I can remember the day Elvis died. I was a teenager, the most junior reporter at a TV news station in Australia. When the news broke, my boss immediate scheduled the Elvis story as the lead item for that night’s news. I was confused – the idealistic, university-student me thought news was about politics…
Continuing my blogs about my US road trip – I thought I should talk about the cause of the whole venture – the Mississippi River. At school we were taught that the Mississippi is one of the largest rivers in the world (4th longest I believe). We learned about its role in opening America…
It is amazing where music will lead you. In this case – to a shotgun shack in the Appalachian Mountains and an art deco railway carriage in Chattanooga. Recently we went to a gig by US folk artist Diana Jones. She sings songs of Appalachia. Mine disasters, murders – cheerful stuff. She’s very good…
It’s August – so webmaster John and I have been settling down in fields with a few thousand close friends for that most English of events – folk festivals. I’d never been to such an event before coming to England – and despite my impressive attendance record at such events during the past few years,…
In a small bar in lower Manhattan last night, an Australian singer-songwriter showed me just what great story telling is all about. Paul Kelly has written a lot of songs in the past 30 years – and over two nights he’s playing a slection of them …. in alphabetical order. He made me cry three times (or…
I’ve just returned from the most fabulous weekend – camping on the banks of the magnificent Hudson River – and singing along with one of my heroes – the amazing Pete Seeger. Most people know Pete as a great folk singer. As a child at school, I had folk singing classes – and learned If…