The Elliott family from Birtley, Co. Durham have long been associated with folk music. Best known for the singing of Jack Elliott, who died in 1966, this mining family have a seemingly endless supply of songs. Other singers in the Elliott Family included Jack's son Pete, daughter-in-law Pat, and his older brother Reece. Birtley Folksong and Ballad Club was begun in 1962 by the Elliott family, with a group of friends, and still runs today. A homely place with a family atmosphere, the club was dedicated to getting people over their initial shyness and then entertaining their friends and people of like tastes. From the beginning there was no musical policy except that of freedom and any songs could be sung. In the course of an evening anything from a children's three line ditty to a thirty verse ballad could be heard. This free and easy atmosphere nurtured the talents of Bob Davenport and many others. On this recording we hear members of the Elliott family with friends Don Stokoe, Gale Briggs, Rob McElroy, Steve Evans and Dave Hazeltine discussing local customs. The discussion cover a wide period of time, from the 1940s to the 1970s, and the customs were obviously family related. The use of 'booting' and 'jarping' was practised at Dudley in the 1950s, and Bardon Mill in the 1970s. At Melkridge, near Haltwhistle, the carol singing was organised by the Methodist Chapel, and every house in the parish was visited with a group of about 20 singers. The tape from which these sound files are drawn is one of a large number of sound recordings held by the North of England Open Air Museum, Beamish, Co. Durham. This important resource is made up of oral history recordings drawn from many different sources. Some recordings have been made by the museum for their own use, whilst others have been copied from other sources or donated by other collectors and individuals. This large collection of mostly spoken word recordings also includes many recordings of singers, musicians and dancers from Durham, Northumberland and Cumbria. The collection includes recordings of Haltwhistle fiddle player George Hepple, Nenthead singer Martha Armstrong, the Elliotts of Birtley, piping competitions, Newcastleton traditional music festival, concertina bands and playground games. |
