PROMOTIONS / MUSIC ARCHIVE 1966 to 2007
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RAINYDAY GIG LIST A list of concerts, festivals, dances, readings, talks etc booked by Martin Val Baker in various westcountry venues from 1966 - under the title Rainyday Promotions since the early eighties
PLUS an interview with Martin - bottom of page
1966/67
Thursdays WINTER GARDENS PENZANCE Residents: PETE CHATTERTON. VERNON ROSE, IRIS GITTENS.
1.
2.
3.
4. SHIRLEY COLLINS plus Jonathan Coudrille.
5.
6.
7.
8. CYRIL TAWNEY
9.
10.
11. HEDY WEST.
12.
13. JOHN SLEEP
14.
15.
1970
ST IVES GUILDHALL
16.August 21st: THE TEMPLE CREATURES, Kris Gayle & The Jazz Roots, Mike Silver, Chrissy Quayle, Bob Devereux, High Speed Gas
17. September10th: THE TEMPLE CREATURES, Kris Gayle & The Jazz Roots, Mike Silver, Chrissy Quayle, Bob Devereux, High Speed Gas.
1971
ST IVES GUILDHALL
18. June 4th: CLIVES ORIGINAL BAND, Ron Smith Quartet, Bocvum, Iris Gittens.
19. June 11th: GORDON GILTRAP, High Speed Gas, Jonathan Baker, Roger Brooks.
20. June18th: 1 MIKE SILVER, and Friends
21. August 13th. STEVE TILSTON, Roger Brooks, Bob Devereux, Jim Hughes.
22. August 20th: MIKE SILVER, Mike Beeson, Don Fowler, Phil Donne.
1972
Mr PEGGOTYS ST IVES
23.June 28th: Roger Brooks, Alan Greenhall, Denys Stephens.
24.July 5th: Iris Gittens, Phil Donne, Denys Stephens.
25.July 12th: Nicki Tester, Alan Greenhall, Phil Donne, Denys, Stephens, Karen Evans.
26. July 19th: ROGER BROOKS, Alan Greenhall, Phil Donne, Denys Stephens.
27. July 26th: SWEET WILLIAM, Phil Donne, Alan Greenhall.
28. August 2nd: MASK, Phil Donne, Alan Greenhall, Denys Stephens.
29. August 9th: MIKE SILVER, Phil Donne, Alan Greenhall, Bob Devereux,.
30. August 16th: HALCYON, Denys Stephens, Vicky.
31. August23rd: ROGER BROOKS, Chrissy Quayle, Phil Donne.
32. August 30th: DAVE EVANS, Denys Stephens, Alan Greenhall.
33. September 6th: Alan Greenhall, Phil Donne, Denys Stephens, Bob Devereux, Roger Brooks.
34. September 13th: MIKE SILVER, Denys Stephens, Alan Greenhall. M. C. at all Barry.
__________________
PENWITH GALLERY
35. December19th: MASK, Mick McCreadie, Phil Donne, Alan Greenhall.
_______________________________
1973
MR PEGGOTTYS ST IVES
36. April 24th: STEVE TILSTON, + support.
37. May 27th: ALCHEMY, Roger Brooks, Chrissy Quayle, Phil Donne, Don & Alan.
38. June 3rd: MICK McCREADIE, Chrissy Quayle, Phil Donne.
39. June 10th: 3.C.K. Alchemy, Don, Stephen, Geoff.
40. June 17th: CHRISSY QUAYLE, Phil Donne, Don & Alan.
______________________________
TYACKS CAMBORNE
41. June 11th: ALCHEMY, Chrissy Quayle, Don Fowler.
42. June 18th: MICK McCREADIE, Alchemy, Alan Greenhall, Barry.
______________________________
43. June24th: AL JONES, Alchemy, Phil Donne.
44. July 1st: KEITH HILLS, Alchemy, Don & Alan, Chrissy Quayle.
45. July 8th: STEVE TILSTON, Alchemy, Phil Donne.
46. July 15th. FRIEDMANNN, Chrissy Quayle, Don Fowler.
47. July 22nd: WIZZ JONES, Alchemy, Phil Donne, Bob Devereux.
48. July 29th: Don Fowler, Chrissy Quayle, Phil Donne, Alchemy.
49. August 5th: MASK, Phil Donne, Alchemy.
______________________________
ST IVES GUILDHALL
50. August 10th: LAZY FARMER, Mask, Mike Silver, Chrissy Quayle.
_______________________________
51. August 12th: MIKE SILVER, Don Fowler, Chrissy Quayle, Bob Devereux.
52. August 19th : THE CELEBRATED RATLIFFE STOUT BAND, Phil Donne, Denys Stephens.
53. August 26th: JOHN BIDWELL, Chrissy Quayle, Don Fowler.
54. September 2nd: STEVE TILSTON, Alchemy, Phil Donne.
55. September 9th: CHRISSY QUAYLE, Phil, Denys, Sue, Bob, Demelza, Graham. M.C. Bob Devereux _______________________________
PENWITH GALLERY
56. November 30th: MASK.
_______________________________
1974
ST IVES GUILDHALL
57. May 25th: SCARLET RUNNER, Mastermind, Keith Hills, Ice Breaker.
58. July 18th: SCARLET RUNNER, Mastermind, Nigel Mazlyn Jones, Chrissy Quayle, Jacob Bush.
______________________________
59. December 19th: PENWITH GALLERY: SCARLET RUNNER, Mastermind, Bob Devereux.
_____________________________
1975
ST IVES GUILDHALL:
60. May 20th: CROOKS & NANNIES, Mastermind.
_______________________________
MR PEGGOTTYS ST IVES:
61. June 1st: Don & Alan, Chrissie, Ufi, Jake Bush.
62.June 8th: THE FAREWELL BAND, Denys Stephens, Chrissy Quayle.
63. June 15th: KEITH HILLS, Adrian O Reilly, Chrissy Quayle, Denys Stephens.
64. June 22nd: CREEPIN JANE, Mike Collins, Denys Stephens.
65. June 29th: JONATHAN COUDRILLE, Clive Palmer, Keith Hills, Frank, Chrissy Quayle.
66.July 6th: ROGER BROOKS, Mike Collins, Denys Stephens, Bob Devereux.
67. July 13th: THE CELEBRATED RATLIFFE STOUT BAND, Chrissy Quayle, Frank, Jake Bush.
_______________________________
68. July17th: ST IVES GUILDHALL STEVE TILSTON, DAVE EVANS, The Farewell Band, Denys Stephens, Bob Devereux. _______________________________
69. July 20th: CLIVE PALMER, Keith Hills, Denys Stephens.
70. July 27th:THE FAREWELL BAND, Chrissy Quayle, Frank, Jacob Bush.
_______________________________
ST IVES GUILDHALL
71. July 31st: WIZZ JONES,JOHN JAMES, Nigel Mazlyn Jones, Chrissy Quayle, Jacob Bush, Bob Devereux. _______________________________
72. August 3rd: JOHN JAMES, Mike Collins, Denys Stephens.
73.August 10th: CROOKS & NANNIES, Chrissie&Kevin,Frank.
_______________________________
ST IVES GUILDHALL
74. August 14th: CLIVE PALMER, Crooks&Nannies, Roger Brooks, Bob Devereux.
_______________________________
75.August 17th: ROGER BROOKS, Mike Colins,Denys Stephens, Jacob Bush.
76. August 24th: WIZZ JONES, Clive Palmer, Chrissy & Kevin.
_______________________________
ST IVES GUILDHALL
77. August 28th: DECAMERON, Kris Gayle Band,Nigel Mazlyn Jones, Bob Devereux.
_______________________________
78.August 31st: STEVE TILSTON, Denys Stephens, Frank, Jacob Bush.
79. September 7th: KEITH HILLS, Chrissy Quayle, Jacob Bush.
80. September 14th: CLIVE PALMER, Frank, Jacob Bush.
_______________________________
PARISH ROOMS
81. December 29th: CROOKS & NANNIES, Pete Berryman, John Bidwell, Mick Bennet, Roger Brooks, Bob Devereux.
WINTER GARDENS
82. December 30: CROOKS & NANNIES,Clive Palmer, Pete Berryman, John Bidwell, Mick Bennet, Roger Brooks, Bob Devereux.
1976
83. April 20th: WIZZ JONES, Clive Palmer, Crooks &Nannies, Bob Devereux, John Bidwell.
WINTER GARDENS
84. June 1st: THE DYNAMIC ACES, Clive Palmer, Adrian O Reilly, Bob Devereux.
85. June 8th: KEITH HILLS, Clive Palmer, Colin Smith, Stephen, Bob Devereux.
86. June 15th: JOHN JAMES, Creepin Jane, Clive Palmer, Bob Devereux.
87. June 22nd: JOHN COX BAND, Clive Palmer, Bob Devereux, Stephen, Colin Smith.
88. June 29th; STAVERTON BRIDGE, Clive Palmer, Bob Devereux, Denys Stephens.
89. July 6th: CROOKS & NANNIES, Roger Brooks, Clive Palmer, Bob Devereux, Colin Smith.
90. July 8th: ST IVES GUILDHALL CROOKS & NANNIES, Roger Brooks, Clive Palmer Bob Devereux Colin Smith
91. July 13th: WINTER GARDENS MIKE SILVER, Crooks & Nannies, Denys Stephens, Bob Devereux.
92. July 15th: ST IVES GUILDHALL MIKE SILVER, Crooks & Nannies, Denys Stephens, Bob Devereux.
93. July 20th: WINTER GARDENS CROOKS & NANNIES, Clive Palmer, Roger Brooks, Bob Devereux.
94. July 22nd: ST IVES GUILDHALL CROOKS & NANNIES, Clive Palmer, Roger Brooks, Bob Devereux.
95. July 27th: WINTER GARDENS MICHAEL CHAPMAN, Crooks & Nannies, Clive Palmer Bob Devereux.
96. July 29th: ST IVES GUILDHALL MICHAEL CHAPMAN, Crooks &Nannies, Clive Palmer Bob Devereux.
97. August 3rd: WINTER GARDENS JOHN RENBOURN & JACQUIMcSHEE, Steve Tilston, Crooks & Nannies, Clive Palmer, Denys Stephens, Bob Devereux.
