| A hectic Christmas 2005 and jolly New
Year heralded 2006. Once things had settled down, it
became an
incredibly busy year.
In February, the whole family set off for South Africa
for the wedding of Ralph and Nanna’s youngest
son Billy. At last, Billy and Lucy and their three
beautiful boys decided to unite officially.
The wedding was simply stunning. It took place in the
open air in an African compound with thatched roofs
and a perimeter fence guarded by ferocious ostriches.
The ceremony was conducted by a pastor who spoke to
the couple as if they had just met: he seemed not to
notice the three little lads sitting in the hot sun
bemused by the whole show.
Lucy looked wonderful and sashayed down the ‘aisle’ on
her dad’s arm to the Drifters singing Stand
By Me. Later, a Zulu choir sang songs and carried Lucy
to the dining area for speeches and eats followed by
bonfires and an African sunset that would have put
Turner to task. There is only one word to describe
the event and that word is ‘perfect’! The
families of both bride and groom then enjoyed a three-day
holiday in a game park complete with elephants, antelopes,
springboks, crocodile, wildebeest, giraffe, hippos
and zebras. Unforgettable.
There is still much to do in South Africa and many
huge problems to tackle. But we met some wonderful
people from all races who have their sleeves rolled
up and are working to make it better. We will definitely
be back! Who knows, there may even be a chance for
a couple of gigs!
In March, Ralph and Donard travelled to Denmark. It’s
truly a pleasure to work there. The roads are quiet
(something to do with the 100 per cent tax on cars)
and vehicles are kept for a longer time - a great advert
for old Volvos!
Danish people are receptive and genuinely interested
in all aspects of the arts which are generously funded
by the government and local councils. Sometimes after
gigs the whole ‘commune’ set out tables
and chairs and Donard and Ralph had a meal with everyone
involved. Ralph has played everywhere from old windmills
to churches, theatre foyers to converted railway stations,
jazz clubs to youth hostels. Ralph says it reminds
him of earlier times and he enjoys these gigs very
much.
On a sad note Edmondt Jensen passed away after a short
illness. Edmondt was a Danish film maker who produced
a very good documentary about Ralph for Danish television
in the late 1970s. He and Ralph had remained good friends
for thirty years and Edmondt’s enthusiasm for
Ralph’s work helped to keep a strong Danish
interest. We send our condolences to his family
This year there were also two gigs in The Netherlands.
It was there that Ralph first had a hit with Streets of
London. In fact, the hit was the version that appears
in The Journey box set. There seems to be growing interest
in Holland for Ralph’s work and again it is
very gratifying to work there as English is a second
language to Dutch people and they understand Ralph’s
lyrics very well.
SPRING
April saw the start of the Walk Into The Morning
Tour.
The first gig was in Croydon, Ralph’s home town.
Dozens of old friends turned up from Ralph’s
past and the queue at the end of the show was so long
that Ralph and Donard did not leave the theatre until
over two hours after the show had finished. Ralph was
delighted to see so many old friends but the theatre
did not share his enthusiasm.
As regular readers will know, earlier this year it
was reluctantly agreed that Ralph’s after-show
signing sessions would no longer take place as a matter
of course: partly this was to meet the demands of venues,
partly to ensure that Ralph and Donard weren’t
working until after midnight when touring.
However, Ralph will still be meeting his fans on special
occasions. For example, after the two hugely successful
London gala concerts at The Union Chapel, Ralph shared
a glass of mulled wine and mince pie with everyone:
or, in Ralph’s case, no mince pie but several
glasses of mulled wine. Ralph says: “I miss meeting
old friends, of course, but something had to give.
I guessed it was the music that brought in the audience
and that should remain the core of the night out. The
theatres are much happier and it has made touring far
less exhausting for Donard and me. We will continue
to work that way on regular tours but I also look forward
to those special events where I’ll be out after
the show for a chat.”
SUMMER
During May and June, Ralph was in Cornwall where he
caught up with Show of Hands at their splendid performance
in the Key Theatre, St Austell. Ralph has followed
their progress since they toured with him many years
ago. The duo of Phil and Steve has achieved wonderful
things in the intervening years and this year have
again been deservedly nominated for the annual BBC
Radio 2 Folk Awards. If you haven’t seen Show
of Hands, check them out: you will have a marvellous
evening. They will be playing London’s Royal
Albert Hall on 7 April 2007
|
Ralph discusses the Journey project
with David Suff, Andy and Stevie. |
In June, David Suff flew down to Cornwall to continue
the awesome task of piecing together the material for
The Journey box set. Miles of tape and months of listening
had produced the almost final list of titles and the
format of The Journey was taking shape. After a great
deal of soul searching, Ralph stepped aside to let
David take full control of the final choices. In July,
there were photo sessions with designer and photographer,
John Haxby and at last the box set was ready for the
manufacturer and an autumn launch.
