Bill Caddick
Encyclopedia
Bill Caddick is an English
folk
singer-songwriter
and guitarist
, particularly noted for his songwriting and as a member of the innovative and influential group Home Service
.
s, in 1973 Caddick joined the street theatre
group Magic Lantern, formed by Taffy Thomas
and described by Mel McClellan on the BBC
website as "legendary". He left Magic Lantern in 1975 to concentrate on his solo career, becoming well known as a festival artist in Britain and overseas. In 1977 he joined the Albion Band in the National Theatre
productions of 'Lark Rise
' and 'The Passion'. Caddick later collaborated with Tim Laycock and Peter Bond in a stage show and album
about circus
life, called "A Duck on his Head". About this time, he wrote songs for radio
and TV
, and performed his own songs in a film about the Tolpuddle Martyrs
. From 1980 to 1987 Caddick was a member of the renowned folk-rock band Home Service
. He continued to write and perform at clubs and festivals, albeit in a more low-key way than before as well as continuing his involvement with the National Theatre, writing and appearing in several plays which included "Don Quixote", and "The Mysteries
" (an award winning trilogy performed in the West End
, on TV and throughout Europe, as well as at the National).
Currently (as at December 2009) Bill Caddick runs a folk club in his home village of Jackfield
and, as well as his solo career, is a member of three groups: local band the Jackfield Riverbillies, ceilidh band All Blacked Up and a new venture as part of the Anne Lennox Martin Band.
His songs, such as "Unicorns" and "She Moves Among Men", have been recorded
by numerous other musician
s including June Tabor
, Chris Foster
, Alex Campbell
, Christy Moore
, Peter Rowan, John Kirkpatrick, Artisan
, Coope Boyes and Simpson
and The Yetties
.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, particularly noted for his songwriting and as a member of the innovative and influential group Home Service
Home Service
Home Service are a British folk rock group, formed in late 1980 from a nucleus of musicians who had been playing in Ashley Hutchings' Albion Band. Their career is generally agreed to have peaked with the album Alright Jack, which is usually considered one of the finest products of the electric folk...
.
Career outline
Singing since the 1960s in folk clubs and festivalFolk festival
A Folk festival celebrates traditional folk crafts and folk music.-Canada:Alberta*Calgary Folk Music Festival*Canmore Folk Music Festival*Edmonton Folk Music Festival*Jasper Folk Festival*Wild Mountain Music FestOntario*Barriefolk...
s, in 1973 Caddick joined the street theatre
Street theatre
Street theatre is a form of theatrical performance and presentation in outdoor public spaces without a specific paying audience. These spaces can be anywhere, including shopping centres, car parks, recreational reserves and street corners. They are especially seen in outdoor spaces where there are...
group Magic Lantern, formed by Taffy Thomas
Taffy Thomas
Taffy Thomas, MBE is a storyteller, based in Grasmere in the English Lake District.-Biography:In September 2009, Thomas accepted the honorary position of the UK's first Laureate for Storytelling, which was officially launched on 30 January 2010 at the British Library as part of a series of national...
and described by Mel McClellan on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
website as "legendary". He left Magic Lantern in 1975 to concentrate on his solo career, becoming well known as a festival artist in Britain and overseas. In 1977 he joined the Albion Band in the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
productions of 'Lark Rise
Lark Rise to Candleford
Lark Rise to Candleford is a trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels about the countryside of north-east Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, England, at the end of the 19th century. They were written by Flora Thompson and first published together in 1945...
' and 'The Passion'. Caddick later collaborated with Tim Laycock and Peter Bond in a stage show and album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
about circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
life, called "A Duck on his Head". About this time, he wrote songs for radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, and performed his own songs in a film about the Tolpuddle Martyrs
Tolpuddle Martyrs
The Tolpuddle Martyrs were a group of 19th century Dorset agricultural labourers who were arrested for and convicted of swearing a secret oath as members of the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers. The rules of the society show it was clearly structured as a friendly society and operated as...
. From 1980 to 1987 Caddick was a member of the renowned folk-rock band Home Service
Home Service
Home Service are a British folk rock group, formed in late 1980 from a nucleus of musicians who had been playing in Ashley Hutchings' Albion Band. Their career is generally agreed to have peaked with the album Alright Jack, which is usually considered one of the finest products of the electric folk...
