Strawhead (band)

Strawhead was a northern England, Preston-based folk musical group founded in 1974,[1] that specialized in historical British music. Bolstering their national reputation for their accurate and powerful interpretation of the genre of social history of the 16th to 19th centuries,[2] the group's repertoire included popular songs from the English Civil War era to the Victorian period performed on period and electronic instruments.[1]

Strawhead
OriginNorthern England
GenresFolk music
Years active1974–2012
MembersGregg Butler
Malcolm Gibbons
Chris Pollington
Websitehttp://www.strawhead.org.uk/

Band members

Career

The group engaged in projects associated with disparate musical traditions in British history. In October 2005, they celebrated the 200th anniversary of 21 October 1805 Battle of Trafalgar through a performance at the 2005 Canalside Festival in the market town of Banbury.[4][5] Other projects included music of the English Civil War and the Victorian period. The Fylde Folk Festival website listed "subjects such as the colonisation of America, the English Civil War, Marlborough’s Wars in the Low Countries, Monmouth’s Rebellion, and drinking songs."[6]

According to a BBC review, "Strawhead have enjoyed considerable success appearing at the top of the bill at most of the UK's major folk festivals, becoming firm favourites among folk fans."[1] In addition, they achieved worldwide recognition for their distinctive sound and interpretation of songs.[7]

Strawhead fuelled controversy when they created a work based on a British ballad entitled "The Bold Fusilier",[8] the tune to which, some suggested, predated the similar 1903 tune to "Waltzing Matilda",[9][10] Australia's most widely known folk song.[11] However, most sources reject the idea that the British song served as a parent work for the Australian.[12]

In the 1970s, Strawhead wrote four more verses for "The Bold Fusilier", covering Marlborough's Wars of 1702 to 1713,[8] calling their revised song "The Rochester Recruiting Sergeant".[8] This was adopted by a generation of folkies and battle re-enactors,[8] many of whom came to believe that "The Rochester Recruiting Sergeant" was truly from the early 18th century.[8] Some mistakenly believed that the 1903 tune of "Waltzing Matilda" was borrowed from "The Rochester Recruiting Sergeant", rather than the reverse, even though the sleeve notes to Strawhead's 1978 record provided an explanation, and attributed the song to Pete Coe.[8][13]

In April 2012, Strawhead announced that they were to retire from live performances.

Selected discography
  • Farewell Musket Pike and Drum – 1977[14]
  • Fortunes of War – 1978[15]
  • Songs from the Book of England – 1980[16]
  • Through Smoke and Fire – 1982[15]
  • Gentlemen of Fortune – 1984[15]
  • Sedgemoor – 1985[15]
  • Law Lies Bleeding – 1987[15]
  • Tiffin - 1990
  • The Old Lamb & Flag: the Songs of Preston and its Guild - 1992 - Strawhead + Ken Howard, Clive Pownceby, Pat Ryan, Tom Walsh & Alison Younger
  • Victorian Ballads – 1993
  • A Walled Town and a Ragged Staff – 1995
  • Songs of the Civil War – 1997
  • Argent - 1999
  • Sweethearts, Salts and Sailors - 2001
  • A Hertfordshire Garland - 2002
  • Late Bottled Vintage - 2002
  • So The Boys Got Together, and Formed a Band....... – 2004
  • Bold Nelson's Praise Disc 1 and Disc 2 – 2005
  • Sovereigns - 2007
  • A Soldier's Life - 2010

References
  1. "Strawhead folk". Coventry and Warwickshire music. BBC. 31 December 2002. Archived from the original on 13 August 2004. Retrieved 21 June 2008.
  2. The West Briton (28 July 2005) Roseland concert with a difference. p. 50
  3. "Strawhead – Welcome and News". Strawhead.org. 6 March 2007. Retrieved 21 June 2008.
  4. Willow, Pete. (26 August 2005) Coventry Telegraph Bandsalute for Nelson.
  5. Bristol Evening Post (5 October 2005) Songs praise Nelson victory. Page. 16.
  6. "Strawhead". Fylde Folk Festival. 6 January 2008. Archived from the original on 20 April 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2008.
  7. ThisistheMidlands.co.uk (21 March 2007) Music Lovers. Section: News.
  8. The Times (15 September 2003) Sporting anthems. Section: Features; Page 17.
  9. The Times (1 December 1990) Matilda transported; Diary Section: Features. (writing, "The Bold Fusilier and was originally played by the Duke of Marlborough's soldiers in the 18th century to recruit troops for his Low Countries campaign.")
  10. Maynard, Roger. (5 April 1995) The Times Matilda waltzes into controversy; Waltzing Matilda. Section: Overseas news; Page 9. (writing, "According to evidence revealed in a television documentary ... , to be broadcast in Australia to mark the Matilda centenary, the tune for Waltzing Matilda is based on two songs, Craigielea from Scotland, and The Bold Fusilier, a 17th-century English marching song that had been designed to round up troops for the Duke of Marlborough.")
  11. The National Library of Australia retrieved 14 March 2008
  12. Northern District Times (5 September 2007) Waltzing to first jingle. Section: 1; Page 19.
  13. Strawhead, sleevenotes to "Fortunes of War", Tradition TSR032, 1978
  14. Pohle, Horst (1987) The Folk Music Source Book; 2nd ed. Berlin: Horst Pohle; p. 443
  15. Pohle 1987
  16. "Strawhead > Discography > Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 June 2008.
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