We’ve received a lot of very positive feedback from you about John and
David’s work - the comments have been passed on to them. The boys done
good!
In July, Ralph was invited to perform at the Rostrevor folk festival in July.
Rostrevor lies on the border of Northern Ireland, coincidentally near the family
home of Donard, Ralph’s tour manager. The festival is run by the famous
Sands family who have contributed massively to the peace movement and the repair
of broken souls through their writing and performing. Ralph is still enjoying
Tommy’s autobiography and is delighting in a new found friendship with
a family he describes as ‘an inspiration’.
The highlight of Ralph’s visit to Rostrevor was the presentation of an
award for his contribution to music. The sculpture was a brass and steel representation
of a mountain clouds and sea and weighed about ten kilos. It was presented to
Ralph by none other than John Sheehan, founder member of The Dubliners who gave
a great speech.
| Tommy Sands and John Sheehan present Ralph with
an award in Rostrevor |
|
This was the first time the award has been given to an English musician
and Ralph was deeply moved to receive it. However, when he mentioned the sculpture
was
a bit heavy to carry home it was explained that the presentation was symbolic
and that the sculpture itself would remain in Ireland. However, Ralph received
a printed facsimile on canvas which was altogether more transportable and now
hangs on a wall at home. Ralph says: “With my fondness for Irish people
their music and culture it must be obvious how much this means to me.” 
This summer also saw the recording of Gates Of Eden. We asked Ralph to tell us
how the album came about. “This idea sprang from the success of my first ‘up-close’ tour.
This had been such a great thing to do that I remarked to my agents, Stevie and
Andy, there were many different themes we could explore. For example, we could
do a Guthrie Dylan and the country Blues tour or a book reading tour from the
autobiographies Angel Laughter and Summer Lightning. Everyone thought that the
Guthrie one would be good so I started learning some new and old repertoire.
It was great to look at this wonderful music again. I began to see the possibilities
of recording it and discussed the idea with my friend Steve Turner in Cornwall
who was really enthusiastic about the whole project.”
 |
The lineup for the Gates of Eden album |
“Some weeks before, I had been to see another old friend Mike
Silver, who played me some of his recordings made at home with Mike Dolan,
a producer who
works
with Show of Hands. Soon we were talking seriously about using Mike
and his mobile studio . We hired a village hall in St Ewe and began recording
just using some
very talented local musicians. It was a lot of fun and the whole thing grew organically
from there.”
“Without a doubt memorising Bob Dylan’s words was a tough call. Several
times I got my “two wheeled black Madonna tangled up with Aladdin sitting
side saddle with his Utopian hermit monks” but we got there in the end
and I was very pleased with some of the arrangements of his tunes. It was fascinating
to see how Bob’s British folk roots returned through my working on the
guitar parts. The tune to Gates of Eden began to sound like an English traditional
one as I revoiced the chords and Song to Woody seems to have returned to Scotland
or Ireland where it may well have come from . Woody’s mother was very familiar
with the oldest American folk songs and used to sing them to Woody as he was
growing up. These tunes mainly emanated from our islands”
Editor’s note: Since Ralph recorded Woody’s song Prisoner’s
River, the Guthrie Foundation has told us this is the first time this song has
been recorded by any one, including Woody Guthrie himself. So Ralph’s Gates
of Eden album is blessed with a world exclusive!!
 |
Chris Parkinson |
“My working through the more accessible of Big Bill Broonzy’s music
with
a version of Glory of Love returned it closer to the more pop song original
and I finally identified an elusive couple of chords in the Blind Blake song
and
licked a troublesome riff in the Mance Lipscombe song. All in all it was an edifying
experience in a very musical sense. The tour was a terrific success so we are
hoping to continue it next year sometime. Hopefully this will take us a bit further
up the country— Up Close, Up North?
“It was a bit strange not to be singing any of my songs and I felt a little
insecure
at first. I needn’t have worried with writers like Woody and Bob holding
the credits but what you hope for is that your own affection for the material
will engage those who like your own work. I don’t mind if my roots show
and really enjoy turning people on to my heroes and that way the audience takes
even more part in the continuing journey.”
“Some of the artists I most admire see their job as a responsibility to
push themselves a little more than might be comfortable, to break out of their
comfort zone and
take a few risks. I have been very reticent in doing that but lately now that
I have come as far as I’m likely to come perhaps it is time to try some
other moves. Some acts tour for years with the same repertoire (same
jokes too). For example, I was once told that although the great Billie Holliday recorded
dozens of songs she only ever sang the same 12 on stage. Personally I have never
experienced a comfort zone and cling to songs I know will work in performance.
Lately I have let the show dictate the mood it follows. But shows have become
longer with the inevitable consequence of going on a bit too long in an effort
to close strongly or a determination to leave a planned feeling at the close
of the show.”
