Bill Delderfield [BD] interviewed by Sue Cubbin [SC] in Westcliff-on-Sea on 9 July 1999. BD talks about his involvement in Morris clubs in Essex, founding a band, Lumps of Plum Pudding, his interest in folklore and pagan tradition, and the state of the folk movement at the time of the interview.

Copyright: Essex Sound and Video Archive. 

Find out more about this recording on Essex Archives Online: https://www.essexarchivesonline.co.uk/result_details.aspx?ThisRecordsOffSet=1&id=1222588

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Image: Bows 'n' Belles at Walton Folk Festival in 1996, by Dave McKenna [SA212]

Interview with Bill Delderfield on folk Music in Essex, 9 July 1999 (SA 30/7/1/15/1)

Bill Delderfield [BD] interviewed by Sue Cubbin [SC] in Westcliff-on-Sea on 9 July 1999. BD talks about his involvement in Morris clubs in Essex, founding a band, Lumps of Plum Pudding, his interest in folklore and pagan tradition, and the state of the folk movement at the time of the interview.

Tape 1 Side A

[00:00:00] BD talks about his family; singing at home, in a church choir, and at school; entertainment in his youth and early experience with records, Joseph McCormack; country dancing being compulsory in schools in Essex until 1965; songs sung at school; practising dancing for 1953 coronation celebrations.
[00:06:50] Being introduced to folk music through a church youth club around 1964; hearing Alex Campbell and American music; singing in a duo in Romford Folk Club around 1965; seeing Dave Moran at the White Hart in Chelmsford in August 1965; singing at Chelmsford Folk Club; how the choral society at school trained his tenor-baritone voice; nerves when performing; difficulty in youth, poverty, enjoyed entertaining people; trying to find a 'folk' voice.
[00:13:56] The cost of records and difficulty finding folk music records; loving harmony; being inspired by the Young Tradition; bands carrying records to clubs; singing partners; singing at Southend Folk Club in the late 1960s.
[00:17:59] Forming Blackmore Morris Men, inspired by Roding Valley Morris Men; being taught by Roy Tomlin; venues and chairs of Chelmsford Folk Club; the fashionableness of ceilidh dancing; collecting Tubby Reynolds and Ray Dommick; learning to call for a barn dance at 1974 Chelmsford Arts Festival; founding the band Lumps of Plum Pudding; Greg Trice's writing.
[00:25:19] How Lumps of Plum Pudding split after ten years; the involvement of Mick and Sarah Graves; founding the Metric Foot Band and being open to different musicians; the decline of Friday night country dancing; local authorities' bias towards line dancing.

Recording note: [00:26:20 - 00:26:27] Redacted.

Find out more about this recording on Essex Archives Online: https://www.essexarchivesonline.co.uk/result_details.aspx?ThisRecordsOffSet=1&id=1222588

View our Takedown Policy here: https://www.essexsounds.org.uk/content/about/legal-and-technical/takedown-policy

The Essex Record Office can preserve your old recordings, or provide talks and training on oral history and sound archives. To find out more, visit our website: https://www.essexrecordoffice.co.uk/research/sound-video-archive

Image: Bows 'n' Belles at Walton Folk Festival in 1996, by Dave McKenna [SA212]

Interview with Bill Delderfield on folk music in Essex, 9 July 1999 (SA 30/7/1/15/1): Side A

Bill Delderfield [BD] interviewed by Sue Cubbin [SC] in Westcliff-on-Sea on 9 July 1999. BD talks about his involvement in Morris clubs in Essex, founding a band, Lumps of Plum Pudding, his interest in folklore and pagan tradition, and the state of the folk movement at the time of the interview.

