CD Graphic Design by Robert Brooks

A Song for Beds, Herts and Bucks

Stories...

That's how the human species has evolved to retain and pass-on important information, long before early writing methods emerged. They were passed on in narratives, sagas and, arguably with most effect, in songs.

From their traditional tales the remote Andaman Islanders knew to run to the hills when the sea drew back before the 2004 tsunami. It killed a quarter of a million people around the Indonesian, Sumatran and Indian coasts on Boxing Day 2004. Their beach-built huts were washed away, but the tribe survived through cultural knowledge which the rest of the nearby world (apart from a few specialists) had 'lost'. The most recent predecessor to this tsunami probably occurred between A.D. 1300 and 1450!

When the Watford Folk Club announced their competition 'A song for Beds, Herts and Bucks', twenty-six people dug into the wealth of tales around them - some old, some new, some personal, some far-reaching - and told those stories again in song form. I attended the final, enjoyed the songs, and wanted to ensure that they continued to have life beyond the competition, perhaps inspiring listeners to find out more about the stories behind the songs themselves.

So here are the ten finalists and one of the runners-up, performing their own compositions. Enjoy these songs - and the stories they tell

Tim Brooks August 2013

This CD - containing the songs of the ten finalists and the two reserves - and can be purchased at the Watford Folk club or from any of the song-writers/performers themselves,

Click on the song title to find lyrics, background, and info about the author and performers,

Track	Song Title	Author	Performed by	Subject
1	Way to Go	Sally Barnes	Sally Barnes	The plans for the HS2 High speed railway
2	The Banks of the Beane	Phil Hewett and Jim Coombes	Blue Harbour	The disappearance of the water flow from the River Beane over the last 50 years
3	The Great Ouse and the Colne	David White	David White	The story of the White family over 3 generations and their relationship with the three counties
4	The Hatter Girls	Bob Hines	Floyd, Hartwell and Hines	Characters from the Luton Hatting Industry
5	The Hertfordshire Guards	Ray Owen	Ray Owen	The fate of the Hertfordshire Regiment at Ypres
6	Chartists Ballot 1846	Linda Birmingham and David Silver	Linda Birmingham and David Silver	The Chartists Ballot in 1846
7	James Snooks	Hamish Currie	Hamish Currie	The story of James ("Robert") Snooks - the last highwayman to be hanged in England
8	Begone (The Witch of Walkern)	Daria Kulesh	Daria Kulesh and Jason Emberton	The story of Jane Wenham,tried for Witchcraft in 1712
9	The Headless Horseman	Julie Dawson	Julie Dawson	The Cavalier ghost who haunts Pirton!
10	Destined to lie with the King	Elaine Lavery	Elaine Lavery	The story of William Dormer of Wing, who as a teenager was engaged to Jane Seymour (future wife of Henry V111)
11	St Alban	Chris Flegg	Chris Flegg	St Alban - martyred 22 June c250

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