Harry
Boardman - A Lancashire Mon
Page
1
Photograph
courtesy of Roger Liptrot
HARRY
BOARDMAN
(b
1930, Failsworth, Lancashire; d 1987)
Folk singer, one of the first in the UK folk
revival to examine the folk tradition around him rather than regurgitating the
Anglo- American tradition that was the norm. An early interest in skiffle led to
running a folk club by '54, an unusual pursuit then; he came under the infl. of
A L Lloyd and Ewan MacColl but became noted for his championing of his local,
Lancastrian folk music and folk traditions. His first recording was for Topic on
New Voices '65, an anthology with Maureen Craik and the Watersons; then albums
Deep Lancashire '68, Owdham Edge '70 and (with David Hillery) Trans Pennine '71.
Boardman contributed to the most important collection of British mining songs
ever released commercially when he appeared as a guest, as did Dick Gaughan, on
the High Level Ranters' The Bonny Pit Laddie '75. More albums incl. A Lancashire
Mon '73 (all these on Topic), Golden Stream '78 on AK Records and the privately
issued Personal Selection '86. His written works incl. Folk Songs and Ballads of
Lancashire '73, with his wife Lesley Boardman, and Manchester Ballads '83, co-
authored with Roy Palmer.
(From
Musicweb
encyclopaedia of popular music)
Harry
Boardman – Discography
(On
compilation records, Harry’s songs are in bold text)
New
Voices - Topic Records - 12T125 (1965)
An
album of first recordings. The Watersons, Harry Boardman, Maureen Craik:
Boston
Harbour - The Watersons / To the Begging - Harry Boardman / The White
Cockade - Maureen Craik / Owdham - Harry Boardman / The Greenland Whale
Fishery - The Watersons / Hard Times - Harry Boardman / The Sandgate
Girl’s Lament - Maureen Craik / Three Score and Ten - The Watersons / The
Broom of Cowdenknowes - The Watersons / Bonny at Morn - Maureen Craik / The
Hand Loom versus the Power Loom - Harry Boardman / A U Hinny Burd - Maureen
Craik / The Shurat Weaver - Harry Boardman / Kin Arthur’s Servants -
The Watersons / The Weaver of Wellbrook - Harry Boardman
Deep
Lancashire - Topic Records -
12T188
(1968)
Songs
and Ballads of the Industrial North-West. Various Artists:
The
Hand-Loom Weaver’s Lament: Harry Boardman / Hop Hop Hop: The Oldham
Tinkers / Beg Your Leave: Pete Smith / Ale is Physic For Me: Mike Harding / Gettin’
Wed: Harry Boardman / Clogs: recited by Harvey Kershaw / The Merry Little
Doffer: Harry Boardman / Rawtenstall Annual Fair: Lee Nicholson / Coalhole
Medley: The Oldham Tinkers / Cob-a-Coalin’: Harry Boardman / Seaur
Pies: John Howarth & the Oldham Tinkers / The Bury New Loom: Harry
Boardman / Ten Per Cent: Pete Smith & Mike Harding / A Mon Like Thee:
John Howarth & The Oldham Tinkers / The Lancashire Liar: Harry Boardman.
Harry Boardman
with The Oldham Tinkers
Picture
courtesy of John Howarth
Maureen (or Emma
B as she is known on the mudcat forum) has
sent in this memory of Harry. The song in question is "The Bury New Loom.
"One long
conversation I had with Harry at Holmfirth, not long before his death related to
his teaching. Following the publication of the book Folk Songs and Ballads of
Lancashire (which I still have a copy of) Harry received a letter from a
secondary school teacher on behalf of some of his teenage pupils who were doing
a project. The students appeared to have picked out the best/worse examples of
'double entendre' weaving songs possible and were requesting a full explanation
of the 'technical terms' involved. At the time Harry was undecided whether to
let him into the 'secret'
or reply in the same terms and give all his class a good laugh; being Harry he
decided the only honourable course of action (if he was so naive) was the
second!"
Owdham
Edge - Topic Records - 12T204
(1970)
Popular
song and verse from Lancashire. Harry Boardman vocal, banjo, concertina, Lesley
Boardman mandolin, tenor banjo, Bob Diehl fiddle, The Oldham Tinkers (John
Howarth vocal, banjo. Gerrv Kearns vocal, guitar, Larry Kearns vocal, mandolin,
whistle), Mike Harding vocal, Jew's harp, concertina, Harvey Kershaw speech,
piano, Tim Boardman vocal, Robin Boardman vocal, guitar, bass concertina, John
Tenent tenor horn, Harry Ogden vocal, guitar, Ian Hope fiddle, Mary Kershaw
vocal.
