://allanwilkinson.co.uk/

Northern Sky Vaults:
http://streams.museter.com/start/acoustic/ 



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