Hobo presents here - the 2nd part of Pete Willow's informative history of the Coventry Folk Scene from the early 60's
EXTRACTS FROM THE FELTON FILES
Or how Roddy encountered the Great Dylan/ Donavan Cliche
Part 2 of Pete Willow’s look at local folk History –from Folks magazine Jan / Feb 79
Over the last few weeks, I have been inundated with comments, some helpful, some critical, some complimentary and some not. So as a result of the Fifteen Folkin Years feature that appeared last issue, in which I undertook a fairly detailed look into Coventry’s Folk Heritage, I can only surmise from this reaction that the article has been a total success in what in what it was attempting to do.
For the most part people who have been closely involved with the development of folk music in the city have been extremely forthcoming with info and offers of assistance for future articles in the series, which means of course that the task of building up a complete picture will be even more complicated than I first imagined. History is being made all the time so I don’t imagine the series will ever be complete.
CLEARING UP SOME STATEMENTS
Before going any further, I’d like to try and clear up some of the statements in the last article that became subject to close scrutiny. For my own part, covering the mid to late 60’s period was a purely historical exercise. Although I was living in Coventry up until 1969, I was totally uninvolved with the folk music scene at the time and , to write the article, I had to rely on not only the word of others but also press cuttings, magazine articles etc., that came my way as evidence of what had happened. Since then I have been given access to more evidence that seems to contradict the stuff I had seen or heard previously.
For example, I stated that the Coventry Folk Club first opened at the Binley Oak in May 1963. Many people disputed this; I heard from somebody who had checked with Barry Skinner himself that the date was 1961. And yet I had found the date in a magazine, published in 1967, only four (or six/) years after the event. An historian’s life in not a happy one!, particularly as I know have in front of me an article published in the Coventry Standard (I presume, as it was written by Dougie Grosvenor who worked for them at the time) in 1965, stating categorically that the club was founded in March 1962!
I also refered to a Miss Beverley Jones in the previous article and I am pleased to have been informed almost immediately that the lady’s maiden name was in fact Kutner. So profound apologies about that. However another point still to be resolved is the exact beginnings of the Tavern Folk Club. I said that it opened in June 1964 at the Swanswell Tavern and that the venue was ‘short lived’ as the club transferred to the Wine Lodge to become Cofa’s Tree Folk Club. Some readers recall that in fact the Tavern went on for quite a time, at least a couple of years and I’d be grateful for any more information to throw light on this. For example, did the club continue at the Tavern under the same organisation or did somebody else take over when the Cofa’s Tree was formed?
I do have access to an article that appeared in the local press in 1964, stating that the club had been going successfully for about six months. A few quotations from the article should be of interest to those who remember the club:
“…In these commercial days, the venture is non-profit making, and the admission charge 2/- for visitors – goes towards paying for visits every month or six weeks by nationally famous singers like the Ian Campbell Folk Group, featured at the club on Nov 22nd. I asked Ben Arnold and Bernard Overton, two of the clubs organisers, what they thought had brought their members, now well over three hundred in all, and the answer seems undoubtedly to be the variety and the quality of the entertainment offered… I heard English and American Ballads from Ben, Scotch and Irish songs from the Kerry singers, modern ballads, English, French and German from Bernard and Lesley, American Ballads from the Brothers and American Blues from Rod Felton”
I would
like to especially thank the last person mentioned for his help with this
issue’s article. My original intention in this issue had been to look at Coventry clubs in the early 70’s but I would
like to postpone that for another month or so. Roddy has very kindly lent me
his famous scrap books, which contain a wealth of information on the local folk
scene during the mid to late sixties, and more specifically on what Rod himself
was doing musically during this time, which is what I’d like to concentrate on
for the main part of this article. Hopefully in future articles, I shall cover
the same period of time as seen through the eyes of other local musicians who
played different styles of music at different venues.
Above is an attempted reproduction of a photo of Rod that appeared in the Coventry Standard on July 22nd 1965, accompanied by an article headed Rod Felton- A newcomer in the Bob Dylan Folk Tradition – (See the article here..).
Not a
journalistic masterpiece, but at least the local press were showing more
interest in local folk acts than of late.
Digressing
if I may for awhile, I referred in the last issue to the change of venue in
1965 of the Coventry Folk Club, from
Binley Oak to the Craven Arms (now the Bear), High Street. There is more detail of that in another cutting form the scrapbooks headed
“Folk Wave Hits City Scene”
It describes a particular evening at the Coventry Folk Club and then runs briefly through other Folk events in the area and mentions Rod’s popularity as a local singer. Articles like this appearing in the local press did much to bring the local folk scene to everyone’s notice. Not only did the people of Coventry know there was a growing movement of folk enthusiasm in the city, but they knew where to go to see it for themselves and who they could expect to see on stage. Local acts, like Rod, were given particular encouragement.
I hope journalists reading this take note.
Here are a
few quotes from that article:
“The fact that the Coventry Folk Club at the Craven Arms was packed out by 7.50 on Thursday night makes its own comment on the subtle change coming over the folk scene in this country.
Sure
enough the visitor was American, Tom Paxton. Sure enough he does sing a
few protest songs. But Paxton is a vastly different kettle of fish to Bob
Dylan…..Donovan and their subsequent cult of demi-clad, hirsute ‘folk poets’
and revolutionaries.”
