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There
are nights that are good, there are nights that are great, and there
are nights that are truly unforgettable. At the Tiger we have been
privileged to have had many, many good nights, many, great nights and
we have had some unforgettable nights. Shirley Collins and her
presentation "America over the Water" was one of those truly
unforgettable nights.
We
were taken through the late summer and autumn of 1959 on a tour
through some of the southern states of America. We were guided by Shirley from Virginia to Georgia via
Kentucky, Arkansas and North Mississippi. long the way we were introduced to, amongst others, musicians,
singers, evangelists, prisoners, downtrodden workers, descendants of
slaves, squirrel hunters, at least one murderer, Ku Klux Klan
supporters, if not fully paid-up members, and a convict, who, in an
instant, became rich beyond expectation.
I
could list the places and the people by name, heaven knows, I made
enough notes,
but this would not capture the atmosphere in the top room that night.
It was the simple unadorned language that so effectively and
descriptively took us into the homes and surroundings of the many
wonderful fiddle, banjo, guitar, mouth bow players and singers. The hard, hard grueling life of unforgiving toil with nothing
in the future but more of the same was amply brought home to us in
their speech and song. Their
lifestyles were reflected in the recordings of their music and linked
not only by word but with projected photographs taken by Shirley and
Alan Lomax at the time.
We
also experienced the dialects and accents of some of the men, for
surely Pip Barnes could have been that WACKY radio announcer
from WCKY RADIO! Applause and laughter greeted his contributions which
so helped us to get the feel of the collecting trip. Who didn't
shudder at the words of the hell fire and damnation preacher from
Kentucky? Who didn't smile at the anecdote of the two stall privy? The
hot airless nights and the even hotter days. The driving over parched, dusty flat lands towards remote
black settlements, not knowing what the reception would be to
two white people. The
sound of gunshots in the night when the talk during the evening had
been of revenge killings on those thickly wooded hillsides. Sitting on the
front porch only to be scared stiff of talk of snakes. We were taken to all this and
more. But,
interwoven with this fascinating journey was the story of Shirley
herself, from the young giddy teenager with a crush on Larry Olivier
through to the young lady who returned to England having learnt so
much of life. How much of what she saw, heard and felt on that epic
trip has been reflected in her singing and her attitude to life over
the years.
Mention
has been made of Pip Barnes, for his contribution certainly gave
another dimension to the presentation. As did those of Tina and Vic Smith who provided the technical
gizmos and know how for the photos and sound recordings to play their
part in America Over the Water. The
conversations after the performance and since have all been along the
lines of, "What a wonderful evening", "An experience
and a privilege", "Just a joy to have been there". For surely it was a joy and a privilege to be taken on a
journey by such a gracious guide. A night that will be remembered for a long, long time by a good
many people.
It
was great to see Sheila Stewart at the club and looking so well. Would
you believe it, these two divas of the folk world who have been icons
for so many for so many years had never met before. Yet more emotion on a night that will bring a quiet smile to
many a face when this night is remembered in the years to come. It was definitely one of those "You should have been at
the Tiger when..." nights.
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