John Kirkpatrick
Encyclopedia
John Kirkpatrick is an English player of free reed
instruments.
, west London
. As a child he sang in the choir and played piano. In 1959 he joined the Hammersmith Morris Men, in the second week of their existence, beginning a career-long love of folk music. In 1970 he became a regular at a folk club in the Roebuck pub in Tottenham Court Road
and led the resident group, Dingle's Chillybom Band. The club hosted a film show of Morris dancing
and Ashley Hutchings
turned up. It was the beginning of a long musical relationship. In 1972 John recorded his first solo album Jump at the Sun which included Richard Thompson on acoustic guitar. For contractual reasons Thompson had to use a pseudonym.
and married Sue Harris
. After seeing a dance team called Gloucestershire Old Spot Morris Morris Dancers he formed Shropshire Bedlams to perform local dances, in the so-called Border Morris
style. In the early weeks some girls turned up and rather than have a mixed morris team, Harris took the girls aside to form Martha Rhoden's Tuppenny Dish; both teams are still flourishing. By this time John Kirkpatrick was an expert player of melodeon
, anglo concertina, and button accordion
. Ashley Hutchings' project Battle of the Field
floundered when the Albion Country Band broke up. They had recorded not quite enough material for an album. John had appeared on several of the tracks with Martin Carthy
and offered to record two extra tracks with his wife in 1973. It was not released until 1976 but is highly regarded. Harris sang and played oboe
and hammered dulcimer
, an unusual combination. In 1974 John Kirkpatrick and Ashley Hutchings produced a themed album The Compleat Dancing Master, a history of English country dancing. He 1976 he teamed up with Martin Carthy for Plain Capers, a collection of morris dance tunes.
recruited both Kirkpatrick and Carthy, partly to replace fiddler Peter Knight, Kirkpatrick appearing on the albums Storm Force Ten and Live At Last; in concert with them, he would perform solo morris dances. In the same period, John released two albums as a duo with Sue Harris. John became part of Richard Thompson's backing band in 1978. This brought him such publicity that he was in heavy demand as a session musician. He recorded with Pere Ubu
, Viv Stanshall, Gerry Rafferty
, Maddy Prior
and others. In 1980 he released his only single, Jogging Along With My Reindeer. Two more albums with Sue Harris appeared in 1981, but the constant touring, as a duo and as part of other groups, was putting a strain on the marriage. They had four sons together, but parted in the mid eighties. In 1988 he and Sue published Opus Pocus, a collection of many of their own compositions from the previous 20 years, and a selection of some of the (then) more obscure traditional English tunes which had influenced them.
stage show Lark Rise to Candleford
together with Carthy and trumpeter Howard Evans. Prior to this the use of brass instruments in English folk music was a rare event, but all three had found it thrilling and a couple of years later formed Brass Monkey with Martin Brinsford from the Old Swan Band
. The group is an occasional gathering rather than a fixed company. Roy Bailey
, like Leon Rosselson
has frequently recorded songs of social commentary, frequently on an anti-war theme. John has made several records with Roy Bailey, as well as in a group called Band of Hope. He recorded with Frankie Armstrong
in 1996 and 1997. They share a love of early English ballads.
(guitar, electric guitar, banjo, mandolin - ex Gryphon
, Albion Band and Home Service
), Mike Gregory (drums, percussion - ex Albion Band, Home Service), Dave Berry (electric bass, double bass, tuba) and Paul Burgess (fiddle, recorders - from the Old Swan Band
). They made two albums: a live album "Force Of Habit" containing many of John's arrangements of Morris tunes, plus other material from his back catalogue, plus a studio album "Welcome To Hell" featuring new material.
, now also on DVD. A further teaching resource is his 2003 book of traditional tunes, English Choice, and two accompanying CDs. He has recently started to perform with accordion wizard, Chris Parkinson
as the Sultans of Squeeze, and the pair have released one album. He is happily remarried. One of his sons, Benji Kirkpatrick is a member of Bellowhead
, a former member of Magpie Lane
and Dr. Faustus, and has recorded as a solo guitarist. All four of John's sons do morris dancing. As a composer, choreographer and musical director John has contributed to over 60 plays in the theatre and on radio.
John Kirkpatrick and Sue Harris
Ashley Hutchings with John Kirkpatrick
John Kirkpatrick and Martin Carthy
With the Albion Band
With Steeleye Span
With Brass Monkey
John Kirkpatrick Band
With Umps and Dumps
John Kirkpatrick, Maddy Prior and Sydney Carter
Kepa Junkera, Riccardo Tesi, John Kirkpatrick
John Kirkpatrick, Rosie Cross, Georgina Le Faux, Michael Gregory, Jane Threlfall, Carl Hogsden
Maddy Prior, John Kirkpatrick, Frankie Armstrong, Nic Jones, Gordeanna McCulloch
John Kirkpatrick and Chris Parkinson
As session musician
Original film soundtrack
Free reed aerophone
A free reed aerophone is a musical instrument where sound is produced as air flows past a vibrating reed in a frame. Air pressure is typically generated by breath or with a bellows.- Operation :...
instruments.
