Blue Murder (folk)
Encyclopedia
Blue Murder is an occasional English folk "supergroup", consisting at various times of various members of Swan Arcade
, Coope Boyes and Simpson
, Waterson:Carthy
and The Watersons
.
Dave and Heather Brady and Jim Boyes of Swan Arcade and The Watersons' Norma
and Lal Waterson
gathered at Whitby
Folk Week in August 1986 for a charity concert for the benefit of the local school. The ensemble, probably performing as The Boggle Hole Chorale, performed at the Festival's final ceilidh.
In 1987, Ian Anderson
invited The Watersons and Swan Arcade to appear at Bracknell Festival, separately and together. The collective group was named "Blue Murder" by Martin Carthy
. The line up for the festival was: Martin Carthy, Norma, Lal, Rachel and Mike Waterson
, Heather Brady, Dave Brady and Jim Boyes.
This version of Blue Murder performed in 1987 and 1988 at Wath upon Dearne in South Yorkshire
, at The Queen Elizabeth Hall
in London
, at a variety of British festivals, and at the Brossella Festival in Brussels
. A demo was put together from their Wath concert performance and a track from a concert in Bracknell
appears on The Carthy Chronicles (Free Reed FRQCD-60), but this incarnation of the band made no studio recordings.
In 1994, Blue Murder performed "I Bid You Goodnight" for a benefit album Out on the Rolling Sea. By this time, Swan Arcade had split up, and Heather Brady was unavailable on the day of recording. Barry Coope and Lester Simpson
of Coope Boyes and Simpson replaced the two Bradys. Eliza Carthy
meanwhile had replaced Rachel Waterson in the Watersons.
The third incarnation of the group began in 2000, following the death of Lal Waterson
, when they appeared for a "Yorkshire Evening." They appeared at the Sidmouth Festival
in 2001. A concert tour followed in 2002, along with the recording of their first (and thus far only) studio album, No One Stands Alone. The line-up for 2000–2002 was Norma & Mike Waterson, Martin & Eliza Carthy, Barry Coope, Jim Boyes & Lester Simpson.
This line up - occasionally minus Eliza Carthy when Blue Murder performances clashed with her other commitments - performed sporadically over the next few years, largely on the UK festival circuit. Eventually, Eliza was permanently replaced by Maria Gilhooley
, Lal Waterson's daughter and occasional Watersons and Waterson:Carthy
collaborator. On 23 November 2007 this line up made its debut concert appearance at the Met Theatre
in Bury
, Greater Manchester
.
4 CD box set tracing the career of Martin Carthy includes one track by the original Blue Murder lineup, recorded live at Bracknell Festival 11 July 1987.
Blue Murder (mk I): Heather Brady, Lal Waterson, Rachel Waterson, Norma Waterson, Martin Carthy, Mike Waterson, Dave Brady & Jim Boyes: vocals
Various artists compilation including one track by Blue Murder.
Blue Murder (mk II):: Eliza Carthy: lead vocals; Lal Waterson, Norma Waterson, Jim Boyes, Martin Carthy, Barry Coope, Lester Simpson & Mike Waterson: vocals
Various artists compilation including one track by Blue Murder (Martin Carthy, Eliza Carthy, Norma Waterson, Jim Boyes and Barry Coope appear elsewhere on other tracks on this album).
Blue Murder (mk III): Lester Simpson, Barry Coope, Jim Boyes, Martin Carthy, Eliza Carthy, Norma Waterson, Mike Waterson: vocals; Martin Carthy: guitar
Swan Arcade
Swan Arcade were a British folk music vocal group formed in 1970. "A leading light of the British folk revival" they sang a wide variety of songs, including blues, pop and rock and roll, as well as traditional folk music, mostly performed a cappella. Swan Arcade also performed with The Watersons...
, 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...
, Waterson:Carthy
Waterson:Carthy
Waterson:Carthy are an English folk group originally comprising Norma Waterson on vocals, her husband Martin Carthy on guitar and vocals and their daughter Eliza Carthy on fiddle and vocals....
and The Watersons
The Watersons
The Watersons were an English folk group from Hull, Yorkshire. They performed mainly traditional songs with little or no accompaniment. Their distinctive sound came from their closely woven harmonies.-Career:...
.
Dave and Heather Brady and Jim Boyes of Swan Arcade and The Watersons' Norma
Norma Waterson
Norma Christine Waterson is an English musician, best known as one of the original members of The Watersons, a premier English traditional group. Other members of the group included her brother Mike Waterson and sister Lal Waterson, and in later incarnations of the group her husband Martin...
and Lal Waterson
Lal Waterson
Lal Waterson was an English folksinger and songwriter. She sang with, among others, The Watersons, The Waterdaughters and Blue Murder. She was born in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire and died suddenly in Robin Hood's Bay, of cancer diagnosed only ten days before...
gathered at Whitby
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...
Folk Week in August 1986 for a charity concert for the benefit of the local school. The ensemble, probably performing as The Boggle Hole Chorale, performed at the Festival's final ceilidh.
In 1987, Ian Anderson
Ian A. Anderson
Ian A. Anderson is an English magazine editor, folk musician and broadcaster.-Country blues and The Village Thing:...
invited The Watersons and Swan Arcade to appear at Bracknell Festival, separately and together. The collective group was named "Blue Murder" by Martin Carthy
Martin Carthy
Martin Carthy MBE is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon and later artists such as Richard Thompson since he emerged as a young musician in the early days...
