English Country Music

Performers include: Walter & Daisey Bulwer, Billy Cooper, Scan Tester, Reg Hall.
Recorded in Norfolk, England. Includes a 32 page booklet.
Contains 27 tracks.
Personnel: Hawkins (banjo); Billy Cooper (dulcimer); Reg Hall (fiddle, melodeon); Walter Bulwer (fiddle); Russell Wortley (pipe, tabor); Scan Tester (concertina); Daisy Bulwer (piano); Mervyn Plunkett (drums, tambourine).
Audio Remasterer: Tony Dixon .
Liner Note Author: Reg Hall .
Photographer: Bill Leader .
Once upon a time, wedding celebrations, family gatherings, and dances required the presence of musicians to make the celebration complete. After all, people in the country loved to dance long before dancehalls and the goosestep made dancing trendy. Recorded between 1959 and 1962, English Country Music features fiddler and mandolin/banjo player Walter Bulwer, dulcimer player Billy Cooper, and pianist Daisy Bulwer on a variety of waltzes, polkas, and jigs. The joy of these recordings comes from listening to the interaction among the musicians, and listening to them cut loose on old favorites like "The Four-Hand Reel" and "Soldier's Joy." Certain cuts like "The Sailor's Hornpipe," "Jenny Lind," and "The Foggy Dew" will stand out as familiar. "Shave the Donkey" and "Off She Goes" appear twice, first by a solo fiddle player, then by the full band. For listeners accustomed to Appalachian-styled instrumental music, the piano and melodeon add a distinctive flavor to this traditionally styled music. Melodeon player Reg Hall has written extensive liner notes, providing in-depth background and enriching the whole project. This is a superior collection that captures these musicians in their natural element and in good form. The recording is also a testament to traditional music enthusiasts like Mervyn Plunkett, who was active in bringing these players together. For the old-fashioned, this disc will also suffice -- in a pinch -- as a fine substitute for a dance band at one's next celebration. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford Jr.