. He continued to write and perform at clubs and festivals, albeit in a more low-key way than before as well as continuing his involvement with the National Theatre, writing and appearing in several plays which included "Don Quixote", and "The Mysteries
The Mysteries (play)
The Mysteries is a version of the medieval English mystery plays presented at London's National Theatre in 1977. The cycle of three plays tells the story of the Bible from the creation to the last judgement....
" (an award winning trilogy performed in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
, on TV and throughout Europe, as well as at the National).
Currently (as at December 2009) Bill Caddick runs a folk club in his home village of Jackfield
Jackfield
Jackfield is a village in Shropshire, England, bordering the small town of Broseley.-Location:It lies on the south bank of the River Severn, in the Ironbridge Gorge, and opposite the village of Coalport...
and, as well as his solo career, is a member of three groups: local band the Jackfield Riverbillies, ceilidh band All Blacked Up and a new venture as part of the Anne Lennox Martin Band.
His songs, such as "Unicorns" and "She Moves Among Men", have been recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
by numerous other musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s including June Tabor
June Tabor
June Tabor is an English folk singer.- Early years :June Tabor was inspired to sing by hearing Anne Briggs' EP Hazards of Love in 1965. "I went and locked myself in the bathroom for a fortnight and drove my mother mad. I learned the songs on that EP note for note, twiddle for twiddle. That's how I...
, Chris Foster
Chris Foster (folk singer)
Chris Foster born 1948, is an English singer and guitarist known for his interpretations of traditional and contemporary songs.He was born in Somerset, a county in the west country of England. It is there that he first heard and started singing traditional songs. He trained as an artist at the...
, Alex Campbell
Alex Campbell (singer)
Alex Campbell was a Scottish folk singer. Described by Colin Harper as a "melancholic, hard-travelling Glaswegian", he was influential in the British folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s and was one of the first folk singers to tour the UK and Europe...
, Christy Moore
Christy Moore
Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore is a popular Irish folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is well known as one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts...
, Peter Rowan, John Kirkpatrick, Artisan
Artisan (group)
Artisan were an English vocal harmony trio, who sang a cappella from 1985 to 2005. They consisted of songwriter Brian Bedford, his wife Jacey Bedford, and Hilary Spencer.-History:...
, Coope Boyes and Simpson
Coope Boyes and Simpson
Coope, Boyes and Simpson are an English vocal folk trio, formed around 1990. Their sound is rich and often has unusual vocal harmonies.The group comprises singers Barry Coope, Jim Boyes and Lester Simpson, and almost all of their music is sung entirely a capella, although they have occasionally...
and The Yetties
The Yetties
The Yetties are an English folk music group and take their name from the Dorset village of Yetminster which was their childhood home. In 2007 The Yetties celebrated 40 years as a professional folk band....
.
Solo recordings
- Rough Music (1976)
- Sunny Memories (1977)
- Reasons Briefly Set Down (1979)
- Wild West Show (1986)
- Urban Legend (1991)
- Winter With Flowers (1995)
- UnicornsUnicorns (album)Unicorns is a folk album by Bill Caddick recorded and released in 2002.Recorded and produced by Mick Dolan. Issued by Working Joe Music in the UK, catalogue number WJM2003....
(2002)
Group recordings
- (With The Albion Band) Lark Rise To Candleford (1979)
- (With Bond, Caddick & Laycock) A Duck On His Head (1980)
- (With Home Service) Doing The Inglish (1981)
- (With Home Service) Home Service (1984)
- (With Home Service) The Mysteries (1984)
- (With Home Service) The Mysteries EP (1985)
- (With Home Service) Early Transmissions (1996)
- (With Home Service) Wild Life (1999)
- (With The Jackfield Riverbillies) Cherokee (1999)
As session musician
- John Kirkpatrick - Going Spare (1978)
- Richard and Linda Thompson - First Light (1978)
- Peter Bond - See Me Up, See Me Down (1979)
- Tim Laycock - Capers & Rhymes
- Various Artists - All Through The Year
- Ashley Hutchings - The Guv'nor Vol 2 (1997)
- Jan Davies - Magpies
- Les BarkerLes BarkerLes Barker is an English poet. He is best known for his comedic poetry and parodies of popular songs, however he has also produced some very serious thought-provoking written work....
- Tubular Dogs - Various Artists - Festival
- Anne Lennox-Martin - Born To The Breed (2004)