98. August 5th: ST IVES GUILDHALL JOHN RENBOURN & JACQUIMcSHEE, Steve Tilston, Crooks & Nannies, Clive Palmer, Denys Stephens, Bob Devereux.
99. August 10th: WINTER GARDENS CROOKS & NANNIES, Clive Palmer, Bob Devereux.
100. August 12th: ST IVES GUILDHALL CROOKS & NANNIES, Clive Palmer, Bob Devereux, Keith Hills
101. August 17th: WINTER GARDENS JOHN WILLIAMS BIG BAND Crooks & Nannies
102. August19th: ST IVES GUILDHALL JOHN WILLIAMS BIG BAND Kris Gayle Band
103. August 26th; ST IVES GUILDHALL JOHN JAMES.
_______________________________
1977 No Promotions?
_______________________________ .
1978
ST IVES GUILDHALL
104. July 25th: CLIVE PALMER, Keith Hills, Colin Smith, Adrian O Reilly, Mick Mc Creadie, Larry Law, Dick Reynolds, Peter Vastl, Nial Timmins.
1978 ST IVES FESTIVAL
GUILDHALL
105. September 14th: BERT JANSCH GROUP,Wizz Jones, Roger Brooks.
106. September 15th: STEFAN GROSSMAN, JOHN RENBOURN, DAVEY GRAHAM .
107. September 16th: TANNAHILL WEAVERS, Stockroom Five, Celebrated Ratliffe Stout Band.
108. September 18th: DON RENDELL, the Jazz Roots .
Mr PEGGOTTYS:
109. September 14th: Niall Timmins, Dick Reynolds and Friends.
110. September 15th: KNACKERS YARD.
111. September 16th. STEVE TILSTON.
PARISH ROOMS
112. September 14th. Bob Devereux & Clive Palmer.
113. September 15th: Celebrated Ratliffe Stout Band.
114. Septembern 16th: John the Fish, Mick Mc Creadie, John Bidwell.
1979
PENZANCE ARTS CENTRE
115. May 29th: BOB DEVEREUX & CLIVE PALMER, Tim Wellard, Dick Reynolds.
ST IVES GUILDHALL
116. July 12th: TANNAHILL WEAVERS, Rhombus.
117. July 26th ROBIN WILLIAMSON AND HIS MERRY BAND, Rhombus.
ST AUSTELL ARTS CENTRE
118 . July 20th: RHOMBUS.
1979 ST IVES FESTIVAL
GUILDHALL
119. September 13th: MICHAEL CHAPMAN, Mike Silver, Earl Okin.
120. September 14th: JUNE TABOR & MARTIN SIMPSON, Ratliffe Stout Band, Jake Walton.
121. September 15th: MADDY PRIOR BAND, Wizz Jones, Adrian O Reilly.
122. September17th: MIKE WESTBROOK BRASS BAND.
123. September 21st: BRENDA WOOTTON, Matchbox Purveyors etc.
124. September 22nd: GEORGE MELLY & JOHN CHILTONS FEETWARMERS.
1980
125. March 3rd: WINTER GARDENS ROBIN WILLIAMSON, Orion.
126. May 21st: PENZANCE ARTS CENTRE BOB DEVEREUX and support.
127. July 22nd: ST IVES GUILDHALL THE TANNAHILL WEAVERS
_______________________________
PENZANCE ARTS CENTRE
128. July 24th: NIGEL MAZLYN JONES
129. August 2nd: ROGER McGOUGH, Bob Devereux .
130. August 14th: MICHAEL CHAPMAN & MICK MCc CREADIE.
131. August 17th: THE BARNEYS.
_______________________________
1980 ST IVES FESTIVAL
GUILDHALL
132. September 2nd: MASTER MUSICIANS OF JAJOUKA
133. September 6th: JOHN MARTYN, and support.
134. September 7th: BRENDA WOOTTON & Four Lanes Choir.
135. September 11th: THE BATTLEFIELD BAND & SHEGUI.
136. September 12th: CHRIS BARBER BAND with OTTILIE PATTERSON.
137. September 13th: GEORGIE FAME & THE BLUE FLAMES.
138. September 20th: BOB KERRS WHOOPPEE BAND.
PARISH ROOMS
139. September 13th: CLIVE PALMER & FREINDS
PENWITH GALLERY
140. September 16th: DYLANS DAUGHTER
141.September 18th: THE CITY WAITES.
_______________________________
ST IVES RUGBY CLUB
142. November 22nd: GEORGE MELLY & JOHN CHILTONS FEETWARMERS.
_______________________________
PENZANCE ARTS CENTRE
143. October ?: BRIAN PATTEN.
144. December 4th: BERT JANSCH CONUNDRUM & JOHN RENBOURN.
145. December 14th: CHRISTOPHER LOGUE.
1981
146. January 30th: DAVE EVANS, plus support.
147. March 13th: ARIZONA SMOKE REVIEW.
148. March 20th; ROSIE HARDMAN & JON GILLESPIE
. _______________________________
ST IVES GUILDHALL
149. June 23rd: THE BLACK THEATRE OF PRAGUE
_______________________________
PENZANCE ARTS CENTRE
150. June 16th: OPENING CLUB NIGHT.
151. June 23rd: ADRIAN O REILLY, Keith Hills.
152. June 30th: COLIN SMITH & ANNIE FOYLE.
153. July 1st: OSSIAN ELLIS.
154. July 5th: FRANK PERRY.
155. July 7th: CHRIS SMITHERS.
156. July 14th: PETE BERRYMAN.
157. July 17th: ROY RAY 100 years of Art in St Ives.
158. July 21st: CLIVE PALMER.
159. July 25th: SHEGUI.
160: July 28th: SPIDER JOHN KOERNER.
161. August 4th: JOHNN JAMES.
162. August 11th: NOEL & PAM BETOWSKI.
163. August 18th. MICHAEL CHAPMAN.
164. August 22nd: BUCCA.
165. August 25th: Residents.
166. September 1st : NIGEL MAZLYN JONES.
167. September8th: MICK McCREADIE.
168. September 15th: Club Season FINALE Residents.
1981 ST IVES FESTIVAL
GUILDHALL
169. September 4th: ROBIN WILLIAMSON, Brian Patten, Clive Palmer, Douglas Cook.
170. September 5th: THE TROPIC ISLES STEEL BAND.
171. September 11th: DAVE SWARBRICK & FREINDS, Earl Okin.
172. September 12th: HUMPHREY LYTTLETON BAND.
173. September 19th: THE TEMPERANCE SEVEN , Mounts Bay Syncapators.
PENWITH GALLERY
174. September 9th: PEASANTS ALL.
PENZANCE ARTS CENTRE
175. September26th: JOHN RENBOURN, Adrian O Reilly.
176. September 28th: BARBARA THOMPSONS PARAPHENALIA.
177. October 9th: MARTIN CARTHY.
178. October 13th. ALAN SCHILLER.
179. October 24th: CHARLES CAUSLEY.
180. November 11th: THE LIGHT BLUES.
181. November 14th: EARL OKIN.
182. November 21st: MIKE SILVER.
183. December 5th: DECAMERON.
184. December 12th: ROGER BROOKS.
ST JOHNS HALL
185. December 17th: CHRIS BARBERS JAZZ & BLUES BAND.
1982
ST IVES GUILDHALL
186. April 30th: MAINSQUEEZE.
PENZANCE ARTS CENTRE
187. May 11th: ROBIN WILLIAMSON.
188. June 3rd: WIZZ JONES.
189. June 29th: EARL OKIN.
190. July 1st: MARGARET DRABBLE.
191. July 6TH: THE RECESSIONS.
192. July 13TH: BUCCA.
193. July 17th: ROGER McGOUGH.
194. July 20TH: MICHAEL CHAPMAN.
195. July 27TH: ROBIN WILLIAMSON.
196. August 3rd: DAVEY GRAHAM.
197. August 10th: JOHN RENBOURN.
198. August 17th: ROGER BROOKS.
199. August 6th: LOL COXHILL with Mike Cooper and Dave Holland.
200. August 24th: MARTIN SIMPSON.
201. August 31st: Folk Blues & Rags.
202.September 4th: ARTHUR CADDICK.
203. October9th: DAVE EVANS.
204. October 16th: BERT JANSCH & Nigel Smith.
205. October 20th: DANNIE ABSE.
206. October 21st: BARBARA THOMPSONS PARAPHENALIA.
207. November 24th: MIKE SILVER.
208. December 9th: A LITTLE WESTBROOK MUSIC.
ST JOHNS HALL
209. October29th: THE BLACK THEATRE OF PRAGUE.
1982 ST IVES FESTIVAL
GUILDHALL
210. September 3rd: KEITH TIPPETS OVARY LODGE.
211. September 11th: THE CHIEFTAINS.
212. September 18th: BLACK ROOTS & ZAMBULA.
1983
PENZANCE ARTS CENTRE
213. February 3rd: LONDON GABRIELLI BRASS ENSEMBLE.
214. April 16th: BUCCA.
215 July 12th: SHEGUI.plus Adrian O Reilly.
216. August 1st: EARL OKIN.
217. August 2nd: EARL OKIN.
218. August 4th: EARL OKIN.
219. August 5th: EARL OKIN.
220. August 6th: EARL OKIN.
221. September28th: at Demelzas. BARBARA THOMPSONS PARAPHENALIA
222. October ? : at Demelzas. GEORGIE FAME & THE BLUE FLAMES.
ST MARYS CHURCH
223. May 29th: THE ALLEGRI STRING QUARTET.
1984
UNION HOTEL PENZANCE
224. February 4th: ZAMBULA.
225. June 16th: ZAMBULA.
226. August 4th: ZAMBULA.
SEYMOUR HOTEL TOTNES
227. October 21st: ZAMBULA.
ST GERMANS
228. Whitsun: (26th & 27th May) ELEPHANT FOLK FESTIVAL
Alan Stivell & his Breton Musicians, Stocktons Wing, Maddy Prior Band,Dave Swarbricks Whippersnapper, Bert Jansch Band, Gordon Giltrap, Jake Walton, Michael Chapman, Dave Cousins, Martin Simpson, Jon Benns & Bill Zorn, Leon Rosselson, Wizz Jones, English Tapestry, Clive Palmer, Adrian O Reilly, Wendy Herman, Chucklefoot, etc, etc.
