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Looking Back.....
.....to September 1979
In those days, the magazine had a 'Club of the Month' feature and for this issue, the Club of the month was Bury Folk Club. Jean Seymour wrote this article and sadly, her prediction of closure came true, for the club closed some time ago and unfortunately there is no longer a club in the town (unless, of course, you know different!) As with the other articles in this group of pages, the text is reproduced below the scan of the actual page.
CLUB
OF THE MONTH: BURY FOLK CLUBBury Folk Club began one Saturday night in the early sixties in the Albion – a pub in the town centre. No-one now seems to know exactly when. Perhaps as we approach 21 someone might be stirred to find out.
In
the early years the club moved several times from the Albion to the Black Bull
and thence to the British Oak, where I caught up with it in 1966. The final move
to the present venue, the Old Blue Bell, was made in 1968 and I have had the
often thankless task of organiser since late 1969. The
club’s policy has always been to present traditional songs and music, with
only very rare forays into the other forms. This may seem narrow and unbending
but from past experience we find it works. Our audience prefers it, finding that
traditional music gives a greater variety within itself than can be found in the
other forms. Over
the years we have been fortunate in having a plentiful supply of excellent
resident singers. In the early days John Dickinson, Steve Heap, Lea’ Nicholson
(Nick) and Dave Smith, Bernard Wrigley and Dave Brooks, and the inimitable Bob
Duckworth could all, be heard every week. Late came the Valley Folk, when John
and Steve were joined by my two sisters and myself. Nick went to university and
Davie joined the Britannia Coconutters - but we gained Dave Weatherall, (now of
Jolly Jack). In those days Singers’ Nights were often more popular than the
guests and with a line-up of that calibre it was hardly surprising. Perhaps we
never attain the dizzy heights as regards famous residents, but we’ve still
got a large number of LP covers on our walls witnessing our home-grown talents. In
the late sixties Lol Lynch did a stalwart job as the regular M.C. and mainstay
of the residents, particularly after the demise of the Valley Folk. By now Dave
and Bernard and Dave Weatherall had gone their different ways but new talent
began to emerge. For the first time the club was short of residents and people
who had rarely sung began to show themselves in their true light. Some, like
Alan Seymour and Ken Bolton, are with us yet, both as singers and part of the
Bury Pace Eggers which revived the local Easter custom in 1970. The
early seventies saw the upsurge of interest in dancing and I started a group as
an offshoot. When the dance group was at is best we had a demonstration team
which proved popular and dance and song were often combined to present
Lancashire Nights for various local organisations. Soon some of our musicians
decided they would rather play than exercise their three left feet, so the Fiery
Clockface was born, later to become Chatterton Riot and now simply the Riot
Band. The line-up changed with each new name but all the bands have enjoyed
great popularity. We now also have the Bury Ceilidh Band which in turn is
achieving recognition outside the club.
Jean Seymour
OK - That was an example of the Club of the Month feature. There was also a regular page for songwriters....
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