In London
John Kirkpatrick was born 8 August 1947 in ChiswickChiswick
Chiswick is a large suburb of west London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located on a meander of the River Thames, west of Charing Cross and is one of 35 major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, with...
, west 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...
. As a child he sang in the choir and played piano. In 1959 he joined the Hammersmith Morris Men, in the second week of their existence, beginning a career-long love of folk music. In 1970 he became a regular at a folk club in the Roebuck pub in Tottenham Court Road
Tottenham Court Road
Tottenham Court Road is a major road in central London, United Kingdom, running from St Giles Circus north to Euston Road, near the border of the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, a distance of about three-quarters of a mile...
and led the resident group, Dingle's Chillybom Band. The club hosted a film show of Morris dancing
Morris dance
Morris dance is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers. Implements such as sticks, swords, handkerchiefs and bells may also be wielded by the dancers...
and Ashley Hutchings
Ashley Hutchings
Ashley Stephen Hutchings is an English bassist, vocalist, songwriter, arranger, band leader, writer and record producer. He was a founder member of three of the most noteworthy English folk-rock bands in the history of the genre; Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and The Albion Band...
turned up. It was the beginning of a long musical relationship. In 1972 John recorded his first solo album Jump at the Sun which included Richard Thompson on acoustic guitar. For contractual reasons Thompson had to use a pseudonym.
In Shropshire
In 1973 Kirkpatrick moved to ShropshireShropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
and married Sue Harris
Sue Harris
Sue Harris is an English musician classically trained as an oboeist, but best known for her folk music performances with the hammered dulcimer....
. After seeing a dance team called Gloucestershire Old Spot Morris Morris Dancers he formed Shropshire Bedlams to perform local dances, in the so-called Border Morris
Border Morris
The term Border Morris refers to a collection of individual local dances from villages along the English side of the Wales-England border in the counties of Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire. They are part of the Morris dance tradition.- History :...
style. In the early weeks some girls turned up and rather than have a mixed morris team, Harris took the girls aside to form Martha Rhoden's Tuppenny Dish; both teams are still flourishing. By this time John Kirkpatrick was an expert player of melodeon
Melodeon (organ)
A melodeon is a type of 19th century reed organ with a foot-operated vacuum bellows, and a piano keyboard. It differs from the related harmonium, which uses a pressure bellows. Melodeons were manufactured in the United States sometime after 1812 until the Civil War era...
, anglo concertina, and button accordion
Button accordion
A button accordion is a type of accordion on which the melody-side keyboard consists of a series of buttons rather than piano-style keys. There exists a wide variation in keyboard systems, tuning, action and construction of these instruments...
. Ashley Hutchings' project Battle of the Field
Battle of the Field
Battle of the Field is a folk-rock album by the Albion Country Band, recorded in summer 1973 immediately prior to the band's breakup and only released in 1976 following public demand....
floundered when the Albion Country Band broke up. They had recorded not quite enough material for an album. John had appeared on several of the tracks with 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...
and offered to record two extra tracks with his wife in 1973. It was not released until 1976 but is highly regarded. Harris sang and played oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
and hammered dulcimer
Hammered dulcimer
The hammered dulcimer is a stringed musical instrument with the strings stretched over a trapezoidal sounding board. Typically, the hammered dulcimer is set on a stand, at an angle, before the musician, who holds small mallet hammers in each hand to strike the strings...
, an unusual combination. In 1974 John Kirkpatrick and Ashley Hutchings produced a themed album The Compleat Dancing Master, a history of English country dancing. He 1976 he teamed up with Martin Carthy for Plain Capers, a collection of morris dance tunes.
Steeleye Span
In 1977 Steeleye SpanSteeleye Span
Steeleye Span are an English folk-rock band, formed in 1969 and remaining active today. Along with Fairport Convention they are amongst the best known acts of the British folk revival, and were among the most commercially successful, thanks to their hit singles "Gaudete" and "All Around My Hat"....
recruited both Kirkpatrick and Carthy, partly to replace fiddler Peter Knight, Kirkpatrick appearing on the albums Storm Force Ten and Live At Last; in concert with them, he would perform solo morris dances. In the same period, John released two albums as a duo with Sue Harris. John became part of Richard Thompson's backing band in 1978. This brought him such publicity that he was in heavy demand as a session musician. He recorded with Pere Ubu
Pere Ubu (band)
Pere Ubu is an experimental rock music group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. Despite many long-term band members, singer David Thomas is the only constant...