1985
229. February 15th: ZAMBULA. plus Bridesmother- Demelzas
230. April 9th: ZAMBULA.- Demelzas 231.
May 10th ZAMBULA. plus The Jack Rabbits and Theatre Rotto- Demelzas.
232. June 8th: ZAMBULA & MONSOON Totnes Civic Hall.
233. June 15th: ZAMBULA-St Ives Rugby Club. 234.
June 21st: ZAMBULA- Demelzas. 235.
July 18th: ZAMBULA- St Ives Guildhall. 236.
July 19th: ZAMBULA. - Demelzas
237. August 23rd: ZAMBULA. - Demelzas
238. August 26th:
LAMORNA FAYRE.
ZAMBULA,The Strangers, Clive Palmer, Bluestrain, Brides Mother, Sunshine Blues Band, Adrian O Reilly, Shiva Theatre, etc etc.
239. December 28th: ZAMBULA+ Paint the Man Pink + Theatre Rotto+ Sunshine Blues Band. - Demelzas
1986
240. June 10th: KAREN EVANS. - Union Hotel, Penzance.
241. June 13th: KAREN EVANS.- Penwith Gallery.
1987
ST JOHNS HALL
242: July 16th: THE REAL SOUNDS OF AFRICA, plus Style & Fashion.
DEMELZAS
243. March 19th: WILKO JOHNSON, & The Greasey Hat Band.
244. August21st: DESMOND DEKKER & THE ACES & The Dance Band.
245. September25th: TAXI PATA PATA, & The Nancledra Hillbillies.
246. October 16th: LE RUE, + The Bad Boys.
247. November 13th: FLACO JIMINEZ & His SAN ANTONIO BAND +The Thundering Typhoons.
248. December 4th: LOVEMORE MAJAIVANA AND THE ZULU BAND plus The Bad Boys.
PENZANCE ARTS CENTRE
249. October 24th: ROBIN WILLIAMSON, and Clive Palmers Charlie Cool Quartet.
1988
WESTERN HOTEL ST IVES
250.May 14th: EARL OKIN, The Bad Boys, Adrian O Reilly.
WINTER GARDENS
251. August 25th: REMY ONGALA AND THE ORCHESTRE SUPER MATIMILLA.
252. September 29th: HARARE DREAD, plus Jaroma.
253. November 24th: ZAMBULA, plus Jaroma.
254. December 29th: ZAMBULA, plus Colin Smith & Annie Foyle.
TOTNES CIVIC HALL
255. November 26th: ZAMBULA, plus Jaroma.
1989
256. March 23rd: -TRURO CITY HALL ZAMBULA, plus Jaroma.
257. March 25th. -DARTMOUTH GUILDHALL ZAMBULA, plus Cauldron.
258. March 31st:-LAUNCESTON TOWN HALL ZAMBULA, plus Backdoor Men.
259. April 1st: St Georges Hall, EXETER. ZAMBULA, plus Urban Verbs.
260. April 7th: WADEBRIDGE TOWN HALL ZAMBULA, plus Jaroma.
ACORN PENZANCE
261. August 16th: BERT JANSCH & PETER KIRTLEY, and Roger Brooks.
262. August 17th: BERT JANSCH & PETER KIRTLEY, and Roger Brooks.
263. August 30th: MICHAEL CHAPMAN, and Nigel Mazlyn Jones.
264. August 31st: MICHAEL CHAPMAN, and Nigel Mazlyn Jones.
265. October 25th. ZAMBULA.- Western Hotel St Ives.
266. October 28th: ZAMBULA.- White Hart, Hayle.
ACORN
267.November 15th: JUNE TABOR, and Mick Mc Creadie.
268.November 16th: JUNE TABOR, and Mick Mc Creadie.
269. December 6th: JOHN RENBOURN & JACQUI McSHEE, plus Noel & Pam Betowski.
270. December 7th: JOHN RENBOURN & JACQUI McSHEE, plus Noel & Pam Betowski.
1990
ACORN
271. July 18th: S.E. ROGIE, plus Hank & the Wolf.
272. July 19th: S.E. ROGIE, plus Hank & the Wolf.
273. July 25th: The MRS ACKROYD BAND.
274. July 26th: The MRS ACKROYD BAND.
275. July 31st: ROBIN WILLIAMSON & BOB DEVEREUX at Truro Museum.
276. August 1st: ROBIN WILLIAMSON &WIZZ JONES.
277. August 2nd: ROBIN WILLIAMSON &WIZZ JONES.
278. AUGUST 8th: MADDY PRIOR & RICK KEMP, plus Wendy Herman.
279. AUGUST 9th: MADDY PRIOR & RICK KEMP, plus Wendy Herman.
280. August 15th: QUIMANTU. 281. August 16th: QUIMANTU.
282. AUGUST 22nd: RORY McLEOD, plus Adrian O Reilly.
283. AUGUST 23rd: RORY McLEOD, plus Adrian O Reilly.
284. August 29th: CILL CHAIS, and FRANKIE ARMSTRONG.
285. August 29th: CILL CHAIS, and FRANKIE ARMSTRONG.
286. September 5th: BERT JANSCH & PETER KIRTLEY plus STEVE TILSTON & MAGGIE BOYLE.
287. September 6th: BERT JANSCH & PETER KIRTLEY plus STEVE TILSTON & MAGGIE BOYLE.
288. September12th: THE KATHRYN TICKELL BAND.
289. September13th: THE KATHRYN TICKELL BAND.
290. October 19th: TOM HALL & THE STRUNG OUT SISTERS plus Adrian O Reilly.
291. November8th: ROY RAY- 100 years of Art in St Ives.
292. November15th: ROGER SLACK- Alfred Wallis Lecture.
1991
THE ACORN
293. April 25th: LA MUSGANA.
294. June 4th: MICHAEL CHAPMAN plus Patrick Walker.
295. July 17th : THE HANK WANGFORD BAND plus The Half Human Video Show.
296. July 18th : THE HANK WANGFORD BAND plus The Half Human Video Show.
297. July 24th: RAMBLING JACK ELLIOT plus Clive Palmer.
298. July 25th: RAMBLING JACK ELLIOT plus Clive Palmer.
299. July 31st: SYNCOPACE 300. August 1st: SYNCOPACE.
301. August 7th: MAKVIRAG & MELANIE HARROLD.
302. August 8th: MAKVIRAG & MELANIE HARROLD.
_______________________________
DESMOND DEKKER AND THE ACES TOUR
303. Augut 12th: The Barn Club Penzance
304. August 13th: The Shire Horse St Ives
305. August 14th: Truro City Hall.
_______________________________
ACORN
306 August 14th: THE BUTTERMOUNTAIN BOYS plus WIZZ JONES.
307. August 15th: THE BUTTERMOUNTAIN BOYS plus WIZZ JONES.
308. August 21st: JUNE TABOR plus TOM HALL & THE STRUNG OUT SISTERS.
309. August 22nd: JUNE TABOR plus TOM HALL & THE STRUNG OUT SISTERS.
310. August 28th: VERMONTEN PLAGE plus Dr Syntax.
311. August 29th: VERMONTEN PLAGE plus Dr Syntax.
312. September 4th: THE BARELY WORKS.
313. September 5th: THE BARELY WORKS.
314. September18th: JOHN RENBOURN & ISAAC GUILLORY.
315. September19th: JOHN RENBOURN & ISAAC GUILLORY.
316. September 25th: SILEAS.
317. September 26th: SILEAS.
318. November 2nd: ANNE BRIGGS.
1992
THE ACORN
319. June 22nd: JOHN SURMAN.
320. June 23rd: LA MUSGANA.
_______________________________
ST JOHNS HALL
321. June 24th: THE BARELY WORKS.
_______________________________
322. July 8th: VASMALOM.
323. July 9th: VASMALOM.
324. July 15th: ROBIN WILLIAMSON plus STEVE TILSTON & MAGGIE BOYLE.
325. July 16th: ROBIN WILLIAMSON plus STEVE TILSTON & MAGGIE BOYLE.
TOTNES CIVIC HALL
326. July 17th: ROBIN WILLIAMSON plus STEVE TILSTON & MAGGIE BOYLE.
_______________________________
THE ACORN
327. July 22nd: THE HANK WANGFORD BAND plus Bates Motel 328.
July 23rd: THE HANK WANGFORD BAND plus Bates Motel
_______________________________ .
TOTNES CIVIC HALL
329. July 24th: THE HANK WANGFORD BAND.
_______________________________
THE ACORN
330. July 29th: THE KATHRYN TICKELL BAND.
331. July 30th: THE KATHRYN TICKELL BAND.
332. August 5th: THE POOZIES plus Wendy Herman.
333. August 6th: THE POOZIES plus Wendy Herman.
334. August12th: FOUR MEN & A DOG plus WIZZ JONES.
335. August13th: FOUR MEN & A DOG plus WIZZ JONES.
336. August 19th. WOOD & CUTTING plus TOM HALL.
337. August 20th: WOOD & CUTTING plus TOM HALL.
338. August 26th: MUSIKAS.
339. August 27th: MUSIKAS.
340. September 2nd: BERT JANSCH & JACQUI McSHEE.
341. September 3rd: BERT JANSCH & JACQUI McSHEE.
342. September 9th. ALIAS RON KAVANA.
343. September 10th. ALIAS RON KAVANA.
1993
THE ACORN
344. July 14th: GREGOR SCHECTORS KLEZMER BAND.
345. July 15th: GREGOR SCHECTERS KLEZMER BAND.
346. July 21st: FOUR MEN & A DOG. 347.
July 22nd: FOUR MEN & A DOG. 348.
