An incredible evening with BBC Folk Award Nominee Sam Lee.
We were expecting a performance of the traveller songs he has collected over the past decade. However we received so much more. An accomplished story teller, Sam told the fascinating story of how he, a boy from Camden, has conserved so much of the fading singing culture of the different traveller communities in the British Isles. In addition to bringing so many of the songs to live by explaining their history and the story told by the song.
“Tonight was a wonderful reminder that singing in its essence is just story telling. Music should never be separated from it’s meaning.” Rebecca Willson
Here are some wonderful clips of the evening.
Explaining the story and origin of the folk song Georgie, including some idea of the variety of versions.
Teaching us one of the Gypsy Traveller folk songs.
Once we had got the hang of it.
The final song with our assistance with an effective drone.