, Viv Stanshall, Gerry Rafferty
Gerry Rafferty
Gerald "Gerry" Rafferty was a Scottish singer songwriter best known for his solo hits "Baker Street", "Right Down the Line", "Days Gone Down", "Night Owl", "Get It Right Next Time", and with the band Stealers Wheel, "Stuck in the Middle with You". Rafferty was born into a working-class family in...
, Maddy Prior
Maddy Prior
Maddy Prior is an English folk singer, best known as the lead vocalist of Steeleye Span.-Early life:...
and others. In 1980 he released his only single, Jogging Along With My Reindeer. Two more albums with Sue Harris appeared in 1981, but the constant touring, as a duo and as part of other groups, was putting a strain on the marriage. They had four sons together, but parted in the mid eighties. In 1988 he and Sue published Opus Pocus, a collection of many of their own compositions from the previous 20 years, and a selection of some of the (then) more obscure traditional English tunes which had influenced them.
Brass Monkey
In 1979 Kirkpatrick had appeared in the National Theatre Company'sRoyal 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...
stage show Lark Rise to Candleford
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...
together with Carthy and trumpeter Howard Evans. Prior to this the use of brass instruments in English folk music was a rare event, but all three had found it thrilling and a couple of years later formed Brass Monkey with Martin Brinsford from the Old Swan Band
Old Swan Band
-Early years:Its origins lie in the early 1970s with the English country dance band Oak, one of a tiny handful at that time that combined melodeon with fiddles. Two members of Oak, husband and wife Rod and Danny Stradling , went on to form The Cotswold Liberation Front, which became The Old Swan...
. The group is an occasional gathering rather than a fixed company. Roy Bailey
Roy Bailey (folk singer)
Roy Bailey MBE , is a British socialist folk singer. Roy began his singing career in a skiffle group in 1958.Colin Irwin from the music magazine Mojo said Bailey represents "the very soul of folk's working class ideals.....
, like Leon Rosselson
Leon Rosselson
Leon Rosselson is an English songwriter and writer of children's books. After his early involvement in the folk music revival in Britain, he came to prominence, singing his own satirical songs, in the BBC's topical TV programme of the early 1960s, That Was The Week That Was...
has frequently recorded songs of social commentary, frequently on an anti-war theme. John has made several records with Roy Bailey, as well as in a group called Band of Hope. He recorded with Frankie Armstrong
Frankie Armstrong
Frankie Armstrong is a singer and voice teacher.She has worked as a singer in the folk scene and the women's movement and as a trainer in social and youth work...
in 1996 and 1997. They share a love of early English ballads.
John Kirkpatrick Band
In 1997 John decided to front his own "rock-folk" band, and put together a line-up consisting of Graeme TaylorGraeme Taylor
Graeme Taylor is a British electric guitarist.Taylor played lead guitar with 1970s medieval/rock band Gryphon, and leading folk rock bands including the Albion Band and Home Service...
(guitar, electric guitar, banjo, mandolin - ex Gryphon
Gryphon
-Businesses:* Gryphon Airlines, an American-owned airline based in Vienna, Virginia* Gryphon Audio Designs, a Danish maker of audio components* Golden Gryphon Press, an American independent publishing company...
, Albion Band and 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...
), Mike Gregory (drums, percussion - ex Albion Band, Home Service), Dave Berry (electric bass, double bass, tuba) and Paul Burgess (fiddle, recorders - from the Old Swan Band
Old Swan Band
-Early years:Its origins lie in the early 1970s with the English country dance band Oak, one of a tiny handful at that time that combined melodeon with fiddles. Two members of Oak, husband and wife Rod and Danny Stradling , went on to form The Cotswold Liberation Front, which became The Old Swan...
). They made two albums: a live album "Force Of Habit" containing many of John's arrangements of Morris tunes, plus other material from his back catalogue, plus a studio album "Welcome To Hell" featuring new material.
As soloist
Since 1993 John has recorded seven solo albums. He often unearths obscure English tunes and songs from folk ceremonies. Recently he has started to explore Balkan and Hungarian dance tunes. He has produced one of the only teaching videos for English (D/G) melodeonMelodeon (organ)
A melodeon is a type of 19th century reed organ with a foot-operated vacuum bellows, and a piano keyboard. It differs from the related harmonium, which uses a pressure bellows. Melodeons were manufactured in the United States sometime after 1812 until the Civil War era...