July 28th: TARIKA SAMMY.
349. July 29th: TARIKA SAMMY.
350. August4th: THE BARELY WORKS.
351. August5th: THE BARELY WORKS.
352. August 11th: JUNE TABOR.
353. August 12th: JUNE TABOR.
354. August18th: DEMBO KONTE & KASAU KANYA.
355. August19th: DEMBO KONTE & KASAU KANYA.
356. August 25th: AFTERHOURS.
357. August 26th: AFTERHOURS.
358. September 1st: VERMENTON PLAGE.
359. September 2nd: VERMENTON PLAGE.
360. September 8th: HELL BENT HEAVEN BOUND.
361. September 9th: HELL BENT HEAVEN BOUND.
1994
TRURO CITY HALL
362.March 23rd: DESMOND DEKKER & THE ACES plus SKAAD FOR LIFE.
1994 ST IVES FESTIVAL
GUILDHALL
363. September 8th: THE PEKING BROTHERS.
364. September10th: JOHN MARTYN plus Mike Silver.
365.September 15th: THE KATHRYN TICKELL BAND plus BIG JIG.
366. September 16th: THE CHRIS BARBER JAZZ & BLUES BAND.
367. September 17th: CARAVANSERAI & DOCTORS OF DUB.
WESTERN HOTEL
368. September 7th: RORY Mc LEOD. 369. September 10th: THE COAL PORTERS.
370. September 13th: TO HELL WITH BURGHUNDY.
371. September 15th: JOHN OTWAY.
372. September 16th: STEVE FROST & THE GITS. SCHOOL OF PAINTING
373. September 9th: DAVID KEMP.
1995
THE ACORN
374. August 25th: CHRIS JAGGER ATCHA BAND.
375. November 24th: M TOTO.
1995 ST IVES FESTIVAL
THE GUILDHALL
376. September 14th: THE JUNE TABOR BAND.
377. September 15th: FOUR MEN & A DOG.
378. September16th: ROBIN JONES & KING SALSA.
379. September 18th: THANK YOU MR GERSHWIN-Elaine Delmar & the Keith Smith Band.
380. September 21st: THE JACQUI McSHEE BAND plus VASMALOM.
381. September 22nd: ORCHARD THEATRE- A Dolls House.
382. September 23rd: TAXI PATA PATA plus BAKA BEYOND.
THE WESTERN HOTEL
383. September 12th: PIERRE BENSUSAN.
384. September 13th: JOHN KIRKPATRICK.
385. September 19th: PETE BERRYMAN & ADRIAN O REILLY.
386. September 20th: M TOTO.
387. September 21st: HALF HUMAN VIDEO & THEATRE OF FRUIT.
388. September 22nd: TI FER CAJUN. 389.
September 13th: Penwith Gallery GEORGE MELLY LECTURE.
1996
EXODUS CLUB PENZANCE
390. April 26th: TITO & ZAMBULA BENEFIT.
_______________________________
HARBOUR CAR PARK PENZANCE
1996 West Cornwall Maritime Festival.
391. Thursday July 4th: THE BLUES BAND- GENO WASHING TON- KING MASCO etc etc.
392. Friday July 5th: THE BOOTLEG BEATLES-HANK WANGFORD BAND- WILKO JOHNSON BAND-BOBBY VALENTINO etc etc
393. Saturday July 6th: TAXI PATA PATA-ZILA- THE h-KIPPERS-CHRIS JAGGERS ATCHA BAND-LA CUCINA etc etc
394. Sunday July 7th: JAMES HUNTER BAND-BOHINTA- EARL OKIN etc etc.
_______________________________
1996 ST IVES FESTIVAL
GUILDHALL
395. September9th: BERT JANSCH plus Steve Tilston & Maggie Boyle, Wizz Jones.
396. September 11th: JACQUI DANKWORTH & NEW PER SPECTIVES.
397. September 12th: DADE KRAMA African Ancestral Dance.
398. September 13th: STOCKTONS WING.
399. September 14th: DESMOND DEKKER & THE ACES plus Skaad For Life.
400. September 16th: ELAINE DELMAR & THE KEITH SMITH BAND.
401. September 18th: JO BRAND plus STEVE FROST & BOOTHBY GRAFTOE.
402. September 19th: GEORGE MELLY & JOHN CHILTONS FEETWARMERS.
403. September 20th: KINGS OF CALLICUT & BOHINTA.
404. September 21st: EDWARD 11 plus EUNICE & THE RED HOT BAYOU BAND.
WESTERN HOTEL
405. September 10th: CATRIONA MACDONALD.
406. September 11th: MICHAEL CHAPMAN.
407. September 17th: BIG JIG (sub).
408. September 18th: SALLY BARKER BAND.
409. September 19th: DARK LANtERN.
1997
THE ACORN
410. March 14th: JUNE TABOR TRIO.
PENZANCE ARTS CLUB
411. April 18th: WIZZ JONES.
1997 LITTLE FESTIVAL
THE ACORN
412. May 15th: WOOD & CUTTING
413. May 16th: CATRIONA MACDONALD.
414. May 17th: KATHRYN TICKELL.
1997 ST IVES FESTIVAL GUILDHALL
415. September 8th: THE POOZIES plus FERNHILL.
416. September 10th; THE SNEAKERS (subs) & THE SINGING NUNS.
417. Septewmber 11th: WATERSON CARTHY.
418. September 12th: STEELEYE SPAN.
419. September 13th: SHOOGLENIFTY & DR DIDG.
420. September15th: LADIES OF JAZZ, May, Jay, Gibson.
421. September 17th: MARK LAMARR, STEVE FROST, STEVE BOWDITCH.
422. September 18th: GENO WASHINGTONS BLUES QUESTION & THE BOOGIE BAND.
423. September 19th: OYSTERBAND & THE SLAVES.
424. September 20th: OSIBISA & ZAMBULA.
WESTERN HOTEL
425. September 9th: ALAISTER HULLET & DAVE SWARBRICK.
426. September10th: MARTIN SIMPSON.
427. September 13th: JOHN JAMES & The Ragtime Millionaires.
428. September15th: RORY McLEOD.
429. September16th: CHRISTINE COLLISTER.
430. September 18th: KAREN TWEED & IAN CARR.
1998
ST IVES GUILDHALL
431. May 9th: ZAMBULA & THE PHOENICIANS.
_______________________________
1998 WEST CORNWALL MARITIME FESTIVAL
432. Friday July 10th: MARY BLACK, SHARON SHARRON BAND, ELIZA CARTHY BAND, ANAO ATAO.
433. Saturday July 11th: BAABA MAAL, OSIBISA ,LA CUCINA, TI JAZ, ZAMBULA, THE SLAVES.
434. Sunday July 12th. AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD SHOW ,BAKA BEYOND, WAULK ELECTRIK, SILEAS, SHAVALI.
435. Monday July 13th: COUNTERFEIT STONES, BALHAM ALLIGATORS, JAMES HUNTER BAND, THE BOOGIE BAND, THE SUPERIOR BAND.
436. Tuesday July 14th: EDWARD 11.
1998 ST IVES FESTIVAL
GUILDHALL
437. September 7th: JUNE TABOR BAND.
438. September 9th: THE IMPRO SHOW -Steve Frost & Freinds.
439. September 10th: MARY COUGLAN.
440. September 11th: NICK LOWE.
441. September 12th: KULJIT BAHMRA BAND.
442. September 13th: HARLEM JAZZ.
443. September 14th: SHOW OF HANDS & SAVOURNA STEVENSON.
444. September 16th: ROBIN WILLIAMSON & JOHN RENBOURN.
445. September 17th: THE RUSSIAN FOLK ENSEMBLE.
446. September 18th: RALPH McTELL.
447. September 19th: IFANG BONDI & SANYOMA.
WESTERN HOTEL
448. September8th : THE WRIGLEY SISTERS.
449. September 9th: DICK GAUGHAN.
450. September 10th: GORDAN GILTRAP.
451. September 11th: BEN WATERS BOOGIE BAND.
452. September 12th: STEVE TILSTONS STRING THING.
453. September 14th: QUIETLY TORN.
454. September 15th. FINALITY JACK.
455. September: 17th: CARLENE ANGLIM & ALI.
THE ACORN
456. November 28th: DEMBO KONTE & KAUSU KUYATEH plus BUBA JAMMEH.
457. December 29th: GENO WASHINGTON & THE PURPLE ACES plus BEN WATERS.
1999
THE ACORN
458. February 19th: KAVANA/ McNEILL/ LYNCH /LUPARI.
459. March 5th: BERT JANSCH plus PETE BERYMAN & ADRIAN O REILLY.
460. April 6th: GEORGE MELLY -Talk.
461. April 7th: GEORGE MELLY-Talk.
ST IVES GUILDHALL
462. May 1st: ASERE & TOTO LA MOMPASINA plus RAMSHAKA.
THE ACORN - THE 1999 LITTLE FESTIVAL
463. May 20th: SAVOURNA STEVENSON & CATRIONA MACDONALD.
464. May 21st: WATERSON CARTHY.
465. May 22nd: JACKIE McCAULEY.
________________________________________________________________
THE ACORN
466. July 14th: FERNHILL.
467. July 15th: FERNHILL.
1999 ST IVES FESTIVAL
GUILDHALL
468. September 13th: FRANCES BLACK & DECLAN SINNOT.
469. September 15th. MADDY PRIOR & THE CARNIVAL BAND.
470.September 16th: THE BLUES BAND.