The article
the describes Paxton as a ‘real professional’ and implies he’s not a ‘weirdo’
like the others, then goes on; “Meanwhile folk music session are taking
place in the city most nights of the week, including Sundays” (and here is
a list I could have done with when compiling the article last issue!). “When
fans congregate at the Weavers Arms Hotel in Bell Green Rd., The Cofa’s Tree Folk Club…, the
Heart of England Folk Club at the Fox and Vivian, Leamington.”
Then back
to the original theme when the article quotes The Heart of England F.C.
Chairman Pete Fairley “…One of our most popular resident singers is a
Coventrian. He is Rod Felton, the blues artist, who has shown interest in the
club since our formation 18 months ago.”
The article makes reference to a club Roddy ran at the Market Tavern in Coventry on Wednesday evenings.
Whether it is journalistic flair or whatever, constant mention is made in these articles about the enthusiasm and the packed audiences at these clubs. 1965 seems to have been the year when folk was ‘new Wave’ although the impression seems to be (from the newspapers viewpoint at least) that this was due to the cult heroes, Dylan and Donovan. American influence, including country music, and of course Irish Traditional music appeared to be two main factors in the folk scene, skiffle becoming a thing of the past by this time. I mentioned last issue that anthologies of English Traditional material were not so abundant in the early to mid sixties as they are today; publications by such collectors s Karl Dallas were still being prepared. It could be that the so-called traditional folk clubs as we know them
today are, strangely enough, a more recent innovation than clubs where more ‘contemporary’ music is played. Please write in your thousands if I’m wrong!
Roddy and Rob Armstrong formed the New Modern Idiot Grunt Band in the mid sixties and quickly achieved fame throughout Britain and Germany. A selection of quotes from various newspapers reveals a little of their past.
Newspaper
quote – Three Coventry folk singers plan to spend a fortnight in Germany…
More
extracts from the Felton scrapbooks are included on the next page, although
there isn’t space to include everything in them. Suffice it to say they are
packed with letters, cuttings, photos and posters relating to people involved
in the local and national folk scene from the mid sixties to the early
seventies. They also contain many details of Rod’s own career as a folk singer,
including tickets, ads, posters and other publicity of concerts he has
performed along with Savoy Brown, 10cc, Bronx Cheer and Julie Felix. A brief
rundown of Rod’s career up to the age of
25 appears in the programme of the concert at the Playhouse, Harlow, one of the
venues where he appeared with Julie Felix;
“He has played guitar since the age of twelve and started playing in clubs at the age of 15. He teamed up with Beverley Kutner who later married and partnered John Martyn.
He then formed the New Modern Idiot Grunt Band which was a great success in Northern England and Germany. When they disbanded, Rod decided to build a solo career and recently signed management and recording contracts with Barry Murray and Harry Simmonds – managers and producers of Mungo Jerry, Savoy Brown, Chicken Shack etc. who in turn signed him with the newly formed British Talent International Agency who handle Mungo Jerry. Savoy. Prelude, Peter Skellern, Weather Report and Herbie Hancock. Rod is currently working on his first Album and single.”
Another local artist who received much attention in the local and national press was Beverley Kutner, or just plain
Beverley. The Daily Sketch (Aug 23rd 1966) ran an article headed “Now Beverley has the key to the top” which read:
“If
there was an award for sheer will-to-win in the pop business it would go this
year to an 18 year 0ld singer singer billed simply as Beverley. Just a year ago
she came to London and Demmy Cordell, who makes discs
for Georgie Fame and the Moody Blues, heard her sing in a club. Cordell told
me: I offered her a record contract. She is the only person other than Georgie
Fame and the Moodies, I’ve wanted to record.
But
Beverley told him; ‘I’m going away – I’ll see you when I think I’m ready….’
Beverley went back to her home in Coventry with a guitar – which Denny Laine of
the Moody Blues had given her – and learned to play. Now she is rated by Jimmy
Page or the Yardbirds, as the ‘best girl guitarist’ he’s heard.”
Here is a typical selection of other cuttings about the lady, proving the press moves in mysterious ways;
“She’s
an 18 year old Chelsea-looking brunette from Coventry who has just cut her first record.
The title is ‘Happy New Year’ (Deram). “Beverley…wore a cool black satin pyjama
suit – with enormous flapping trousers – at London Airport yesterday. To keep away the chill
winter breezes she wore a snug fox fur on top. Beverley was flying to Munich to make a broadcast and promote her
new record….” She admires Donovan’s interpretations and was particularly
thrilled when, in a London club recently, he stepped from the
audience and offered to accompany her on guitar.” “Beverley.. claims that at 20
she has at last found her real self thanks to a visit to the Love thy Neighbour
hippies of San Francisco. Beverley has just returned from
Hippie-land after taking part in the Monteray Pop Festival.”
Beverley Kutner / Martyn - article.
It seemed for a while that Beverley was the limelight of press attention and attracting a lot of interest in the national folk/rock scene. When she married and worked with John Martyn, interest in her from the music media lost much of its previous intensity. The sleeve notes on John and Beverley’s album Stormbringer
simply refer to the fact that she once worked for a Jug band in Coventry, mentioning no names.
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