Sam
Shuttle and Betty Reedhook (BOARDMAN); Owdham Edge (OLDHAM TINKERS); Our Sarah's Getten'
a Chap (OLDHAM TINKERS); The Miners' Lockout (BOARDMAN); Street Scene
(HARVEY KERSHAW); Pounds, Shillings and Pence (TIM & ROBIN BOARDMAN); Down
at Our School (OLDHAM TINKERS); The Little Piecer (BROOKS); Sammy Shuttleworth
(HARDING); Bowton's Yard (BOARDMAN); Toddlin' Whoam (LARRY KEARNS); The
Bard's Reformation (BOARDMAN); Schoolyard Song (OGDEN); Nobbut a Cockstride
Away (MARY KERSHAW); Billy Suet's Song (BOARDMAN); Canute (OLDHAM
TINKERS); Our Bill (WRIGLEY)
Trans
Pennine - Topic Records -
12TS215
(1971)
Harry
Boardman and Dave Hillery.
Scarborough
Sands / I’ll Have a Collier For My Sweetheart / Forty Miles / Tommy
Stroo’s Ghost / Cowd Stringy Pie / Tha’s Welcome Little Bonny Brid
/ Nellie o’Bobs O’t’ Crowtrees / Weaver’s Song / Happy Sam / Manchester
Canal / T’auld Wife of Coverdill / Lass O’Dallogil / My Love, My Love /
Cockfight / Haley Paley / With Henry Hunt We’ll Go / Ensilver
Song.
A
Lancashire Mon – Topic Records - 12TS236
(1973)
Harry
Boardman.
A
Lancashire Mon / T Spinner’s Tale / Radcliffe Otter Hunt / Victoria Bridge on
a Saturday Night / Kitty & Robin / Saddleworth Buck Rabbit / Whoam Brewed /
Warrikin Fair / Spinning Shoddy / To the Begging / Beltane Song / Garland /
Owdham on a Saturday Night / Nine Times a Night.
The
Bonnie Pit Laddie - Topic Records - 12TS271/2 (1975)
Re-released
on CD - Topic Records - TSCD486
The
High Level Ranters with Harry Boardman and Dick Gaughan:
Doon
the Waggon Way / Miner’s Life / I Wish Pay Friday Would Come / Augengeich
Disaster / Collier’s Rant / Farewell to the Monty / Putter / Little Chance /
My Gaffer’s Bait / Coal Owner and the Pitman’s Wife / Blackleg Miner / Miners’
Lockout / South Medomsley Strike / Durham Lockout / Aa’m Glad the
Strike’s Done / Collier’s Pay Week / I’ll Have a Collier /
Instrumental Selection / I’ll Make Her Fain to Follow Me / Joyful Days are
Coming / Get Her Bo / Stoneman’s Song / Hartley Calamity / Bonnie Woodha’ /
Banks of the Dee / The Bonnie Pit Laddie (vocal).
Steam
Ballads - Broadside - BRO 121 (1977)
Harry
Boardman, Kempion, Jon Raven, Tony Rose
Recorded
in 1977. The songs, mostly 19th century ballads, are:
Navvy
on the Line / The Bold Navvies / Paddy Works on the Railway / A New Song on
the Opening of the Newcastle & Shields Railway / Johnny Green's Trip fro'
Owdhum to see the Manchester Railway / A New Song on the Opening of the
Birmingham to Liverpool Railway / Iron Horse / The Oxford and Hampton Railway /
The Cockney's Trip to Brummagem / The Wonderful Effects of the Leicester Railway
/ Cosher Bailey / Moses of the Mail / Fireman's Growl.
From
Liszt to Music Hall
Open
University - OU45 Arts Foundation Course - 1978
Recorded
in 1978. This was an LP and cassette of 9 songs featuring Harry and John Foreman:
Side
1 featured classical music and side 2 featured the songs of Harry and John.
The
Miller of the Dee , Manchester's Improving Daily, The Cotton Lords of Preston -
Harry
Song
of the Lower Classes, Villikins and his Dinah, Twickenham Ferry, If it Wasn't
for the Houses in between - John
The
Four Loom Weaver, Oldham Workshops - Harry
Golden
Stream (LP) - AK Records - AK7813 (1978)
Golden
Stream (Cassette) - DENE Records - DKA9138c (1991)
Harry Boardman
with Lesley &
Tim Boardman, Chris Cole, Bob Diehl, Bob Morton, Steve Turner & Tony Hill
Handloom v Powerloom / Th’
Coaler / Go George I can’t endure you (tune) / I mean to get jolly well drunk
/ Flat Cap – Black Mary’s Hornpipe (tunes) / Folk Song 73 / Frolicsome Kate
/ Three Jolly Boys / The Cotton Lords of Preston / Hard Times / Jack the
Horsecourser’s hornpipe (tune) / Drawin’ t’ rents / Jumping Jack / Ashton
Mashers / Golden Stream / Alterations
Widely
regarded as one of the best recordings that Harry made, it was re-released on
cassette sometime after Harry's death.