471. September 17th: THE SHARON SHANNON BAND.
472. September 18th: THE WHISKEY PRIESTS.
473. September 19th: BOB HUNTS ELLINGTON BAND.
474. September 20th: ALY BAIN & TOM GILFOLLEN.
475. September 22nd: EDDI READER & ELEPHANT TALK.
466: September 23rd: PAUL LAMB & THE KINGSNAKES.
467. September 24th: THE POPES.
478. September 25th: THE DUPPY CONQUERORS & SPECIES.
WESTERN HOTEL
479. September 14th NETTI VAN & BART RAMSEY
480. September 15th CHRIS WOOD TRIO
481. September16th TANTEEKA
482. September 18th RICHARD SMITH TRIO
483. September 21st TIM VAN EYKEN
484. September 23rd COLIN REID
485. September 25th DAILY PLANET
2000
ST JOHNS HALL
486. April 1st TAXI PATA PATA & Ramshaka
2000 LITTLE FESTIVAL
THE ACORN
487. May 12th EDDI READER & ROB PETERS
488. May 13th BAKA BEYOND
489. May 14th CHRISTINE COLLISTER
_________________________________________________________
ISLAND CENTRE ST IVES
490. May 17th ALISON OLDHAM TALK
THE ACORN
491. May 22nd ALISON OLDHAM TALK
_________________________________________________________
2000 CELTIC VOYAGE MUSIC PENZANCE
492. July 7th GUMBO FLYERS /BLUES DELUXE/ KESCANA
493. July 8th SKAD FOR LIFE /TREANA MORRIS /SEX SLAVES
494. July 9th MÕTOTO /BLUES INC/ PATRICK & STEVE
495. July 10th F.O.S. BROTHERS /SALLY CRABTREE BAND /ALEXANDERS RAGTIME BAND
_____________________________________________________________________________________
THE ACORN
496. August 6th JUNE TABOR BAND
497. October 14th WOOD & CUTTING
ST IVES GUILDHALL
498. December 29th BAKA BEYOND / FOS BROTHERS
ST JOHNS HALL PENZANCE
499. December 30th BAKA BEYOND / FOS BROTHERS
2001
2001 THE LITTLE FESTIVAL
THE ACORN
500. May 14th FUNNY FEATHERS & IAN WHEELER
501. May 15th PETER KING & JOHN COX QUARTET
502. May 16th BRIAN PATTEN & BOB DEVEREUX
503. May 17th PURBAYAN CHATTERJEE
504. May 18th WHISKY PRIESTS
505. May 19th IMBONGI AND ALBERT NYATHI
-----------------------------------------------
506. October 5th JANE KITTO
2002
St JOHNS HALL
507. February 9th KANDA BONGO MAN & RAMSHAKA
2002 LITTLE FESTIVAL
THE ACORN
508. May 6th JOHN COOPER CLARKE
509. May 7th DAVID KEMP
510. May 8th ROBIN WILLIAMSON & MARTIN CARTHY
511. May 9th ALAN SKIDMORE & PETER KING
512. May 10th SECKOU KEITA & JAMORAL
513. May 11th LA BOUM
_______________________________________________________
THE ACORN
514. June 6th MOSES FAN FAN
515. November 27th DAVID ALVAREZ and JUEGO DE MANOS
2003
2003 LITTLE FESTIVAL
THE ACORN
516. May 5th BEN WATERS BOOGIE BAND with CHRIS JAGGER
517 May 6th GEORGE MELLY talk "My Life and Times"
518 May 7th CARA DILLON TRIO
519. May 8th ANDY SHEPPARD TRIO
520. May 9th WATERSON CARTHY
521. May 10th JALIKUNDA
522. August 10th ROBIN WILLIAMSON
523. October 24th BOHINTA and SALLY BARKER
2004
THE 7th LITTLE FESTIVAL at The Acorn
524. May 3rd BERT JANSCH
525. May 4th GERMAINE GREER
526. May 5th STAN TRACEY
527. May 6th SEAN KEANE TRIO
528 May 6th at THE UNION
......................ANTHONY FROST
529. May 7th JUNE TABOR
530. May 7th at THE UNION
......................PHIL BOWEN on WS GRAHAM
531. May 8th ANGEL BROTHERS
532. May 8th at THE UNION
......................BOB DEVEREUX & ADRIAN O'REILLY
----------------------------------------------------
533. June 5th IMBONGI at The Acorn
534. July 30th WIZZ JONES at The Acorn
535. August 20st CHRISTINE COLLISTER KIRSTY McGHEE at The Acorn
536. August 20st CHRISTINE COLLISTER KIRSTY McGHEE at The Acorn
537. September 3rd ROBIN WILLIAMSON at The Acorn
538. September 4th ROBIN WILLIAMSON at The Acorn
2005
ST IVES SEPTEMBER FESTIVAL 2007
539. September 13th PATRICK STREET at St Ives Guildhall
540. September 14th KROKE at St Ives Guildhall
541. September 22nd IMBONGI & ALBERT NYATHI at St Ives Guildhall
2006
ST IVES SEPTEMBER FESTIVAL 2006
542. September 9th OSIBISA and ZAMBULA at St Ives Guildhall
543. September 13th CHRIS WOOD and KARINE POLWART at St Ives Guildhall
544. September 14th KATHAKALI at St Ives Guildhall
545. September 16th THE BIG CHRIS BARBER BAND at St Ives Guildhall
546. September 17th JUAN MARTIN & QUINTTETO FABULOSA at St Ives Guildhall
547. September 20th LOU RHODES and Oddur at St Ives Guildhall
548. September 22nd ELKIE BROOKS at St Ives Guildhall
549. September 23rd MERINGADA and Tempo da Festa at St Ives Guildhall
2007
550 July 20th ZAMBULA Acorn
551 July 21st ZAMBULA AcornST IVES SEPTEMBER FESTIVAL 2007
552. Sept 8th BAKA BEYOND St Ives Guildhall
553. Sept 8th Bennett Bros New Orleans Band Western Hotel
554. Sept 9th ATHENA St Ives Guildhall
555. Sept 10th MIGHTY ZULU NATION St Ives Guildhall
556. Sept 12th BILLY BRAGG St Ives Guildhall
557. Sept 13th EDDI READER St Ives Guildhall
558. Sept 17th SECKOU KEITA QUARTET St Ives Guildhall
559. Sept 19th THE POOZIES + Buffalo Gals St Ives Guildhall
560. Sept 20th SKYE + Tom Dale St Ives Guildhall
561. Sept 20th KIRSTY McGEE Western Hotel
562. Sept 21st BLACK ROCK JAZZ BAND Western Hotel
563. Sept 22nd CHIMANIMANI & PONDLIFE St Ives Guildhall2008
564. Feb 9th BARRY MARTYN & THE YOUNG BLOODS Union Penzance
Nearly all the gigs I ever put on: DANNIE ABSE - AFTERHOURS - ALCHEMY - ALEXANDERS RAGTIME BAND - ALIAS RON KAVANA - ALLEGRI STRING QUARTET - DAVID ALVAREZ & JUEGO DE MANOS - ANAO ATAO - ANGEL BROTHERS - CARLENE ANGLIM & ALI - ANY EXCUSE - ARIZONA SMOKE REVIEW - FRANKIE ARMSTRONG - ASERE & TOTO LA MOMPASINA - AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD SHOW - Backdoor Men - Bad Boys - KULJIT BAHMRA BAND - ALY BAIN & TOM GILFOLLEN - BAKA BEYOND - Jonathan Baker - BALHAM ALLIGATORS - CHRIS BARBER BAND with OTTILIE PATTERSON - BARELY WORKS - SALLY BARKER BAND - BARNEYS - Bates MoteL - BATTLEFIELD BAND - JO BRAND - Mike Beeson - Mick Bennet - Jon Benns & Bill Zorn - PIERRE BENSUSAN - Pete Berryman - NOEL & PAM BETOWSKI - JOHN BIDWELL - BIG JIG - FRANCES BLACK & DECLAN SINNOT - MARY BLACK - BLACK ROOTS - BLACK THEATRE OF PRAGUE - BLUES INCORPORATED - THE BLUES BAND - BLUES DELUXE - Bluestrain - Bocvum - BOHINTA - BOOGIE BAND - BOOTLEG BEATLES - STEVE BOWDITCH - PHIL BOWEN - MAGGIE BOYLE - Bridesmother - ANNE BRIGGS - Roger Brooks - BUCCA - Jacob Bush - BUTTERMOUNTAIN BOYS - 3.C.K. - ARTHUR CADDICK - CARAVANSERAI -CARNIVAL BAND - ELIZA CARTHY BAND - MARTIN CARTHY - CELEBRATED RATLIFFE STOUT BAND - MICHAEL CHAPMAN - PURBAYAN CHATTERJEE - PETE CHATTERTON - CHIEFTAINS - CILL CHAIS - Chucklefoot - CITY WAITES - CLIVES ORIGINAL BAND - COAL PORTERS - Mike Collins - SHIRLEY COLLINS - CHRISTINE COLLISTER - Douglas Cook - Charlie Cool Quartet - CONUNDRUM - Mike Cooper - JOHN COOPER CLARKE - Jonathan Coudrille - MARY COUGLAN - Dave Cousins - COUNTERFEIT STONES - JOHN COX BAND - LOL COXHILL - SALLY CRABTREE BAND - CREEPIN JANE - CROOKS & NANNIES - DADE KRAMA - DAILY PLANET - Dance Band -JACQUI DANKWORTH & NEW PERSPECTIVES - DARK LANtERN - DECAMERON - DESMOND DEKKER & THE ACES - Elaine Delmar & the Keith Smith Band - Bob Devereux - CARA DILLON - DOCTORS