It has finally arrived and we managed to get it on to the Music page almost immediately, thanks to Chris. I'm really delighted with the cover design - the front, back, inside everything ... even the colours on the CD itself! Thank you David.

I don't play my own recordings much after their release but I suspect I'll have this on in the car quite a lot and for quite a long time. I just love the musicians. Their playing is just right and drive the songs on yet never get in the way. I don't know what to say .... I'm just excited. I really hope you will it enjoy it as much as I did making it. We'll launch it at Towersey Village Festival on Auguat Bank Holiday Weekend. If you're there - come and say hello. See you somewhere... I hope.

It's done! It's gone to be manufactured! The new recording for my grand children and your grandchildren and everybody's grandchildren, everywhere! It has been a marvellous journey. I promised to make this, initiately, when Molly was born (2005) but in my usual mixture of inertia and distraction nothing happened... well, that's not quite true cos I did manage to produce 'Below the Radar' in the meantime. I think the general emotional tiredness that follows the creative and subsequent release and promotional effort of that CD, resulted in the inertia. I dunno! Anyway, it is now complete and I'm feeling really pleased with the result. The usual suspects joined me in the recording for which I am truly grateful: John Kirkpatrick, Martin Simpson, Andy Cutting and Andy Seward. But Chris Coe with her Hammer Dulcimer added the sound I wanted with wonderful playing. In fact everyone played with energy, creativity and awesome skill. I include in this my son David who I asked to play guitar for his mum (Val) and me on one of the tracks.
I also managed to get Jessica (eldest granddaughter 9 yrs old!) to open the CD by singing with me. She does so beautifully I think! She was excited to sing for her brother, Henry, and her cousin, Molly and did so with quiet assurance, if a bit giggly at times! Actually, we both found ourselves giggling as we worked together on the track - it was great fun!
I'm also delighted to include a song written by Kit, our daughter and Molly's mum. She wrote 'Molly's Garden', a few years ago and I heard her singing it around the house. Soon everyone began singing it, including Molly! I'm sure you'll like the song and it won't be long before you'll be joining in the chorus at least, yourself. I hope it will be ready by August Bank Holiday weekend. I hope to launch it at my afternoon concert on Monday 29th!
I have to tell you that David has created a truly beautiful cover design and if I knew how to do it I'd include it here but I don't! It will, however, soon be on the 'Music' page when I manage to get my friend, Chris, to do it for me! We all have to be patient - I'm terrible at this. I'm an 'instant gratification' personality. Aaagh!
See you somewhere, soon I hope?

I'm told I should put the Newsletter in this section of the web site. So for those who haven't added their name to the Mailing List, this is for you!
Newsletter - April 2010

Hey - I don’t have to feel guilty that my last attempt at keeping you all informed of my comings and goings was ages ago. It was in fact, only last November. That’s less than 6 months. I’m not sure if this isn’t a record for me?

It’s not as if loads of stuff has been going on in my life, indeed, just the contrary. As I age slowly but ever so surely, I seem to do less and less as far as the folk world is concerned. True, I’m managing to appear at 7 festivals this year and a few clubs in between but this is less than in my previous life as a young(ish) man. I hope to see many of you during the summer and for the rest of the year, so please come and say hello.

The ‘big’ event of the year for me, is the ‘Just Roy Bailey’ concert in Sheffield on Sunday 31st October. (see the concert page on the web). The concert is promoted, once again by Mrs Casey Music, to whom I am very grateful. I think Steve Heap and his team is the only establish folk organisation to have, over the years, wholeheartedly supported me. I thank them profoundly. I’m looking forward to the concert and I’ll do my best to make it as successful an event as the last Sheffield City Hall concert in 2008.

I’m also pleased and grateful that the Edinburgh Folk Club has invited me to play the club on October 15th as a 75th birthday celebration . (Thank you Paddy.) My birthday is on 20th October – 75 rears of age eh? I’m told I look weeks younger! I’ve invited David Ferrard to join me. Maybe some other of the friends I have in Scotland might also come along?

