The Old Songs Podcast
The Old Songs Podcast explores old songs – traditional, industrial, street ballads – one at a time. Learn where they came from, where they've been, who sung them and who sings them still. Most of the series is available on Mixcloud. Presented by traditional singer, Jon Wilks.
Episodes
23 episodes
The Old Songs Podcast: Se2Ep10 – ‘The Bury New Loom', ft. Jennifer Reid
Today, I'm talking to broadside ballads singer, Jennifer Reid. Although Jenn has been involved in researching and singing these songs for a decade, I'm ashamed to say that she only turned up ...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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45:17
The Old Songs Podcast: Se2Ep9 – ‘Lord Douglas’, ft. Jim Moray
It’s been a while, hasn’t it? But, like buses, you wait ages for an Old Songs Podcast episode and then two come along in quick succession. Because this...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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1:14:28
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The Old Songs Podcast: Se2Ep8 – ‘Princess Royal’, ft. John Spiers
Episode 8 of the second series of The Old Songs Podcast, supported, so very kindly, by the English Folk Dance and Song Society, is an unusual one as it focuses on an old tune rather than an old song. Prepare yourself to delve into the ...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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58:27
The Old Songs Podcast: Se2Ep7 – ‘The Gloucestershire Wassail / The Wassailing Song’, ft. Jon Wilks
This Christmassy episode of the Old Songs Podcast turns the tables slightly, as Nick Hart interviews Jon Wilks about a traditional folk song of wintery...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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45:41
The Old Songs Podcast: Se2Ep6 – ‘When I was on Horseback/ The Unfortunate Rake’, ft. Debbie Armour (Burd Ellen)
Roud 2 goes under so many titles, it might be easier just to stick with 'Roud 2' and be done with it. Whether you know it as 'When I was on Horseback' or 'The Unfortunate Rake', or any of the othe...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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53:57
The Old Songs Podcast: Se2Ep5 – ‘The Trees They Do Grow High’, ft. Emily Portman and Rob Harbron
Emily Portman, Rob Harbron and Jon Wilks discuss the traditional ballad, ‘The Trees They Do...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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54:39
The Old Songs Podcast: Se2Ep4 – ‘Shallow Brown’, ft. Angeline Morrison
'Shallow Brown' [Roud 2621] is a much-loved and rather mysterious traditional folk song. Collected on both coasts of the United States, as well as the South coast of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Canada, the most common versions of this...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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39:46
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The Old Songs Podcast: Se2Ep3 – ‘The Brisk Lad’, ft. Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith
'The Brisk Lad' [Roud 1667] was collected from Edith Sartin by the Hammond brothers in 1906 in Corscombe, Dorset. Also known as 'The Sheepstealer' and 'All I Have is My Own', it has been perfor...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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56:01
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The Old Songs Podcast: Se2Ep2 – ‘Sweet Lemany’, ft. Hannah Martin
'Sweet Lemany' [Roud 193] is a traditional folk song that has entranced countless singers, not least Hannah Martin of Edgelarks, SykesMartin, Gigspanner and Saltlines. The song is an aubade (a p...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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47:23
The Old Songs Podcast: Se2Ep1 – ‘Lucy Wan’, ft. Nick Hart
Everything you ever wanted to know about the traditional ballad, ‘Lucy Wan’ [Roud 234] can be found in the first episode of the second series of The Old Songs Post, featuring the English traditi...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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55:45
Ep13: The Old Songs Podcast - 'The Cruel Mother' ft. Rosie Hood
The voice you hear at the beginning of this episode is the voice of the late, great traditional singer, Cecilia Costello, one of Birmingham’s finest, explaining how her father would present this week’s song back in her childhood in Victorian En...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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1:32:07
Ep12: The Old Songs Podcast - 'Banks of Green Willow' ft. Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne
Episode 12 of The Old Songs Podcast opens with the earliest known recording of this week’s Old Song, The Banks of Green Willow [Roud 172]. It’s the sound of David Clements, singing in either 190...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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1:08:10
Ep11: The Old Songs Podcast - 'Lord Gregory' ft. Burd Ellen
In the last episode, number 10, we chatted with Jim Moray, so I thought for a bit of consistency I’d use his version of this episode’s song to kick us off. That’s off his album The Outlander, and that’s the wonderful Josienne Clarke – who we mu...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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1:19:57
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Ep10: The Old Songs Podcast - 'The Leaving of Liverpool' ft. Jim Moray
OK then. This one’s an epic. In this episode, Jim Moray and Jon Wilks discuss the traditional song, “The Leaving Of Liverpool” [Roud 9435], where it came from, and the fascinating journey it went on to become one of the best-known songs in the ...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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1:30:58
Ep9: The Old Songs Podcast – 'Myn Mair' ft. Cynefin
“Every song needs an address.” So quotes Owen Shiers of Cynefin later on this in podcast – a sentence, I think, that sums up so much of what
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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1:11:32
Ep8: The Old Songs Podcast – ‘Hal-An-Tow’ ft. Lisa Knapp
I’m writing this intro at 11:45pm on April 30th, desperate to get the podcast done in time for the very start of May. Why? You’ll see why over the next hour or so. In the traditional calendar, no month quite rivals this one. From th...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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1:12:43
Ep7: The Old Songs Podcast – ‘Dives and Lazarus’ ft. Nick Hart
‘Dives and Lazarus’ may seem like an odd song to look at in early April, given that it’s commonly thought of as a carol. But that’s the nature of The Old Songs Podcast. If the gu...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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1:02:51
Ep6: The Old Songs Podcast – ‘Hard Times of Old England’ ft. Billy Bragg
An Old Songs episode for these hard times, and one featuring a legend I’ve long admired: Mr Billy Bragg.I had been meaning to record something on “Hard Times Of Old England” for some time, but hadn’t had the time or contacts to do it jus...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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55:20
Ep5: The Old Songs Podcast – ‘An Acre of Land’ ft. Paul Sartin
I didn’t have to travel far to meet this week’s guest, my friend, kinda neighbour and fellow Whitchurch Folk Club organiser, Paul Sartin. In the wider folk world he’s probably best known as a member of
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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1:07:22
Ep4: The Old Songs Podcast – ‘The Sweet Nightingale’ ft. Jackie Oates
In the fourth episode of The Old Songs Podcast, we’re going on a journey. For an hour or so of your time, we’ll be exploring unaccompanied singing, and we’ll doing so in the company of one of my favourite traditional ballad singers,
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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1:02:19
Ep3: The Old Songs Podcast – ‘On Humber Bank’ ft. Ben Walker
In this week’s episode, Jon chats to virtuoso guitarist, Ben Walker, about “On Humber Bank”, an old song that was collected aurally in 1877 and purports to be the suicide note of an abused woman. Ben came to the song via a collector called Ken ...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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59:34
Ep2: The Old Songs Podcast – ‘Tam Lin’ ft. Jim Moray
In this episode of The Old Songs Podcast, traditional folk musicians Jim Moray and Jon Wilks geek out about "Tam Lin". For more info on the episode, head to https://jonwilks.online/the-old-songs-podcast/ep2-the-old-songs-podcast-tam-lin-ft-jim-...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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1:19:33
Ep1: The Old Songs Podcast – ‘Henry Martin / Lofty Tall Ship’ ft. Nick Hart
Traditional folk musician, Nick Hart, discusses 'Lofty Tall Ship' (or 'Henry Martin') with singer/presenter, Jon Wilks. For more info on this episode of The Old Songs Podcast, head to: https://jonwilks.online/the-old-songs-podcast/ep1-the-old-s...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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1:11:32