OF DUB - Phil Donne - MARGARET DRABBLE - DR DIDG - Dr Syntax - DUPPY CONQUERORS - DYNAMIC ACES - EDWARD 11 - RAMBLING JACK ELLIOT - OSSIAN ELLIS - ELEPHANT TALK - English Tapestry - EUNICE AND THE RED HOT BAYOU BAND - DAVE EVANS - Karen Evans - GEORGIE FAME & THE BLUE FLAMES - MOSES FAN FAN - FAREWELL BAND - FERNHILL - FINALITY JACK - John the Fish - F.O.S. BROTHERS - Four Lanes Choir - FOUR MEN & A DOG - Don Fowler - FRIEDMANN - ANTHONY FROST - STEVE FROST & THE GITS - Kris Gayle & The Jazz Roots - GORDON GILTRAP - Iris Gittens - BOOTHBY GRAFTOE - DAVEY GRAHAM - Greasey Hat Band - GRERMAINE GREER - STEFAN GROSSMAN - DICK GAUGHAN - HALCYON - Half Human Video ShoW - TOM HALL & THE STRUNG OUT SISTERS - Hank & the Wolf - HARARE DREAD - HARLEM JAZZ - MELANIE HARROLD - HELL BENT HEAVEN BOUND - High Speed Gas - KEITH HILLS - Alan Greenhall - ROSIE HARDMAN & JON GILLESPIE - ISAAC GUILLORY - GUMBO FLYERS - DICK HANHAM BAND - Wendy Herman - Jim Hughes - ALAISTER HULLET - Dave Holland - BOB HUNTS ELLINGTON BAND - JAMES HUNTER BAND - Ice Breaker - IFANG BONDI - IMBONGI AND ALBERT NYATHI - THE IMPRO SHOW - Jack Rabbits - CHRIS JAGGER ATCHA BAND - JALIKUNDA - BUBA JAMMEH - BERT JANSCH GROUP - JOHN JAMES - Jaroma - BARB JUNGR & RUSSELL CHURNEY - FLACO JIMINEZ & His SAN ANTONIO BAND - WILKO JOHNSON BAND - AL JONES -ROBIN JONES & KING SALSA - WIZZ JONES - K- PASSA - KANDA BONGO MAN - KAVANA/ McNEILL/ LYNCH /LUPARI - SEAN KEANE TRIO - SECKOU KEITA & JAMORAL - DAVID KEMP - RICK KEMP - BOB KERRS WHOOPPEE BAND - KESCANA - PETER KING & JOHN COX QUARTET - KING MASCO - KINGS OF CALLICUT - h-KIPPERS - JOHN KIRKPATRICK - JANE KITTO - KNACKERS YARD - SPIDER JOHN KOERNER - DEMBO KONTE & KASAU KANYA - LADIES OF JAZZ, May, Jay, Gibson - MARK LAMARR - PAUL LAMB & THE KINGSNAKES - LA BOUM - LA MUSGANA - Larry Law - LA CUCINA - LAZY FARMER - LE RUE - LIGHT BLUES - CHRISTOPHER LOGUE - LONDON GABRIELLI BRASS ENSEMBLE - NICK LOWE - HUMPHREY LYTTLETON BAND - BAABA MAAL - CATRIONA MACDONALD - JACKIE McAULEY - MAINSQUEEZE - LOVEMORE MAJAIVANA & THE ZULU BAND - MAKVIRAG - JOHN MARTYN - MASK - MASTER MUSICIANS OF JAJOUKA - Nigel Mazlyn Jones - Mastermind - MICK McCREADIE - KIRSTY McGEE - ROGER McGOUGH - RORY McLEOD - JACQUI McSHEE BAND - RALPH McTELL - GEORGE MELLY & JOHN CHILTONS FEETWARMERS - GEORGE MELLY LECTURE - MONSOON - TREANA MORRIS - Mounts Bay Syncapators - M TOTO - MUSIKAS - Nancledra Hillbillies - Earl Okin - ALISON OLDHAM - REMY ONGALA AND THE ORCHESTRE SUPER MATIMILLA - Adrian O Reilly - ORCHARD THEATRE - Orion - OSIBISA - JOHN OTWAY - OYSTERBAND - Paint the Man Pink - Clive Palmer - BRIAN PATTEN - PEASANTS ALL - PEKING BROTHERS - FRANK PERRY - ROB PETERS - PHOENICIANS - POOZIES - POPES - MADDY PRIOR BAND - CHRISSY QUAYLE - QUIETLY TORN - QUIMANTU - Ragtime Millionaires - RAMSHAKA - ROY RAY - EDDI READER - REAL SOUNDS OF AFRICA, - RECESSIONS - COLIN REID - JOHN RENBOURN - DON RENDELL - Dick Reynolds - RHOMBUS - S.E. ROGIE - Leon Rosselson - RUM N SHRUB - RUSSIAN FOLK ENSEMBLE - SANYOMA - SCARLET RUNNER - ALAN SCHILLER - GREGOR SCHECTERS KLEZMER BAND - SHARON SHANNON BAND - SHAVALI - SHEGUI - ANDY SHEPPARD TRIO - Shiva Theatre - SHOOGLENIFTY - SHOW OF HANDS - SILEAS - MARTIN SIMPSON - Mike Silver - SINGING NUNS - SKAAD FOR LIFE - ALAN SKIDMORE & PETER KING - ROGER SLACK - SLAVES - JOHN SLEEP - COLIN SMITH & ANNIE FOYLE - RICHARD SMITH TRIO - Ron Smith Quartet - CHRIS SMITHERS - SNEAKERS - SPECIES - STAVERTON BRIDGE - Denys Stephens - SAVOURNA STEVENSON - Alan Stivell & Breton Musicians - Stockroom Five - Stocktons Wing - Strangers - Style & Fashion - Sunshine Blues Band - SUPERIOR BAND - JOHN SURMAN - DAVE SWARBRICK & FREINDS - SWEET WILLIAM - SYNCOPACE - JUNE TABOR - TANNAHILL WEAVERS - TANTEEKA - TARIKA SAMMY - CYRIL TAWNEY - TAXI PATA PATA - TEMPERANCE SEVEN - TEMPLE CREATURES - Nicki Tester - THEATRE OF FRUIT - Theatre Rotto - AERONWY THOMAS & MERVYN LEVY - BARBARA THOMPSONS PARAPHENALIA - Thundering Typhoons - KATHRYN TICKELL BAND - TI FER CAJUN - STEELEYE SPAN - STEVE TILSTON - TILSTONS STRING THING - Nial Timmins - KEITH TIPPETS OVARY LODGE - TO HELL WITH BURGHUNDY - STAN TRACEY QUARTET - TROPIC ISLES STEEL BAND - KAREN TWEED & IAN CARR - Urban Verbs - BOBBY VALENTINO - NETTI VAN & BART RAMSEY - TIM VAN EYKEN - VASMALOM - Peter Vastl - VERMONTEN PLAGE - Patrick Walker - Jake Walton - WAMMA JAMMA - HANK WANGFORD BAND - GENO WASHINGTONS BLUES QUESTION - BEN WATERS BOOGIE BAND - WATERSON CARTHY - WAULK ELECTRIK - TIM WELLARD - HEDY WEST - MIKE WESTBROOK BRASS BAND - IAN WHEELER + FUNNY FEATHERS - Whippersnapper - WHISKEY PRIESTS - JOHN WILLIAMS BIG BAND - ROBIN WILLIAMSONS MERRY BAND - CHRIS WOOD TRIO - WOOD & CUTTING - BRENDA WOOTTON - WRIGLEY SISTERS - X TRADITION - ZAMBULA - ZILA
artcornwall November 2006
INTERVIEW by Rupert White
Martin Val Baker: promoter, publisher, gallery-owner
For many in Cornwall, Martin will need no introduction. Currently the owner of the Rainyday Gallery, Martin's CV is a testament to his energy and commitment to local art. It includes being a founder of the St Ives festival, and the man behind publications such as 'Eighty from the Eighties' and the Cornwall Gallery Guide. He also happens to be the son of Denys Val Baker: one of Cornwall's foremost writers.
Rupert: Martin, you've been an important figure on the art scene in Cornwall pretty much all your life - always acting as a facilitator for others - making things happen around you - not I would guess in it for the money - but because you attach an importance to culture and the cultural life of Cornwall. Is this a fair description?
Martin: Yes I suppose so. I tried Art but was not good enough! I tried music, bought a banjo and then a trombone but never had the patience to practice...consequently I have great admiration for those who did. I get great satisfaction from promoting events, putting on exhibitions and publishing, a pastime for which I realised I do have a particular talent. There is nothing more satisfying than inflicting your own taste in music and art on the public...
The business of Arts promotion in Cornwall needs what I call ‘mechanics’, people who have the confidence and ambition to make things happen and are prepared to take a risk...Bob Butler, Rob Lewis, Mike Reynolds, Robert Etherington, Mark Shaw come to mind but there are plenty more all over the county. Making money is a pleasant bonus - but not losing it is the main aim...
There is a lot of talent around - both in Cornwall, and the UK and of course in the rest of the world - we should grab the chance to see it in a local context. Also as a tourist area we should try to utilise all the facilities that lie dormant for half of the year- why not make the county a centre for Festivals of all kinds which can be of benefit to the locals as well as the visitors who can help subsidise the exercise.