Early in August, Ralph visited Fairport’s Cropredy Convention and had
a great time. “For me, the highlight was definitely Dave Swarbrick’s
Lazarus,” says Ralph. “Swarb’s progress back to health has
been slow and little short of a miracle after his massive surgery.”
Swarb’s performance was watched through a mist of tears of gratitude and
joy from many of the audience who had never expected to see this true English
musical genius work again. Ralph says: “His playing seemed to express our
wonderment along with his own at being able to share his talent with us all once
more. He was the inspiration for his two accompanists Maart Allcock and Kevin
Dempsey to excel in one of the most memorable performances I’ve ever witnessed.”
|
Various Fairport Lineups with Chris While
filling in for Sandy Denny.
Sandy's Daughter Georgia is bottom left. |
Later in the month a family wedding sent Ralph and Nanna to Norway. It was a
stunning affair and Ralph was persuaded to read in the old wooden church for
the ceremony. They do things differently in Norway and the speeches at the reception
went on a bit . In fact the whole show took eight hours to complete! Cheers!
Skol! Takk og God Natt!
On August Bank Holiday, Ralph performed at a festival celebrating the birth of
Sir John Betjeman 100 years ago. The event was held in fields overlooking Polzeath,
Cornwall, near the locations of several of Sir John’s best-loved poems
and not far from his holiday haunt of Trebetherick.
It was a really great event: there were silver bands, cream teas, music, poetry,
pasties, straw hats and breezy sunny weather. Ralph delighted in reminiscing
about the time he and Sir John met and recorded a television programme together
called Thank God It’s Sunday. The show went out 35 years ago and Sir John
seemed to be particularly fond of the opening song, Ralph’s Mrs Adlam’s
Angels.
September was another memorable month. The Journey box set was launched at the
prestigious BBC Club in London’s West End to a star studied audience.
Bob Harris introduced the proceedings and Ralph played a short set. Many friends
from the media and the music business turned up to give The Journey a flying
start.
The Journey was officially released to the retailers on 2 October. Since then,
it has attracted great critical acknowledgement and has been selling strongly.
We’ve had lots of letters and emails from you and Ralph is very grateful
for your kind words of appreciation.
This year’s autumn tour took Ralph’s own musical journey as its
theme. Ralph says: “I love the tour at this time of year and after all
these years I never tire of it. Travel can be a killer and I do get tired physically
but I am never tired of doing it or brutalised by going around this island. I
feel privileged to be able to perform. It’s just like catching up with
old friends and moving it on.”
“The mornings are the best. Leaving the hotel and loading back into the
car and
asking ‘Where is it today?’ and not ‘What day is it?’”
“Whatever my feelings were on the previous night’s show, it will be tonight’s
performance that will be on my mind as we drive through this beautiful land,
cursing the traffic, noting appalling drivers, switching between Radio 4 and
Radio 2, trying to find a decent service station, dreaming of cabbage and bacon
but settling for soup and a sandwich.”
“This tour was mainly working around the weekends as we tried breaking up continuous
dates this year but in the end decided that the old method of five days on and
one day off is best. We get into a rhythm of work that way and become the closest
we can to road rats. Our mentality adjusts to the rigours of travel without the
snap back into the real world that happens on return home for a day. We only
really know what day it is when we check it out or when the quality of the drivers
on the motorway alters which it does on Saturdays as well as Sundays! Even when
I am not performing I have to take off somewhere after a while, even if it’s
only a drive somewhere, and I hope to be out next year doing just that.”
“At the end of the tour I was lucky enough to catch Roy Bailey and Tony Benn for
the second time. This show was at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London and was totally
uplifting. Roy was funny and told a couple of really good folk club type tales,
he sang really well and played guitar with a very interesting guitar tuning.
Tony Benn was committed as ever to his philosophy and his historical revelations
and humanity were quite inspiring and we all left the theatre thinking there
might still be a chance for us all on this planet to survive if we remember that
together we are strong.”
The London shows
Two Christmas concerts were held this year at the Union Chapel in December. These
were the nearest dates to Christmas that Ralph has played for many years. Everyone
remarked on the great atmosphere and the incredible acoustics. Friends came from
as far afield as Italy, (Domenico and Carla who run Ralph’s Italian website),
Spain, Sweden, Holland, Germany, France, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
Finally, the art work for the long-awaited re-release of the album Bridge
of
Sighs was completed this year. This will be the last of the remaining vinyl albums
to be re-released on CD and we promise it will definitely come out in 2007. Watch
the website for details.
Ralph concludes: “Well friends, that was the year that was! My grateful
thanks go to Stevie and Andy at Iconic Music, John Lennard, Mike Harding, David
Suff,
Peter
Thaine,
John
Haxby, Joanna and Beryl. My special thanks to Donard Duffy who has delivered
me safely to my concerts and given me sound and sound advice in equal measure.
On behalf of them, me and everyone at Leola Music have a very
HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Hope to see you somewhere down the road” |
