Bob Dylan described Ashley Hutchings as “The Godfather of English Folk Rock -he gave us a genre we couldn’t refuse”. Bass player Ashley was behind the formation of three great bands: Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and The Albion Band. As he celebrates his 80th birthday, Ashley joins Matthew Bannister on stage at Cecil Sharp House to look back on his life. He recalls the heady days of the 1960s, supporting Pink Floyd, being joined on stage by Jimi Hendrix, seeing Paul Simon play in a Soho folk club and inviting Sandy Denny and Dave Swarbrick to join Fairport. Then - following the road accident that killed Fairport’s drummer Martin Lamble and Richard Thompson’s girlfriend Jeannie Franklin - retiring to the country to come up with the first British folk rock album “Liege and Lief”. He also tells how he fell in love with the great singer Shirley Collins, but then was unfaithful and broke up their marriage. It’s a fascinating insight into the career of one of the great pioneers of British music.

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Find out more about Ashley Hutchings at http://ashleyhutchings.co.uk/

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Cole Stacey’s album “Postcards from Lost Places” was recorded in atmospheric locations around Dartmoor. In this episode Cole retraces his steps - taking us back to some of those places and performing the songs inspired by them. We hear about his journey into folk music, his partnership with Joseph O’Keefe in India Electric Co - and his experiences of touring with Midge Ure. But most of all we enjoy a spectacular cold and sunny day on Dartmoor.

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Find out more about Cole Stacey at https://colestacey.net

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On this month’s show, Matthew is joined by Mary Chapin Carpenter, Julie Fowlis and Karine Polwart to talk about their beautiful new album “Looking for the Thread”. There’s also music from Richard Dawson, Seth Lakeman, Anna B Savage, Cole Stacey, Cynefin, Altan and Rhona Macfarlane. Lucy Shields has the album preview and gig news.

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The history of the transatlantic slave trade and its legacy in Bristol are at the heart of this episode. It features West Country singer Reg Meuross, concertina player Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne and kora player Modou Ndaiye performing music from Reg’s powerful “Stolen from God” song cycle as we follow the route taken by the statue of the slave trader Edward Colston which was toppled from its plinth by Black Lives Matter protesters and thrown into the harbour. We also visit the Bristol Beacon (formerly Colston Hall), the Cathedral and the MShed Museum where the statue now lies on its back, covered in graffiti and surrounded by replicas of the banners carried during that day of protest. A perfect backdrop for the song “Good Morning Mr. Colston”.

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Find out more about Reg Meuross at http://www.regmeuross.com/

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This month’s show features music from The Longest Johns, Ferocious Dog, Sophie Jamieson, Bridget Hayden and the Apparitions, Jasmine.4.T, Laura Marling, Nathan Evans and David Gray. Lucy Shields previews some forthcoming album releases and Matthew announces the next episode of Folk on Foot.

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The Brighton based band Bird in the Belly take us for a walk on the South Downs Way during the Tremula Festival of Outdoor Podcasting. For the very first time, we’re joined by an audience of Folk on Foot fans. The band (Laura Ward, Adam Ronchetti Tom Pryor and Jinwoo) share a song about a day out in Brighton in 1813, a love song to a Welsh Ploughboy and music inspired by the nature writer Richard Jefferies' 1885 post apocalyptic novel “After London”. Then we head into a beautiful village church for the grand finale.

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Find out more about Bird in the Belly: https://www.birdinthebelly.com

Find out more about Tremula Festival: https://tremula.network

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With new entries in December from Jackie Oates and John Spiers; Janice Burns and Jon Doran; Julie Fowlis, Éamon Doorley, Zoë Conway and John McIntyre and The Unthanks; then the countdown of the biggest selling folk albums of 2024, including music from Sam Lee, Martin Simpson, Cara Dillon, Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson, Nina Nesbitt, Grace Petrie and Katherine Priddy. But who will be number one?

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Enjoy this classic episode from December 2019

In search of the festive spirit of Christmas – and bearing gifts - we travel to the Peak District and Sheffield to hear the area’s unique local carols. Along the way we collect music from Jon Boden, Bella Hardy, The Melrose Quartet and the singers of the villages of Dungworth and Hathersage. We hear how the traditional carols written and sung by working people were thrown out of the church – and had to find a new home in the village pubs. Put on your Santa hat, reindeer antlers or Christmas jumper, get yourself a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie and join us. 

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Ho Ho Ho! Enjoy traditional Christmas carols, midwinter Morris dancing, a peal of bells and a recipe for Christmas pudding set to music as we head for the Three Tuns pub in Bishop’s Castle with squeezebox maestro John Kirkpatrick MBE, the Castle Carollers and the Shropshire Bedlams. Along the way we’ll discover the story behind ancient winter customs like wassailing and find out why John is so passionate about the festive season.

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Find out more about John at https://www.johnkirkpatrick.co.uk/

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On this month’s show, Matthew is joined by Seth Lakeman and Kathryn Tickell who are both re-examining their past in new albums. Seth marks 20 years since his breakthrough album Kitty Jay by releasing a live version recorded at Dartmoor Prison, while Kathryn has been re-imagining her album On Kielder Side – recorded forty years ago when she was just 16. There’s also music from Laura Marling, Christy Moore, Fionn Regan, Grace Petrie and Kate Rusby.

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We rely on support from our listeners to keep this show on the road. If you like what we do please either...

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