Rupert: On a biographical note: you were born at the end of the war and moved to Cornwall as an infant. You went to art school at Falmouth and got involved with organising music gigs in the 60s - what was the music scene like then, how did you get into it, and how did this affect your own work as an artist?
Martin: I remember I was a great Adam Faith fan as a kid - and later I listened to my father’s collection of records, Chris Barber, Louis Armstrong, Sydney Bechet...things like that. By the time I got to Falmouth I was a confirmed jazz fan - though not the modern sort! We formed a jazz record appreciation society at Art School and I learned about Bix, Ellington George Lewis and Ken Colyer - we used to sneak our own favourites on to the record player at Parties and hide the Beatles and Stones records favoured by another gang. These were the days of the Beatnik and we would hitch hike all over the country going to jazz/blues Festivals and if in London to the All Nighters at the Ken Colyer Club in Great Newport Street.
Parallel to all this came the advent of the singer songwriters (at the first party I ever went to we sat around and listened to Joan Baez records) and a little later Bob Dylan broke through. He had a tremendous effect on our generation - all those words...we became politically active, marched from Aldermaston to London with with CND, sat down in Trafalgar Square with the Committee of 100 and got arrested. From Dylan we moved on to Woody Guthrie, Ramblin Jack Elliott, Cisco Houston, Derroll Adams, Judy Collins and later their British equivalents. In 1966 I started a folk club at the Winter Gardens in Penzance in aid of CND, the first major guests were Shirley Collins, Cyril Tawney and the American banjo player Hedy West. Later that year a group of us were hired to play beatniks in an ITV documentary on Donovan at St Ives (picture right)- all this gave me a good background in the music business.
The Folk Club scene in Cornwall was very lively in the late sixties with a lot of the people who later became big names performing in crowded venues. In 1970 I put several of them on together at St Ives Guildhall and we pulled a crowd of 450 - that really gave me a taste for promoting bigger gigs. Through the seventies the folk boom continued and I ran clubs and concerts culminating in 1978 when we started the St Ives September Festival, which is still going strong.
I really was not much of an artist though I have always had a good eye for type which has been very useful for poster layout and advertising over the years - I also was a great gothic letterer!
Rupert: Talking of Donovan, I understand he was down here at the time his career took off, C.O.B. who we both admire were down here when they recorded both of their immensely influential acid-folk albums, and Ralph McTell also has close links with Cornwall. Can you expand on some of this?
Martin: Yes Donovan was down in St Ives in 1962 or 63 – he was a friend of my sister Jane. I remember lending him a tent as he was living rough – a lot of his songs were inspired by St Ives. In autumn 1966 he returned with an ITV film crew to make a film. The hour long documentary was to be set half in London and half in St Ives, and Donovan sent the crew round to hire us all as extras. Eventually a dozen or so of us gathered on Porthminster beach with Don, his friend Gypsy Dave and also the American Folk Legend Derrol Adams who was travelling with the party. For three pounds a day, good money then, we were to play beatniks, sitting around a camp fire cooking mackerel and potatoes whilst Donovan mimed to a tape of his current hit record ‘Catch The Wind’. The props department rushed around town buying kettle, mugs, cutlery and rolls of tin foil, all of which were in mint condition and so we had to age it all with the aid of candle smoke. As for the mackerel, well there just weren’t any in St Ives on that day so the company had six driven over from Newlyn by taxi. Filming continued for a week, on the beach, in an old Second World War bunker above it and in the woods above the town where Don and his friends had camped first time round. The continuity girl would demand ‘who was smoking in the last shot’ all our hands would shoot up and we were tossed Senior Service cigarettes, a posh smoke that no self respecting beat would have been seen with in those days. In the end the film was actually quite good and clips from it turn up every now and again in ‘The Sounds of The Sixties’ series on T.V. - it really is quite strange seeing younger versions of us all after all these years.
Clive Palmer turned up at The Old Sawmills near Fowey (now a recording studio) where the Val Baker family (picture left) was living at the time (1969). His band at that time ’The Stockroom Five’ metamorphed into ‘The Temple Creatures’ a three piece with John Bidwell on dulcitar and Indian hand organ, and my sister Demelza (later of Zambula) on bongos. They played the Cornish Folk Club circuit as did Ralph McTell, Pete Berryman, Mick Bennet, Steve Tilston, Tim Wellard, Wizz Jones, Michael Chapman, Mike Silver, Roger Brooks... Cornwall was a hive of talent in those days. Probably the most influential club was the Folk Cottage at Rose which spawned ‘The Famous Jug Band’, the Railway Cub at Penzance was pretty good and of course Botallack Count House. Clive was a bit of a catalyst then and with John Bidwell and Mick Bennett he formed ‘Clives Original Band’ (C.O.B.) in 1971. I put them on a few times at St Ives – I remember once the three of them turned up, with all their instruments, on two mopeds having driven all the way from Fowey. A year later I saw them at The Royal Festival Hall with Pentangle! Of course the two albums ‘Spirit of Love’ and ‘Moyshe McStiff’ (picture right) became collectors items and rightly so. Clive at his best was terrific – someone should have given him a wad of money and recorded a lot more of his music, particularly the Temple Creatures and his work with Bob Devereux and Rhombus in the late seventies.
Rupert:How did the Val Bakers get to know Clive Palmer originally? Presumably he moved to Cornwall soon after leaving the Incredible String Band (ISB) and before they made their appearance at the era defining Woodstock festival. Also did the Temple Creatures ever make any recordings that are available to the public?
Martin: Clive turned up at The Sawmills as a friend of Demelza’s , she probably met him at the Folk Cottage, he stayed there for a few months. Since the ISB he had been part of The Famous Jug Band with Pete Berryman, Jill Johnson and Henry Bartlett but left after the first LP ‘Sunshine Possibilities’ again a great record: still highly sought after. By 1969 Clive, John Bidwell and Demelza formed a new band and soon Temple Creatures were gigging regularly around Cornwall, sometimes with Chrissy Quale on vocals – I have a few badly recorded demo tapes. Grahame Hood is writing a biography on Clive which should be out soon.
Rupert: Was the Folk Cottage in Rose near Perranporth or was it a different Rose? Am I right that it was also referred to as the Folk Cottage at Mitchell? Where exactly was it? Do you know what this building is now?
Martin: I think it moved: it was at Rose first and then Mitchell – oddly I never went there in the glory days. Later, Ella Knight ran The Folk Cottage at a pub in Truro for some years (The Swan I think).Rupert: Given that artcornwall is a new publishing venture it would be nice to move on to discussing the 'Cornish Review' - which your father edited and promoted - and also your own experience of publishing the 'Peninsular Voice'. (For those that don't know the 'Cornish Review' was a quarterly periodical - and the ‘Peninsular Voice’ a monthly publication that ran from 1982 to 1995 or so). Would you mind describing these publications a bit more? In what way were they alike and in what ways different?
Martin: My father was always a great inspiration to me. Besides being a prolific creative writer (over 100 books published) he too was a ‘mechanic’. The Review really was a labour of love for him, it ran from 1949 to ‘52 and then again from 1966 to ‘74. The purpose of the Review was to give a platform for creative writers in prose and verse and also to carry reviews, articles and letters covering the local art scene. It was destroyed by the withdrawal of an Arts Council grant. The Lesson of this is ‘Don’t put yourself in the hands of ‘funders’’ - at any time they can change personnel and dump you!
The Voice started as a co-operative of about 15 people all of whom had a vote at ‘copy date’ this provided terrific energy and we had many, many stimulating arguments. To begin we used to put on benefits to keep the paper going but then we realised that if we each went out and got a £20 advert we would not have to expend so much energy. Having so many people involved was a definite plus - the editorial collective was much better than having an individual as a dictatorial editor - and we could do the stuff we ourselves were interested in. We rarely turned articles down and were mightily relieved to have enough copy to fill the thing. We were eventually destroyed by a rather silly libel action and although the paper carried on for a few more years under a capable editor, the original energy had been dissipated.
Rupert:re your fathers journal: having read some copies recently it is interesting just how little visual art actually featured. It was very much a literary journal wasn’t it? Was there a reason for this? Did it simply reflect you father’s own interests?
Martin: Yes my father was very much interested in literary journals. In the forties he put together many annual anthologies of the genre and was recognised as an expert on the subject long before he came to Cornwall – see my website rainydaygallery.co.uk. In Cornwall it was pretty obvious that there was a large visual arts community and he did take that on board, but as economics prevented the publication of paintings in colour he was only able to reproduce work in black and white and that was never satisfying. I think you will find that a lot of the articles do refer to the painters and their struggles. Two books ‘Britain’s Art Colony By The Sea, and ‘The Timeless Land’ as well as numerous articles in national newspapers and magazines helped bolster Cornwall’s fledgling art industry in those days. But he did feel that the county’s writers had suffered some neglect by comparison and brought out a book on them ‘A View From Lands End’ in 1982. I’m sure he would have been delighted to see the Tate St Ives mounting a show in the late nineties on five writers connected with the ‘St Ives School’, himself, Sven Berlin, W.S. Graham, Arthur Caddick and Norman Levine.Rupert:What do you see as the role of periodicals like this, and what are the problems and/or pitfalls to look out for? How does this relate to your experience of publishing local art-related material and indeed to that of your father and his journal?
Martin: There is an enormous arts community in Cornwall - possibly, after tourism, it is the next biggest money earner in the county - and it needs to be serviced by a competent and well-informed media. There needs to be somewhere for practicing artists, writers and musicians to argue their causes through articles, letters etc and of course for publication of original work - but although such a publication is likely to be non profit-making beware of taking the ‘Queen’s Shilling’ and being in the hands of someone else's purse strings. Even advertisers can be upset and withdraw their support - possibly the answer is a large number of annual subscriptions.Rupert:Can you see the internet as a way of avoiding some of the overheads and difficulties that may have affected the other two periodicals you had links with? How do you think it might change things? I guess it becomes easier and cheaper to publish things, but there is a danger that the quality suffers as a result because the stakes are not so high...
