Ashley Hutchings Trivia

1. Who wrote the songs "Night in the City" and "Marcie"?

From Quiz Ashley Hutchings, Guv'nor Vol 3

Answer: Joni Mitchell

Both of these are recordings by Fairport Convention with Sandy Denny singing the vocals. They are early enough in Fairport's history to have Martin Lamble as the drummer. Martin Lamble was one of the fatalities when Fairport's van crashed on the way back from a concert in May 1969. These two tracks were recorded by the BBC in 1968 for the "Symonds on Sunday" show. Judy Dyble was the original singer with Fairport Convention prior to Sandy Denny. Maddy Prior was one of the original members of Steeleye Span, which as with Fairport was formed by Ashley Hutchings. Neither Maddy nor Judy are known as songwriters.

From Quiz The Guv'nor: Volume 1

Answer: Ethnic Shuffle Orchestra

All of these (and the Blue Reeds) are groups led by Ashley Hutchings in the early/mid sixties, and are described as 'short-lived' in the sleeve notes accompanying the CD. This particular recording seems to be a skiffle band, with Ashley playing 'acoustic upright string bass', Bryan King playing washboard and a kazoo player identified only as Willy.

From Quiz Ashley Hutchings, Guv'nor Vol 3

Answer: Michael Praetorius

Michael Praetorius was a German composer of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century. Not the most obvious music for a folk musician but Ashley Hutchings has always used a wide range of musical sources. Michael Praetorius's "Terpsichore" is a collection of dance tunes that he compiled. So as these are traditional tunes maybe it is not so unusual for a folk musician to play. No information is given to indicate which specific tunes are played here.

From Quiz The Guv'nor: Volume 1

Answer: Sandy Danny

This is an early Fairport recording of this song. It was later recorded by Fairport on the album 'Heyday', this time with Sandy Denny singing vocals. Of the other options, Richard Thompson has become well known in the folk-rock world with a successful solo career. Judy Dyble briefly sang with a fore-runner of King Crimson and then joined with Jackie McAuley to form Trader Horne. Ian Matthews subsequently was lead singer for Plainsong and Matthews Southern Comfort.

From Quiz Ashley Hutchings, Guv'nor Vol 3

Answer: Islington

This traditional song is also known as "A Maiden Came from London Town" and concerns a woman heading into London who is cheated by a vintner. She then outwits him in front of the magistrate. This recording has Shirley Collins singing the lead vocals but other recordings exist, including one with the singing of June Tabor. After Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span, Hutchings set up the Albion Band in 1971 and performed under various names and line-ups until 2002. Many names from the folk world have played with the Albion Band in it's various guises, including various members, both past and present, of Fairport and Steeleye.

From Quiz Ashley Hutchings, Guv'nor Vol 3

Answer: Geoffrey Boycott

As far as I can tell, "Boycott's Bouree" has no connection with cricket beyond a co-incidental use of the name. The title also appears to be an alternative spelling of bourree. This makes more sense as a bourree (double r) is a dance from seventeenth century France. This tune is also found in Praetorius's compilation of dance tunes, "Terpsichore".

From Quiz The Guv'nor: Volume 1

Answer: Chesterfield

"He rambled off to Chesterfield, frightened off the choir. Climbed as high as he could go and bent that wooden spire." Chesterfield is known, famed even, for the twisted wooden spire of St Mary's and All Saints Parish Church. Another verse added by Ashley mentions Saltergate, the home ground of Chesterfield Football Club.

From Quiz Ashley Hutchings, Guv'nor Vol 3

Answer: On a butterfly's back

This version of a traditional song has the farmer sowing the whole acre with a single peppercorn, ploughing his field with a ram's horn and, reaping it with a sickle of leather amongst other unlikely happenings. Other versions include harrowing the field with a team of rats and threshing the crop with a gooses quill. This particular recording is the "Albion Dance Band" in 1977, but many other recordings and other variants of this song can be found.