At the moment I’m working on a new grandchildren’s recording. John Kirkpatrick and I have recorded about 10 (guide) tracks. Martin Simpson, Andy Cutting and Andy Seward are to add their playing and Chris Coe will join us to play her Hammer Dulcimer. I have to record at least two more songs. I’m tempted to tell you the titles but I think it better to wait and see if they ‘happen’. And anyway, there’s a nice element of surprise in waiting for the release of the final thing! I haven’t even got a title yet… I’m thinking about it! I’m hoping to release the final package in July or August. With luck, in time for the Towersey Village Festival.

At Towersey I have my now annual Monday afternoon concert and in addition this year, a smaller event entitled “Why I Sing the Songs I Sing”. I hope this will be of interest to some of you? I’ll resist attempting an explanation here as then I’d have nothing to say at the Festival!

One new venture is I’m attempting to write an autobiography. Unfortunately, I’m lazy and keep putting it aside when something that appears more interesting comes along. I’ll keep on. My problem is I can’t remember what I’ve been doing for the last 74 years! Who knows, I might do what I read someone did many years ago and put Personal Ad in The London Times (in my case, it would be The Guardian, of course) asking if anyone can tell me what I’ve been doing these past 60 years or so, as I’m trying to write my biography! David Ferrard keeps threatening to help me write this by asking me questions but every time we get together in Edinburgh (his home city) we seem to spend the whole time either, talking, playing, singing, eating in restaurants or sleeping. Before we realise it, it’s time for me to return to Sheffield! I will, however, persevere with the project with the aim to get this done before the year is out. We shall see!

Hope to see you around – have a great summer of song, music and dance!

Roy Bailey
April 17th 2010

Newsletter extra! - 2010

Something important I forgot to mention! A couple of years ago I was sitting in the restaurant in the Bedford Hotel when I was invited to have a drink with some people at a nearby table. It turned out the group included the Chairman (Tony Reed) and the Treasurer (Richard Brecknock) of the Board of Sidmouth Folk Week. The Chairman invited me to give some thought to ways the Folk Week might develop. I thanked them and said I would do so and would be in touch.
I admit to being at a loss at first but when I got home at the end of the week I had an idea. For more years than I can remember, I had been invited to join a small group of festival goers who wished to commemorate Hiroshima Day – the 6th August. I remember Denis and Sheila Manners, founders of Towersey Village Festival were always present, as was Maisie Carter who has diligently organised the gathering and invited many of the performers to participate for many years. Maisie and others would gather sometimes on the Esplanade and lately on the Ham.
I decided that I would suggest that Sidmouth Folk Week should mark Hiroshima Day with a formal concert every year. I was and still am, convinced many if not all the performers would be willing to participate as well as a significant number of the Sidmouth audience. There is no other Festival in the country, or indeed to my knowledge any where else, with such an overt and formal “statement” of support for peace and an anti nuclear future.
I’m pleased to say the suggestion was accepted. This year marks the first of what I hope will be an annual Peace Concert as part of the formal Sidmouth Folk Week programme.
The programme director, Joan Crump, this year, invited me to compere the concert and to consider who might be invited. I suggested Chumbawamba, Sandra Kerr and David Ferrard join me at this first concert. Joan agreed and has invited each of them to the concert this year.
So, if any of you intend to be at Sidmouth this coming August I hope you’ll join us in the Ham Marquee at 2.30pm on Friday the 6th. Equally, if you live near Sidmouth and would like to come to this single event you will, I’m sure, be most welcome.
I understand that immediately following the concert Maisie would like us to gather outside the marquee for a one minute’s silence in remembrance of the 100,000 men, women and children who died when the very first atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6th 1945. The five-year death total may have reached or even exceeded 200,000, as cancer and other long-term effects took hold.
Finally, I’d like to express admiration and gratitude to Maisie Carter (she won’t thank me for this) for her tireless efforts, over many years, in sustaining the Hiroshima Day peace gathering. I know others have helped and supported and my apologies for not knowing their/your names.

Roy Bailey
April 19 2010