Martin: Well computers and the internet certainly would have made things a lot easier but having a physical magazine that can be passed around is a more punter friendly publication – I have just passed a lot of old ‘Peninsula Voices’ on to The Penlee House Museum. Yes I agree that financial pressures are a great incentive not to do anything silly – and also to go out and SELL the thing !
Rupert: re Your own gallery: the Rainyday Gallery. How long has that been going and what have been the highlights for you? I think you've moved location 3 times am I right?
Martin: I worked as a litho printer for many years and by 1992 was based in an old chapel in a Penzance back street. The late Hazel Burston who ran the gallery at the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro suggested that the building could make a good gallery so I put on my first show in May of that year. I have since staged about 170 ! . For some years I ran the printing and shows in tandem but when I moved to my present premises we could not get the machinery up the stairs so I had to abandon printing at very short notice.Rupert:As many of the readers of artcornwall are into conceptual art they will be interested that you showed David Tremlett, who was one of the original British conceptual artists, and who was nominated in 1992 for the Turner Prize for his wall-drawings (picture below right). How did this come about?
Martin: David Tremlett is an old pal of mine- we first met when we were teenagers in Mevagissey. We went to Falmouth Art School together and shared digs there. Later he lent me some of his drawings to get into Hornsey Art School – I think I lent him some of my pen lettering to get into Birmingham! Dave was one of the gang at Falmouth in 1962 who would take off our jazz records at parties and put on stuff by that new fangled band the Beatles. He was very ambitious and certainly caused a stir early on, he had a show at the Museum of Modern Art in America and was described as a ‘...disgrace to British Culture’ in The Times – what more could a young artist wish for... We his contemporaries were rather baffled by the early minimalist stuff but I think he has now developed into a really major artist – I still get invites to his openings all over the world. I went to his Turner Prize Opening but discovered he had gone to another one of his in Mexico or somewhere! His show with me in 1993 was one of the best and busiest shows I have put on – we did’nt sell much though...
Rupert:I notice you also put on a show of the Brotherhood of Ruralists. Peter Blake, the pop artist, was one of their number, together with Graham Ovenden and David Inshaw, if I remember rightly - they had an interesting take on landscape painting and are represented in the Tate collection. Am I right that they have links with Cornwall? I seem to remember that one of them had an amazing house near Liskeard that looked like something out of Lord of the Rings. Do you know any more about this?
Martin: Yes, I did put on a Print show. I sold a few Inshaws. Graham and Annie Ovenden live on the edge of Bodmin Moor (I think the others are outside Cornwall). I saw their house which is amazing.
P.S. Mick Bennett of C.O.B. Is now in Falmouth, Clive Palmer in Pendeen (a biography by Graham Hood out soon). John Bidwell I think in Thailand - a brilliant band.
P.P.S. Tremlett was in the last four of the Turner Prize in 1992 the others were Rachel Whiteread, Damien Hirst and Grenville Davey – It was won by Davey who was from Launceston
Rupert White November 2006
The Rainyday Gallery is at 116 Market Jew Street, Penzance
http://www.rainydaygallery.co.uk/
Does anyone know a rich publisher who might publish the memoirs below ?
We'll Dream
Adventures In Cornwall
by Martin Val Baker
Introduction
1.Heligan and Beatniks page 2
2. Banning the Bomb page 9
3. Art School in the Sixties page 14
4. Back to St Ives page 18
5. Summers and Winters page 21
6. Sawmills and St Ives Again page 25
7.Interlude and Rainydays page 32
8. Putting on the Music page 37
9. St Ives September Festival page 41
10. A Very Cornish Coup page 47
11 Running a Newspaper- The Voice Years page56
12. On The Road with Zambula page 62
13. Two Nights at the Acorn page 67
14. Festival Fever page73
15. How to start and run an Art Gallery page 82
Introduction
As the son of a father who published twenty six autobiographical books on our family adventures it seems unnecessary to cover all the times that he wrote about so well and I will try to concentrate mainly on things that happened away from the family. However I should give a brief breakdown of my early life.
My father, the Welsh author Denys Val Baker married his first wife, my mother Patricia Johnson, a librarian from Yorkshire, in 1942 . They met when they both worked at a pacifist community centre in Camden Town during the war. I was born in 1944 in Wookeyhole Somerset where my mother was evacuated when the Blackheath hospital in which I was due to be born in was hit by a bomb.I have vague memories of a rather idyllic infancy and then my parents split up when I was three and a half - both re-marrying in 1949, my mother to Dick Kitto and my father to Jess Bryan. There was quite a reasonable solution to the problem of my custody whereby I spent school holidays with my mother and Dick and term time with my father and Jess. This had the advantage of me acquiring four grandmothers - each of whom would give me ten shillings at Christmas. Also it brought the benefits of being an only child at my mothers for a time, until the birth of my half sister Lucy, and of being one of an ever growing family of step, Gill and Jane, and half siblings, Stephen, Demelza and Genevieve, at my fathers. Despite my mothers worries I actually very much enjoyed this situation as I really did have the best of both worlds.
In 1948 my father and I travelled down to Cornwall from London in an old Austin Seven with a bookcase strapped to the side - I remember this because at some stage of the journey it fell off. He had decided to make his life in Cornwall where he had worked for a time as a publicity agent for a couple of Reperatory Theatre companies at Camborne and Falmouth. We settled down in a little cottage on the slopes of Trencrom Hill about four miles from St Ives, later to be joined by Jess and her elder daughter Gill. At around the same time my mother and Dick rented the poet W.S. (Sydney) Graham’s cottage in Church Street Mevagissey on the south coast of Cornwall, about forty five miles away . Sydney Graham had gone off on a reading tour of America but returned earlier than expected and my mother and Dick were forced to find somewhere else to live, luckily getting one of the remote workers cottages in nearby Heligan Woods for ten shillings a week.
In the early fifties my father lived at Penzance, Sennen Cove and eventually at the Old Vicarage St Hilary, previously the home of Father Bernard Walke (writer of the classic book on 1920’s and 30’s Cornwall ‘Twenty Years at St Hilary’) Thus I spent my schooldays in West Cornwall and my holidays in the romantic and exciting Heligan Woods. I would be put on the train, with a label round my neck in case I got lost - and a packet of cheese sandwiches, under the guard’s care from Penzance to St Austell and back again. Sometimes I would be driven half way and met by a parent at Truro. In 1954 my father and Jess with their growing family moved briefly to Kent and then London, returning to Cornwall in 1957 to live for ten years in St Ives, later for five years at Golant near Fowey - finally settling at St Buryan in 1972. My mother and Dick lived at Heligan until 1955 when Dick was appointed secretary of Dartington Hall School in Devon and my mother became a housemother for the boarders there. They lived first at Rattery just outside Totnes and then lived at Dartington until moving to Totnes in 1974, they did however keep the Heligan cottage on until the sixties.So I spent my childhood travelling between two homes and two quite different life styles, I cannot remember being at all disturbed by this arrangement in fact I did rather enjoy it and eventually friends from both worlds mingled quite happily.
CHAPTER ONE - Heligan and The Beatniks
Heligan Woods in the nineteen fifties was a wonderful place to grow up in. This was long before the recent redevelopment of ‘The Lost Gardens of Heligan’. Heligan House had been a fine manor house, a mile outside Mevagissey owned by one of the Cornish ‘County’ families , the Tremaynes. It seems that during and after the First World War its exotic gardens and woods had gone to seed as most of the large staff who worked there had gone off to fight in the trenches. There were five former workers cottages in the woods and an old millhouse all built out some sort of a cob mixture They had no water (that came by bucket from a well) no electricity (we used oil lamps and wood fires) or telephones. For entertainment we listened to old crystal radios and wind up gramophones or gathered around my mother who read us stories from such writers as Mark Twain and Arthur Ransome whist gently swaying in an old rocking chair. During the fifties, besides my mother and Dick who rented Sylvan Cottage for ten shillings a week, a succession of other bohemian families passed through this little community. Television writer Geoffery Gilbert, his wife Mollie daughters Janet and Bridget and son Hilary for a long time lived in Butlers Cottage, whilst writer Derek Savage and his six children lived in Couple Cottage for a time as did potter Bernard Moss and his family. In 1958 Ivor and Brenda De Courcy moved into Heligan Millhouse and later Dick’s older brother Francis Kitto and his own large brood stayed at Couple Cottage. So hoards of spirited and adventurous children roamed the woods exploring, building camps, building tree houses and generally running free. Regular visitors to the Gilberts were the author Frank Baker, his wife Kate and children Jonathan ,Lewellyn and Josie who lived on the other side of Mevagissey for a time at Portmellon.
From the age of five or so Janet Gilbert and I used to have combined birthday parties every August as we were only a week apart in age. Someone built us a little wooden table and chairs, all of them brightly coloured, at which our little gang would sit. At that age there were strict rules of hierarchy governed by sometimes only a few months in age, and it was age that governed the size of the seat we got. In 1953 or 54 , brilliantly made up as pirates by Frank Baker - who had worked in the professional theatre years before, Jonathan, Lewellyn, me and another friend, Francis Hunot, won the Mevagissey Carnival fancy dress competition. I remember being very miffed at getting, with Lew, only half a crown prize whilst Jon and Francis got five shillings because they were bigger - yet I was the second oldest ! When we were about eight or nine the Gilbert girls, Jonathan and Lewellyn, myself and a couple of other kids furtively formed a secret society. This was The Supersonic Seven, and we went
2
on expeditions to the Jungle a particularly wild and mysterious part of Heligan Woods adjoining Heligan House - a dense overgrown tropical garden, full of exotic trees and plants. We imagined that the Jungle was rigorously