Leaving Scotland the first county in England we encounter in the far northeast is Northumberland. Kathryn Tickell was actually born in Walsall in the Midlands, but her parents were from Northumberland and the family moved back there when she was 7. This is what the Guardian writes about her:
" No one has evoked the landscape and traditions of Northumbria more affectingly than Kathryn Tickell; a champion of the Northumbrian pipes, she is steeped in the songs and mythology of the north-east."
With a huge back catalogue of recordings, including many collaborations, amongst others with Sting and the Penguin Café Orchestra, it is difficult to choose just one song. This traditional tune, Lads of Alnwick, features on her 1999 album The Gathering:
And talking about Alnwick, The High Level Ranters combined their name from the location of the Bridge Folk Club at the north end of High Level Bridge in Newcastle Where they all played and the Cheviot Ranters, a famous Northumberland dance band from the Alnwick area. They've been going since 1964 and this song, Byker Hill, from their 1968 album Northumberland Forever has nothing to do with a popular 90's children's TV show I believe.
At the heart of The Unthanks are sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank, who were born in Ryton, Northumberland. They were previously known as Rachel Unset and the Winterset, and their first album under their new name in 2009, Here's The Tender Coming, won the Guardian Folk album of the year award. This is a song from this album, The Testimony of Patience Kershaw:
Another family affair is the Brothers Gillespie, consisting of James and Sam Gillespie, who grew up in the village of Wall near Hexham. They combine beautiful harmonic singing with multi-instrumentalism, performing both traditional songs as well as their own material. At times they have something of Simon & Garfunkel feel to them. This song, The Twa Corbies, is from their 2015 album Songs from the Outlands:
Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, better known as Sting from Wallsend in Northumberland wasn't only the lead singer of New Wave band The Police, but later dabbled with a number of musical styles during his solo career including folk. As a general rule I'm not a massive fan of his music, but I do like the 2013 album The Last Ship, which was inspired by a play about the demise of the British shipbuilding industry. This song from said album is The Ballad of the Great Eastern:
So much from Northumberland. As usual you can follow my virtual travels on tripline.
And talking about Alnwick, The High Level Ranters combined their name from the location of the Bridge Folk Club at the north end of High Level Bridge in Newcastle Where they all played and the Cheviot Ranters, a famous Northumberland dance band from the Alnwick area. They've been going since 1964 and this song, Byker Hill, from their 1968 album Northumberland Forever has nothing to do with a popular 90's children's TV show I believe.
At the heart of The Unthanks are sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank, who were born in Ryton, Northumberland. They were previously known as Rachel Unset and the Winterset, and their first album under their new name in 2009, Here's The Tender Coming, won the Guardian Folk album of the year award. This is a song from this album, The Testimony of Patience Kershaw:
Another family affair is the Brothers Gillespie, consisting of James and Sam Gillespie, who grew up in the village of Wall near Hexham. They combine beautiful harmonic singing with multi-instrumentalism, performing both traditional songs as well as their own material. At times they have something of Simon & Garfunkel feel to them. This song, The Twa Corbies, is from their 2015 album Songs from the Outlands:
Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, better known as Sting from Wallsend in Northumberland wasn't only the lead singer of New Wave band The Police, but later dabbled with a number of musical styles during his solo career including folk. As a general rule I'm not a massive fan of his music, but I do like the 2013 album The Last Ship, which was inspired by a play about the demise of the British shipbuilding industry. This song from said album is The Ballad of the Great Eastern:
So much from Northumberland. As usual you can follow my virtual travels on tripline.
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