, now also on DVD. A further teaching resource is his 2003 book of traditional tunes, English Choice, and two accompanying CDs. He has recently started to perform with accordion wizard, Chris Parkinson
Chris Parkinson
Chris Parkinson is a folk musician from the UK. He was a co-founder of the British folk band The House Band , playing accordion, harmonica, melodeon and keyboards...
as the Sultans of Squeeze, and the pair have released one album. He is happily remarried. One of his sons, Benji Kirkpatrick is a member of Bellowhead
Bellowhead
Bellowhead are an English contemporary folk band originally brought together by John Spiers and Jon Boden. The eleven-piece band plays traditional dance tunes, folk songs and shanties, with arrangements drawing inspiration from a wide diversity of musical styles and influences...
, a former member of Magpie Lane
Magpie Lane
Magpie Lane is an English folk group, based in Oxford, England.The musicians of Magpie Lane first came together in the winter of 1992–93 to record The Oxford Ramble, a collection of songs and tunes from, or about, Oxfordshire. Although originally conceived as a one-off recording project, the band...
and Dr. Faustus, and has recorded as a solo guitarist. All four of John's sons do morris dancing. As a composer, choreographer and musical director John has contributed to over 60 plays in the theatre and on radio.
Discography
Solo albums- Jump At The Sun (1972)
- Going Spare (1978)
- Three In A Row (1983)
- Sheepskins (1988)
- Earthling (1994)
- One Man and His Box (1999)
- Blue Balloon (1999)
- Mazurka Berzerker (2001)
- The Duck Race (2004)
- A Short History of John Kirkpatrick (anthology) (1994)
- Make No Bones (2 CDs) (2007)
- Dance of the Demon Daffodils (2009)
- God Speed the Plough (2011)
John Kirkpatrick and Sue Harris
- The Rose of Britain's Isle (1974)
- Among The Many Attractions at the Show will be a Really High Class Band (1976)
- Shreds and Patches (1977)
- Facing the Music (1980)
- Ballad Of The Black Country (1981)
- English Canals (1981)
- Stolen Ground (1989)
Ashley Hutchings with John Kirkpatrick
- Morris OnMorris OnMorris On is a folk/rock album released in 1972 under the joint names of Ashley Hutchings, Richard Thompson, Dave Mattacks, John Kirkpatrick and Barry Dransfield...
(1972) - The Compleat Dancing Master (1974)
John Kirkpatrick and Martin Carthy
- Plain Capers (1976)
With the Albion Band
- Battle Of The Field (1976)
- Lark Rise To Candleford (1980)
With Steeleye Span
- Storm Force Ten (1977)
- Live At Last! (1978)
With Brass Monkey
- See How it Runs (1986)
- Sound and Rumour (1999)
- Going And Staying (2001)
- Flame of Fire (2004)
- The Complete Brass Monkey (anthology)
John Kirkpatrick Band
- Force Of Habit (1997)
- Welcome To Hell (1997)
With Umps and Dumps
- The Moon's In a Fit (1980)
John Kirkpatrick, Maddy Prior and Sydney Carter
- Lovely in the Dance (1981)
Kepa Junkera, Riccardo Tesi, John Kirkpatrick
- Trans-Europe Diatonique (1993)
John Kirkpatrick, Rosie Cross, Georgina Le Faux, Michael Gregory, Jane Threlfall, Carl Hogsden
- Wassail! (1997)
Maddy Prior, John Kirkpatrick, Frankie Armstrong, Nic Jones, Gordeanna McCulloch
- Ballads (1997)
John Kirkpatrick and Chris Parkinson
- Sultans of Squeeze (2005)
As session musician
- Henry The Human FlyHenry the Human FlyHenry the Human Fly was the first solo album by British singer/songwriter/guitarist Richard Thompson. It was originally released in Britain in April 1972 on the Island label and in the US on the Reprise label....
(Richard Thompson) (1972) - I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight (Richard and Linda Thompson) (1974)
- Hokey Pokey (Richard and Linda Thompson) (1975)
- Pour Down Like Silver (Richard and Linda Thompson) (1975)
- First Light (Richard and Linda Thompson) (1977)
- Sunnyvista (Richard and Linda Thompson) (1978)
- Hand Of Kindness (Richard Thompson) (1983)
- Daring Adventures (Richard Thompson) (1986)
- The Crab Wars: A Ballad of the Olden Times, As Remembered by Sid and Henry Kipper (The Kipper Family) (1986)
- Amnesia (Richard Thompson) (1988)
- Why Does It Have To Be Me? (Roy Bailey) (1989)
- Sweet Talker (Richard Thompson) (1991)
- Rumor and Sigh (Richard Thompson) (1991)
- The Happiness Counter (Leon Rosselson) (1992)
- Mirror Blue (Richard Thompson) (1994)
- More Guitar (Richard Thompson) (2003)
Original film soundtrack
- Rêve de Siam (with Dan Ar BrazDan Ar BrazDan Ar Braz, born Daniel Le Bras , is a French guitarist and the founder of Héritage des Celtes.- The apprenticeship years :...
) (1992)