If you scroll down the page you'll find all the monthly programmes from January 2019 onwards. The Specials page has programmes on a theme including the six extra programmes since March 2020. The links to artists' websites, open a new window so the programme will carry on playing.
And In The End...
100 programmes (and seven years) seems a fitting moment to call it a day. The response to Gentlefolk2 has been very postive - when I've received it - but there simply hasn't been enough to make me want to carry on with it. You can only shout down a well and hear no echo for so long. Thank you to everyone who has sent in a song I've played and to you if you've ever sent in a word or two about G2. I'll be doing a different (but similar) programme in the new year but not on this website.
September 2020 7th Anniversary
Who would have thought? Gentlefolk2 has now been going for seven years... As you might imagine, there'll be something slightly different going on and the theme is suggested by the montage to the right. It's songs connected with the number seven. The styles of music are possibly wider ranging than ever: folk, country, jazz, pop, standards, musicals and barbershop - fancy that: seven. It's longer programme than usual - close to 7 percent longer.
There are many more performers than this but here are the ones with a website. Diane Nalini has a website - just Google her name: gremlins in the system are making it incapable of providing a link. Mose Allison Mat Williams Tom Rush Judy Collins Northern Lights The Quebe Sisters
August 2020
The "classic" format of the programme - a mixture of all sorts within the usual mostly acoustic area of music. There are three very different versions of songs, three silly songs and three instrumentals - but all totally different. One song is on the subject of something that can be quite annoying in folk clubs. One item, rescued from a 53 year old LP, is about folk song collecting and there's one which was collected by Vaughan Williams. The artwork this month is by Steve Capper. Here are links to the websites of performers in the programme - if they have them.
Kabantu The Carolina Chocolate Drops Kevin Dempsey Jake Thackray Chalk Horse Music Carolina Eyck Boo Hewerdine Kate & Anna McGarrigle The Infamous Stringdusters Daniel Nestlerode
July 2020 One Thing Can Lead To Another
Starting with the song which has the line which gives the programme its title, the song, performers or title will lead on to another - sometimes in a way you might not expect and after an hour, we end up back where we started. Because it would give away what the links are going to be, the other kind of links - the ones to performers' websites - are at the bottom of the page.
June 2020
It's the "original" format - a mixed bag of music - some new, some not new. One of the new pieces celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of a very famous English woman. There are several new albums, four of them from duos and one from a female singer who used to be in a well-known twosome. There's an unaccompanied song from an unexpected performer and a song about the sometimes illogical English language.
Here are links to the artists on the programme who have websites. Odette Michell John Hartford Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer Ronnie Lane Louise Jordan Bob Fox Kevin Dempsey Jacqui McShee Harvey Andrews Christine Collister The Staves Peter & Barbara Snape
May 2020 - Instruments A to Z
This is Part Two of an earlier programme "No Guitars Allowed" without such a draconian theme: guitars might be in there somewhere but they're not the main instruments allowing a wide range of instruments take centre stage. You'll hear an example of an instrument starting with every single letter of the alphabet. You might guess the "z" but possibly not the "q", "x" and "y".
The picture is "Bluebell Wood" by Zoe Norman, who did the May 19 picture. Here are links to the artists on the programme who have websites. Dragonhead Yo-yo Ma Chinmaya Dunster Carolina Eyck Wendy Stewart Seals & Crofts The Nightwatch Mumbo Jumbo The Hanson Sisters Etienne de Lavaulx
April 2020 - Songs That Singers Have Sent
This month's programme hasn't got a theme but all the tracks are connected: they've all been sent into Gentlefolk2 mostly by people I didn't know before. It's been one of the greatest pleasures of doing this for the last six and a half years to open a song someone has sent in and think "Oh, yes: that's good...!" And there's the usual variety: an instrumental, an unaccompanied song and something less than serious. Everything sent in doesn't make it onto a programme but some of the best tracks are here.
The April image is "Stour Valley" by John Nash. Follow these links for more information about the performers on this G2. Larry Allen Brown Jane Stokes Bandcamp page Anne Sumner Arcelia Herdman, Hills and Mangsen About The Song songwriter's website Mike Reinstein Elaine Davidson
March 2020 - The Family Of Folk
A sequence of songs which mention members of the family, often in the title but not always. You'll find songs which relate to father, mother, sister and brother of course but also a few slightly more distant relations ~ in one case the person is only referred to as a "distant relation". Plus there are a couple of songs which mention a lot of different branches of the family.
The March image is "Mach Morning" by Nikolai Astrup. Here are links to the websites of performers mentioned on this programme. James Taylor Kim Lowings & The Greenwood Harry Nilsson The Once Leonard Cohen Jake Thackray Johnny Cash Townes Van Zandt Granny’s Attic Simon & Garfunkel Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer
February 2020
The bi-monthly musical mosaic of folk-ish and acoustic songs, with a couple of less-than-serious items, several songs you won't have heard before and an exceptional example of unaccompanied singing.
The February picture is North Sea Sunrise by Adrian Taunton. You can find out more about the performers mentioned in this programme by following the links to their websites (those who have one.) It opens a new window so it doesn't stop the music playing, if you're listening. But it may distract you... Tom Rush Holly Near Sam Lee John Sebastian The Nearlys Sadie & Jay Ralph McTell Peter Hollens
November 2019 - Between The Wars
In the 20 year period between the end of the first and the start of the second World Wars, an incredible amount and huge variety of music was produced. This programme highlights folk-ish and acoustic post-war recordings of some of these wonderful songs and tunes, by some of the greats of songwriting and by others long forgotten but for the classic music they left behind.