From Quiz The Guv'nor: Volume 1

Answer: Hate

The elements here are forces or nature, not the ones in the periodic table. "Weep you heavens weep, scatter your tears upon the field. Hate has murdered sleep. So many wounds cannot be healed". One website adds the snippet that this was "written for Key to the North, a film about Newark's involvement in the English Civil War." Further investigation shows that Newark (the one in Nottinghamshire, England, not the one in New Jersey, USA) in medieval times was a walled town of great strategic importance. "Known as 'the Key to the North', it commanded the only crossing for many miles over the River Trent (and the nearest one to the distant estuary), Britain's third longest river. Not only that, two ancient long distance main roads cross here, the Roman Fosse Way from Bath to Lincoln, which stays on the south side of the river, and the Great North Road from London to York and Edinburgh, which crosses the river right beside Newark Castle." (from the web page of one Jim Fisher who references other sources.) This is a recording by the Albion Band, including Cathy Lesurf on the vocals, Phil Beer on mandolin and Dave Mattocks on drums. Cathy was previously part of Fiddlers Dram (who recorded 'Day Trip to Bangor') and the Oyster Band (another folk rock group), Phil Beer became half of folk-rock duo Show of Hands and Dave Mattocks was the drummer for Fairport Convention for most of the time between 1969-75 and 1985-97.

From Quiz Ashley Hutchings, Guv'nor Vol 3

Answer: Sandy Denny

The song was written by Sandy, but according to sources such as the folk music site "Mainly Norfolk", it was never released as an official recording by her. Four recordings by Sandy do exist as demos and cuts from albums. These have now been issued on compilation albums. This recording is sung by Julie Covington with the Albion Band providing the music and backing vocals.

From Quiz Ashley Hutchings, Guv'nor Vol 3

Answer: Fortune Teller

The chorus here runs: "Fortune teller, do you see What the future holds for me? Happiness or misery, Pain or paradise?" This recording is by the Albion Band, live in 1979. Another recording of the song can be found on the 1990 album "Freedom and Rain" recorded by "June Tabor and the Oyster Band". The song itself, written by John Tams is about love, another common theme in song writing. In particular it relates that the pleasure is found "when I see you smile".

From Quiz Ashley Hutchings, Guv'nor Vol 3

Answer: Happy New Year

The song is also known by the truncated name "The Moon Shines Bright". It is a traditional hymn collected by various folk song collectors. Other recordings in the folk world include Shirley Collins singing on the album "For As Many As Will", with her sister Dolly, and the group "Ram's Bottom" on their 1981 album "Young May Moon". Tony Harrison wrote a cycle of three plays, modern-day versions of the traditional medieval mystery plays. This version of the song comes from the second play "The Passion" and this particular recording is by the Albion Band, recorded in 1981. Although different versions of the song have varying numbers of verses and different lyrics in various places, all of those I have found (and the one on this album) end with "God bless you all, both great and small And send you a happy New Year."

From Quiz The Guv'nor: Volume 1

Answer: Grog

"Merrily, merrily / So merry sail we, no mortal on earth like a sailor at sea / Heave away, haul away, the ship rolls along / Give a sailor his grog and there's nothing goes wrong." As these are all part of one track, it would seem that the chorus from "A Sailor's Alphabet" is just used to bridge the gap.

From Quiz Ashley Hutchings, Guv'nor Vol 3

Answer: Lark Rise

Flora Thompson wrote three books, which are now generally published as one volume, "Lark Rise to Candleford". The National Theatre adapted two plays from the writings, "Lark Rise" and "Candleford". Each play covers just one day, in the case of "Lark Rise" this is the first day of harvest. Ashley Hutchings was the musical director for this play with John Tams, Martin Carthy and Shirley Collins all in the cast with roles described as "singer". Flora Thompson wrote a sequel to "Lark Rise to Candleford" entitled "Heatherley". This was not published until after her death. "Warhorse" and its sequel "Farm Boy" are novels by Michael Morpurgo, both of which have been adapted for the stage.

From Quiz Ashley Hutchings, Guv'nor Vol 3

Answer: Louis MacNeice (Meeting Point)

Louis MacNeice was a twentieth century Irish poet and journalist. His poem "The Meeting Place" seems very appropriate for the song. The opening lines of the poem are: "Time was away and somewhere else, There were two glasses and two chairs And two people with the one pulse" All in keeping with a brief encounter, the song apparently inspired by a personal incident in the life of Ashley Hutchings. The other options are all real poems, but not the one used for the recording.

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