Bristol Troubadour Club
Encyclopedia
In the late 1960s and early '70s, a thriving contemporary folk music
scene in Bristol
was centred on the short lived but influential Bristol Troubadour Club in Clifton village
, the student quarter above the city centre. The club was considered by some as the liveliest and most creative outside London.
The club hosted some of the premier folk artists of the day including Al Jones
, Fred Wedlock
, Pigsty Hill Light Orchestra
, Ian Anderson
, Mike Cooper, John Renbourn
, Bert Jansch
, The Incredible String Band, Roy Harper
and Al Stewart
who had a residency there, and mentions the club in his song "Clifton in the Rain
".
calypso singer Norman Beaton
, and actor Chris Langham
who performed as "Wizz" Langham. From 1967 the "Folk Blues Bristol and West" club, founded by Ian Anderson met on the first Sunday of each month at the Troubadour but became so popular that it had to move to larger premises, firstly at The Old Duke
in King Street and, later, to the Full Moon on Stokes Croft.
In 1971 the venue closed following the purchase of the premises by a Peter Bush, just after it advertised that it had gained a drinks licence (having been alcohol-free from its inception). Dave Berry wrote in Pre-View magazine that "the loss of the Troubadour can't just be assessed in terms of the weekly entertainment it provided. Above all, the club was a social centre - and an inspiration and springboard for countless young artists".
The club is held in such great affection by its former members and musicians that two Troubadour reunions
have been held in the current millennium. The first took place at the QEH Theatre in Clifton on 9th November 2002 and featured many of the original artists; a double CD,Waterloo Street Revisited was issued the following year featuring recordings of the artists' performances. Because of its success, a similar concert was held on 6th March 2004 at the Redgrave Theatre, Clifton.
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....
scene in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
was centred on the short lived but influential Bristol Troubadour Club in Clifton village
Clifton, Bristol
Clifton is a suburb of the City of Bristol in England, and the name of both one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells...
, the student quarter above the city centre. The club was considered by some as the liveliest and most creative outside London.
The club hosted some of the premier folk artists of the day including Al Jones
Al Jones
Alun Ashworth-Jones , known as Al Jones, was an influential English folk and blues songwriter, guitarist and singer, noted for his distinctive and original folk-rock guitar style and his often darkly humorous lyrics.-Early career:He first came to prominence in the Bristol folk scene in the...
, Fred Wedlock
Fred Wedlock
Fred Wedlock was a folk singer best known for his UK hit single "The Oldest Swinger In Town". Wedlock performed at many venues in Britain and Europe, presented programmes for West Country TV and acted with the Bristol Old Vic and the Ministry of Entertainment, as well as undertaking after-dinner...
, Pigsty Hill Light Orchestra
Pigsty Hill Light Orchestra
The Pigsty Hill Light Orchestra were an eccentric band of British musicians, who joined together in early 1968 to play a fusion of comedy, jazz, and folk music, in a unique style which has been compared with the Temperance Seven and the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. Many of the songs performed dated...
, Ian Anderson
Ian A. Anderson
Ian A. Anderson is an English magazine editor, folk musician and broadcaster.-Country blues and The Village Thing:...
, Mike Cooper, John Renbourn
John Renbourn
John Renbourn is an English guitarist and songwriter. He is possibly best known for his collaboration with guitarist Bert Jansch as well as his work with the folk group Pentangle, although he maintained a solo career before, during and after that band's existence .While most commonly labelled a...
, Bert Jansch
Bert Jansch
Herbert "Bert" Jansch was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s, as an acoustic guitarist, as well as a singer-songwriter...
, The Incredible String Band, Roy Harper
Roy Harper
Roy Harper is an English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist who has been a professional musician since the mid 1960s...
and Al Stewart
Al Stewart
Al Stewart is a Scottish singer-songwriter and folk-rock musician.Stewart came to stardom as part of the British folk revival in the 1960s and 1970s, and developed his own unique style of combining folk-rock songs with delicately woven tales of the great characters and events from history.He is...
who had a residency there, and mentions the club in his song "Clifton in the Rain
Bed-Sitter Images
Bed-Sitter Images is the debut studio album of folk artist Al Stewart, released in 1967, and again in a revised edition with a new cover picture in 1970. The songs were orchestrated by Alexander Faris...
".
History
The Troubadour was opened in Waterloo Street, Clifton, by returning Australian emigree Ray Willmott, on Friday 7th October 1966. The first act to play there was Anderson Jones Jackson (Ian Anderson, Al Jones and Elliott Jackson). Other regular performers included GuyaneseGuyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
calypso singer Norman Beaton
Norman Beaton
Norman Lugard Beaton was a Guyanese actor long resident in the United Kingdom....
, and actor Chris Langham
Chris Langham
Christopher "Chris" Langham is an English writer, actor and comedian. He is most famous for playing MP Hugh Abbot in BBC Four sitcom The Thick of It and as presenter Roy Mallard in People Like Us, first on BBC Radio 4 and later on its transfer to television on BBC Two, where Mallard is almost...
who performed as "Wizz" Langham. From 1967 the "Folk Blues Bristol and West" club, founded by Ian Anderson met on the first Sunday of each month at the Troubadour but became so popular that it had to move to larger premises, firstly at The Old Duke
The Old Duke
The Old Duke is a jazz and blues venue and pub situated on King Street, Bristol, England. Live music is played every night of the week, admission is free and it hosts an annual Jazz Festival...
in King Street and, later, to the Full Moon on Stokes Croft.
In 1971 the venue closed following the purchase of the premises by a Peter Bush, just after it advertised that it had gained a drinks licence (having been alcohol-free from its inception). Dave Berry wrote in Pre-View magazine that "the loss of the Troubadour can't just be assessed in terms of the weekly entertainment it provided. Above all, the club was a social centre - and an inspiration and springboard for countless young artists".
The club is held in such great affection by its former members and musicians that two Troubadour reunions
Reunions
Reunions is a public affairs show on Q in the Philippines hosted by Jessica Soho, an award-winning journalist every Sunday...
have been held in the current millennium. The first took place at the QEH Theatre in Clifton on 9th November 2002 and featured many of the original artists; a double CD,Waterloo Street Revisited was issued the following year featuring recordings of the artists' performances. Because of its success, a similar concert was held on 6th March 2004 at the Redgrave Theatre, Clifton.