Here are links to performers mentioned this month Leon Redbone Birch Pereira & The Gin Joints Eric Clapton Bianco Jerry Garcia & David Grisman Quicksilver Arlo Guthrie Outrageous Fortune
October 2019
I may be biassed but I think there are some outstanding pieces of music on the programme this month. There are some you won't have heard before which I hope will make you say "Wow!" In particular, several female singers, all with amazing vocies in different ways; one of the best acappella groups I've ever heard and - a rare event - a group I like so much I'm playing two tracks from their album. Surely you want to listen after a build-up like that...?
Here are links to performers mentioned this month. James Taylor Matthews Southern Comfort Beth Nielsen Chapman Kabantu Lizzy Hardingham Talon Iain Coleman & Jackie Baxter The Real Group Patty Larkin Steve Tilston Rory Block
September 2019 - Now We Are Six
It's the sixth anniversary of Gentlefolk2 so this is a programme of songs with numbers. "Now We Are Six" (apart from being a book by A. A. Milne) was also the title of an album by Steeleye Span, which unsurprisingly, was their sixth, but the title track is one that's not being played. There's also a challenge, asking you to make a total of all the numbers that you hear in the song titles and the names of the performers (some have numbers in them too.)
Plus you might like to work out what's interesting about this month's image. Here are links to performers mentioned this month. Nick Drake Steeleye Span Jim Kweskin The Once Dave Fry Ringo Starr Forefront Susan Robinson Shawn Colvin Tom Waits Oscar Brand
August 2019
A mixed-bag, pot-pourri, multi-grain, all sorts, random rag-bag, Forrest Gump "Ya never know whatcha gonna get" type of programme. You'll find recently written songs, pieces from the 19th and 18th centuries, one about a famous writer, one based on lines from a very famous book, two songs about stones (who would have thought..?) and a song about songs.
The August image is "Heatwave" by Viv Wheatley. Here are links to performers mentioned this month. Kuschty Rye The Melancholy Brothers Odette Michell Winter Wilson Alan Whitbread David Qualey Paul McCartney Thrup'nny Bits Warwick University Peterloo songs Jonathan Edwards
July 2019 - Birdsongs
Songs about birds and the songs of birds: there are so many to choose from, this is only a small selection and even now it's a slightly longer programme than usual, nearly ten minutes over the hour. There are some classics about the lark and the nightingale but some pieces you won't have heard before.
The theme music is tune called "Waterlight" written by Norman Wheatley, performed by Ian Stephenson. Here are links to performers mentioned this month, those who have websites that is. Rowan Godel Simon & Garfunkel Alison Moorer Arcelia Tom Paxton Paul McCartney Robin Williamson June Tabor & Quercus Emmylou Harris John Watterson (Fake Thackray)
June 2019 - There Are More Questions...
A selection of folk-ish songs which ask various questions: "Where Have..?" "Who's Gonna..?" "When Will..?" "Why Walk..?" "Is That..?" and many more. The next question is: will there be any answers?
The June image is "Country Lane" by Paul Talbot-Greaves The theme music is tune called "Waterlight" written by Norman Wheatley, performed by Ian Stephenson Here are links to the websites of performers & places mentioned this month Malvina Reynolds Sensible Shoes Melissa Harding The Everly Brothers Tom Paxton Nick Drake Eric Clapton Mike Harding Peggy Lee James Taylor Eddie Lastra Dana & Susan Robinson
May 2019
There seem to be more folk style songs about May than any other month and there are three on this programme; one of them is an unaccompanied less-than-serious song. There's also more on the theme of borrowing tunes and lines for other songs.
The May image is "May Blossom" by Zoe Norman (with a name like that...) The theme music is tune called "Waterlight" written by Norman Wheatley, performed by Ian Stephenson Here are links to the websites of performers & places mentioned this month Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer Ride, Norman, Ride teaching video Jim Rooney Maria Muldaur The Dovetail Trio The Clancy Brothers Bob Dylan Lucy Kaplansky Linda Ronstadt Ann Savoy Chris Wood Silvington Sadie & Jay Steeleye Span
April 2019 - Who's That Then?
The usual mixture of music and songs except that I won't be announcing who's playing before you hear the song. You'll have the duration of the track to see if you can spot who it is and then I'll tell you straightaway afterwards. Some will be artists you'll know and might recognise some of them won't be. The usual list of links to performers' websites is at the bottom of this page. Tom Paxton is mentioned but I'm not playing anything by him - he's far too easy too recognise - but he is touring the UK again during the month.
The April image is once again by Rik Middleton which is called "Primroses". The theme music is tune called "Waterlight" written by Norman Wheatley, performed by Ian Stephenson Tom Paxton & The Don Juans 2019 tour dates
March 2019
A recurring topic of using bits from other songs, sometimes a whole tune
Famous people who play the ukulele and a song about how to tune it Something delightful - but unpronounceable - in Gaelic A silly song from the 20s and a new version of a famous one from the 40s An epic fable based in somewhere far away in a time long ago... The March image is "Stormy Skies" by Rik Middleton Here are links to the websites of performers mentioned this month: Dana & Susan Robinson Happy Traum The Band Gareth Davies-Jones Jesse Winchester Julie Fowlis Bruce Watson The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band George Harrison Coope, Boyes & Simpson
February 2019 - No Guitars Allowed
An hour of music from lots of instruments apart from the guitar!
At least twenty four non-guitar music makers from accordion to trombone and many more in between. There's a silly song on a melodeon, an instrumental on fiddle and piano and something called a bandoneon... The February image is "Riverside" by Rik Middleton. Here are links to the websites of performers mentioned this month: The Carolina Chocolate Drops John Kirkpatrick Plainsong Tim O’Brien Judy Collins The Continental Drifters Tom McConville Steamchicken Damien Clarke The Nightwatch Swan & Dyer Eliza Carthy The Skeptics
July 2020 Performers Links
April 2019 Performer links
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