Personal
Selection (1986)
Harry Boardman
with Nick
Dennerley, Roger Fisken and Bob Morton
What ails thee my son Robin /
Tom Paget / The Bitch Fox / The Plodder Seam / The Garland / Where’s ta bin /
The Girls of Lancashire / The Flying Cloud / Bonny Light Horseman / The Grand
Conversation on Napoleon / The Streets of London (Jack of all trades) / The
Whaler’s lament / Ninian South / Owdham White Hare / I’ll tell thi Dick /
The Manchester Canal / Fortune turns the wheel
This was a cassette recorded
by Alistair Miller at Leader Sound. The other LPs had been deleted by this time
and Harry wanted something to sell at his gigs. This set of songs represented
Harry’s repertoire of the time.
This was the last commercial
recording he made before his death in 1987 although he had recorded some songs
from The Manchester Ballads for a programme on BBC Radio Manchester (now BBC GMR).
I happen to have a copy of that broadcast – I don’t know if the BBC still
has it!
See page 2 for further details.
The
Iron Muse – Topic Records – TSCD 465 (1997)
A
panorama of industrial folk music
One of the most famous and influential records of the British folk revival, The
Iron Muse gathered songs from mine, mill and factory in a powerfully evocative
musical document of the Industrial Revolution and its aftermath. Songs by Louis
Killen, Anne Briggs, Ray Fisher and others are interspersed with tunes by the
Celebrated Working Man's Band, led by Colin Ross (fiddle). The original album
from 1956 has been extended with songs by Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger, Dick
Gaughan and other Topic artists.
Harry
Boardman is one of the "other Topic artists" singing The Handloom
Weavers Lament
Deep
Lancashire – Topic Records – TSCD 485 (1997)
This
is a re-release of the two early LPs Deep Lancashire and Owdham Edge.
Unfortunately, because of the lack of time available on the CD, several songs
have been omitted – sadly three of them that were Harry’s.
These
are - from Deep Lancashire:
Getting’
Wed – Harry Boardman / Seaur Pies: John Howarth & the Oldham Tinkers
/ The Lancashire Liar - Harry Boardman
And from Owdham Edge:
The
Bard's Reformation – Harry BOARDMAN
The
Oldham Tinkers are in the process of having their long deleted LPs re-released
on CD and the producers have taken the opportunity of including the Tinker’s
contributions to Deep Lancashire and Owdham Edge as additional tracks. Unless
Harry’s LPs are re-released in a similar fashion, I doubt whether the missing
tracks will be available to be heard again in their original format.
Two
photographs of Harry from the Ormskirk Advertiser in the 1980's
As a
tribute to Harry's work over the years, Cock Robin Music and Mark Dowding have
teamed up together to produce a CD of songs called "A Mon Like Harry"
This
CD, which has been featured on BBC local radio stations in the North-West and
Midlands
regions,
is available from either Mark Dowding
or Chris Harvey
More
details on Mark's website HERE
Harry
Boardman - The Man and His Music
A
documentary about Harry made by Chris Harvey and Mark Dowding is now available
to listen to on:
www.themusicwell.co.uk
This
new documentary features memories of Harry and contributions from the following
people:
Baz
Barker, Alan Bell, Chris Cole, Mark Dowding
Mike Harding, Chris Harvey Pollington, John Howarth
Mary Humphreys, Gerry Kearns, Bill Leader
Roy Palmer, Brian Peters and Bernard Wrigley
The narrator is Ali O’Brien
Personal
Choice - Cock Robin Music CRM 180 (2008)
Chris
Harvey of Cock Robin Music has taken the cassette of Personal Selection as this
was the only version of the recording available and remastered the tracks
correcting the pitch as the tracks were running slow to brighten them up
considerably. Problems of balance and separation due to the recording room
being rather cramped due to a grand piano taking up a lot of the space according
to Bob Morton who played guitar on the original have been corrected.
Two
changes have been made to the original format. "The Girls of
Lancashire" now starts the CD and a bonus track of Harry telling a story
about his dad going down to the pub has been added thanks to Mike Kiernan of
Stockport sending Mark Dowding a copy of the gig that he recorded in 1981.
The CD
is available from Mark via his website HERE
and is priced at £8 which includes P+P
For
information about Harry's broadcasts please go to page 2
Page
2 Looking
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