Tape 1 Side B

[00:00:00] Stopping singing in the 1980s; having a family; singing or listening at folk clubs every night in the 1960s; the decline of Chelmsford Folk Club in the early 1980s; moving to Southend and his involvement in the Southend folk scene; mixing in Essex folk scenes; leaving Blackmore Morris.
[00:03:35] Activities while a member of Blackmore Morris; the 1970s Morris boom and decline; the quality of female and mixed Morris; aging male Morris dancers; the lack of young people joining teams, reflecting the folk movement generally.
[00:08:35] Padstow May Ceremony with Chelmsford Folk Club, 1968-1970; his interest in folklore and relationship with Tom and Barbara Brown; being co-opted into drumming at the ceremony for the 'Hunting of the Earl of Rone', revived as a carnival float in 1972; drumming at school; ceremonies he drums for at the time of the interview; his interest in 'pagan' ritual.
[00:16:22] Links between folk scenes in Essex and North Devon; the universality of folk; folk as a minority interest and the insular nature of people involved; harmony singing at the Song and Ale; the music quality of pub sessions; the revival of folk clubs at the time of interview; Dave Webber and 'My Lady of Autumn'.
[00:23:36] Morris Federation continuing Morris, single sex dancing obsolete; the changing nature of folk dancing with the decline of public barn dances and increase in private function dances; optimism about folk songs continuing in pubs.
[00:26:21] Singing with Megan; inspired by Beggar's Velvet album; singing new songs, including shaker songs, at Essex Singers Club.

Find out more about this recording on Essex Archives Online: https://www.essexarchivesonline.co.uk/result_details.aspx?ThisRecordsOffSet=1&id=1222588

View our Takedown Policy here: https://www.essexsounds.org.uk/content/about/legal-and-technical/takedown-policy

The Essex Record Office can preserve your old recordings, or provide talks and training on oral history and sound archives. To find out more, visit our website: https://www.essexrecordoffice.co.uk/research/sound-video-archive

Image: Bows 'n' Belles at Walton Folk Festival in 1996, by Dave McKenna [SA212]

Interview with Bill Delderfield on folk music in Essex, 9 July 1999 (SA 30/7/1/15/1): Side B

Bill Delderfield [BD] interviewed by Sue Cubbin [SC] in Westcliff-on-Sea on 9 July 1999. BD talks about his involvement in Morris clubs in Essex, founding a band, Lumps of Plum Pudding, his interest in folklore and pagan tradition, and the state of the folk movement at the time of the interview.

Tape 2 Side A

[00:00:00] The origin of Cockleshell Clog in Southend; dance and drum experience; the dynamics of a dance group; crossover with other folk groups locally; involvement in town-twinning events (Holten in Westphalia in 1989); Liprensdorf Folk Dance Society clog team, Dutch clog; travelling internationally for folk events.
[00:05:06] Meeting his wife Jo [JD] at Chelmsford Folk Club in 1972; first met in Brentwood Folk Club; JD's involvement in folk dancing and singing, despite lack of interest.
[00:07:28] Romantic view of folk; folk holidays; falling out with people in the folk community, dealing with egos; folk as an escape, singing for enjoyment.
[00:13:07] Lack of involvement in running clubs; organising the Nine Days Wander in 1977; helping to organise weekends in Southend; being behind the first Southend Folk Festival, which never came to fruition; Chelmsford Folk Club's success due to committee; never having belonged to the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) and the role of the EFDSS as protector rather than performer of folk music; wanting EFDSS music to be accessible; the evolution of clog dancing.

Find out more about this recording on Essex Archives Online: https://www.essexarchivesonline.co.uk/result_details.aspx?ThisRecordsOffSet=1&id=1222588

View our Takedown Policy here: https://www.essexsounds.org.uk/content/about/legal-and-technical/takedown-policy

The Essex Record Office can preserve your old recordings, or provide talks and training on oral history and sound archives. To find out more, visit our website: https://www.essexrecordoffice.co.uk/research/sound-video-archive

Image: Bows 'n' Belles at Walton Folk Festival in 1996, by Dave McKenna [SA212]