. The line up for the festival was: Martin Carthy, Norma, Lal, Rachel and Mike Waterson
Mike Waterson
Michael Waterson was an English writer, songwriter and folk singer.Waterson was born in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. He is best known as a member of The Watersons, with his sisters Lal Waterson and Norma Waterson and his brother-in-law Martin Carthy...
, Heather Brady, Dave Brady and Jim Boyes.
This version of Blue Murder performed in 1987 and 1988 at Wath upon Dearne in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, at The Queen Elizabeth Hall
Queen Elizabeth Hall
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is a music venue on the South Bank in London, United Kingdom that hosts daily classical, jazz, and avant-garde music and dance performances. The QEH forms part of Southbank Centre arts complex and stands alongside the Royal Festival Hall, which was built for the Festival...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, at a variety of British festivals, and at the Brossella Festival in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. A demo was put together from their Wath concert performance and a track from a concert in Bracknell
Bracknell
Bracknell is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Reading, southwest of Windsor and west of central London...
appears on The Carthy Chronicles (Free Reed FRQCD-60), but this incarnation of the band made no studio recordings.
In 1994, Blue Murder performed "I Bid You Goodnight" for a benefit album Out on the Rolling Sea. By this time, Swan Arcade had split up, and Heather Brady was unavailable on the day of recording. Barry Coope and Lester Simpson
Lester Simpson
Lester Simpson is a folk singer and radio presenter on BBC Local Radio in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. He features in the three-piece folk group Coope, Boyes and Simpson, and on the Folkwaves radio program with Mick Peat....
of Coope Boyes and Simpson replaced the two Bradys. Eliza Carthy
Eliza Carthy
Eliza Carthy is an English folk musician known for both singing and playing fiddle. She is the daughter of English folk musicians singer/guitarist Martin Carthy and singer Norma Waterson.-Life and career:...
meanwhile had replaced Rachel Waterson in the Watersons.
The third incarnation of the group began in 2000, following the death of Lal Waterson
Lal Waterson
Lal Waterson was an English folksinger and songwriter. She sang with, among others, The Watersons, The Waterdaughters and Blue Murder. She was born in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire and died suddenly in Robin Hood's Bay, of cancer diagnosed only ten days before...
, when they appeared for a "Yorkshire Evening." They appeared at the Sidmouth Festival
Sidmouth Festival
Sidmouth FolkWeek , is a folk festival held every year in the first week of Augustin the coastal town of Sidmouth in South West England. It offers a range of activities including concerts, ceilidhs, pub sessions, workshops, dance displays, and children's activities...
in 2001. A concert tour followed in 2002, along with the recording of their first (and thus far only) studio album, No One Stands Alone. The line-up for 2000–2002 was Norma & Mike Waterson, Martin & Eliza Carthy, Barry Coope, Jim Boyes & Lester Simpson.
This line up - occasionally minus Eliza Carthy when Blue Murder performances clashed with her other commitments - performed sporadically over the next few years, largely on the UK festival circuit. Eventually, Eliza was permanently replaced by Maria Gilhooley
Maria Gilhooley
Maria Gilhooley, also known as Marie Gilhooley, Marie Knight and Marie/Maria/Marry Waterson is a singer and artist best known for her contributions to numerous recordings and live performances by various members of the Waterson family....
, Lal Waterson's daughter and occasional Watersons and Waterson:Carthy
Waterson:Carthy
Waterson:Carthy are an English folk group originally comprising Norma Waterson on vocals, her husband Martin Carthy on guitar and vocals and their daughter Eliza Carthy on fiddle and vocals....
collaborator. On 23 November 2007 this line up made its debut concert appearance at the Met Theatre
The Met (arts centre)
The Met is a performing arts venue in Bury, Greater Manchester. It has two theatre spaces and a café bar.The centre is operated by Bury Metropolitan Arts Association, a registered charity, and it popularly known as Bury Met.-Location:...
in Bury
Bury
Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
.
Discography
- The Carthy Chronicles (Free Reed Records. Cat. No: FRQCD 60) 2001
4 CD box set tracing the career of Martin Carthy includes one track by the original Blue Murder lineup, recorded live at Bracknell Festival 11 July 1987.
- ANC Song (Azicatal)
Blue Murder (mk I): Heather Brady, Lal Waterson, Rachel Waterson, Norma Waterson, Martin Carthy, Mike Waterson, Dave Brady & Jim Boyes: vocals
- Out on the Rolling Sea: A tribute to the music of Joseph Spence & the Pinder Family (Hokey Pokey Records. Cat. No: HPR 2004.2) 1994
Various artists compilation including one track by Blue Murder.
- I Bid You Goodnight
Blue Murder (mk II):: Eliza Carthy: lead vocals; Lal Waterson, Norma Waterson, Jim Boyes, Martin Carthy, Barry Coope, Lester Simpson & Mike Waterson: vocals
- Shining Bright: The Songs of Lal & Mike Waterson (Topic Records. Cat. No: TSCD519) 2002
Various artists compilation including one track by Blue Murder (Martin Carthy, Eliza Carthy, Norma Waterson, Jim Boyes and Barry Coope appear elsewhere on other tracks on this album).
- Bright Phoebus
Blue Murder (mk III): Lester Simpson, Barry Coope, Jim Boyes, Martin Carthy, Eliza Carthy, Norma Waterson, Mike Waterson: vocals; Martin Carthy: guitar
- No One Stands Alone (Topic Records. Cat. No: TSCD537) 2002