FTX-324 - EVERYBODY SWING

Peter Kennedy & The Haymakers

The HAYMAKERS, led by Peter Kennedy, included 4 fiddles, flute/piccolo, accordion guitar, drums and double bass. The band were active 1948-51, playing for concerts, fetes, barn dances and broadcasts from Bristol, including the monthly Outside Broadcast series: VILLAGE BARN DANCE and the monthly Square Dances in the studio, EVERYBODY SWING. Here is music for 8 Dances from the West of England, all of which were collected by Peter from elderly informants around that time, although THE BONNY BREAST KNOT, from Stockland had previously been noted earlier by his aunt, Dr Maud Karpeles.

1. THE TEMPEST (Tunes: Original/ Russian Cavalry) - 2.53

2. THE JOLLY SAILOR or FIGURE OF EIGHT (Lady in the Boat/ Rosin the Beau) - 3.10

3. THE BONNY BREAST KNOT (Original/Cornish Quickstep) - 2.50

4. THE RING DANCE (Gilderoy, Dorsetshire Hornpipe) - 3.05

5. DOUBLE CHANGE SIDES (Nancy's Fancy/ Astley's Ride) - 3.02

6. QUARRYMAN'S JIG (Portland Fancy/ Hundred pipers) - 3.12

7. THE FLOWERS OF EDINBURGH (Within a mile of E./Polly put the kettle on) - 3.06

8. SOUTHERN BREEEZES (Tune the old cow died of/ Grand Old Duke of York) - 3.03

Recorded in Bristol 1949 & edited by Peter Kennedy and first published on Folktrax cassettes 1978.

#1. THE TEMPEST: Two couples facing two couples/ noted at Seend, Wiltshire.

#2. THE JOLLY SAILOR: normal Figure 8 figure/ noted at Stokenham, Devon

#3. THE BONNY BREAST KNOT: from Fred Pidgeon and others, Stockland, Devon

#4. THE RING DANCE: build-up ring/ Portesham, Burton Bradstock, Dorset.

#5-8. All noted by Peter Kennedy at Stokenham, near Kingsbridge, Devon.

THE HAYMAKERS came into being in order to develop folk music broadasts from Bristol. A distinctive characteristic was the sound of four fiddles dividing into two parts.

The arrangements were mostly by David Gibbs and Wyn Humphries, both of whom played fiddle and viola. Other fiddlers were Alison Reynolds and Ray Spearing. Flute and piccolo was Alan Browning, Sandy Moir on accordion, Bobby Williamson on drums and Colin Hawke on double bass.

The band took part in a number of radio theatre productions such as those by Thomas Hardy, when they used tunes taken from Thomas Hardy's father music book in the Museum in Dorchester, but they were best known for their appearances at the monthly series, VILLAGE BARN DANCE, in 1949-1951, for which Peter located local singers, dancers, reciters and storytellers.

EVERYBODY SWING is the name used for a useful collection of The Haymaker's Band arrangements, with additional piano parts and complete instructions and calls for the dances, which was edited by Peter Kennedy and published by Chappell & Co, London, 1951.