(c’70-’83) The Stag Folk Club began in a room at The Stag, Lower Eashing in 1970, thanks to Kevin Baker, Ken Ingram and treasurer Angie Hughes.
It was standing room only in The Stag’s club room where you could catch the likes of Jasper Carrott and Mike Harding. Scottish folk singer, Alex “Big Daddy” Campbell appeared at the Stag Folk Club on 5 October ’70. Mid ’71 saw the club, now organized by Dave Johnson, move to the Shackleford Village Hall & Social Centre, with John Knight, Julian High, and Helmsman in residency. Around this time the club started organizing gigs, notably the bi-annual concerts at the Civic Hall, Guildford with The Yetties and other venues, such as The Maltings, Farnham.
On 26 March ’72 the club meet was recorded by Tony Engle, resulting in the “Stagfolk Live” LP featuring Ron Simmonds, June Tabor, Clan Mountain, Dew Bonded Boots, Colin Grant-Adams, Rod Bayton, and Dick Taggart. The artwork was by Lawrence Heath and includes St Mary the Virgin, on Shackleford Rd., Norney and the adjacent building: Shackleford Village Hall and Social Centre where the club met and “The Not The Finger In The Ear Show” was filmed for the BBC – more on that later.
Two of June Tabor’s outtakes from this session were later released: “Bird in a Cage” appeared on “Square Roots: An Unlikely Selection from the Pages of Folk Roots Magazine” in ’87 and “The Royal Oak” was included on the 4 CD June Tabor anthology “Always” in 2005.
On 9 December ’72 the club held the StagFolk Charity Concert at the Wilfrid Noyce Centre, Godalming and two days later, the English folk-rock band, Hunter Muskett played the club’s home venue. Vin Garbutt used his appearance at the club on 14 January ’74 to record tracks for his “The Young Tin Whistle Pest” album. In ’76 the club began holding barn dances at the Borough Hall, Godalming and initiated the Fleur de Lys Women’s Morris Dancers, who are still around. Dave Burland performed on 19 July ’76, with Curate’s Egg presenting an evening of songs, anecdotes and illustrations on the topic of ‘Good Ale’ the following week – 26 July. Although originally scheduled for 2 August. on 7 August ’76, the StagFolk presented an evening of English folk dance with ex-Fairport Convention / Steeleye Span bassist Ashley Hutchings led The Albion Dance Band at the Borough Hall. The band has rotated through a dizzying number English folk-rock luminaries – On this night Shirley Collins, Hutchings then wife, carried the vocals; along with Mike Gregory who handled percussion, Fairport Convention guitarist Simon Nicol, John Rodd on concertina, and Roger Soscott, and Eddie Upton calling.
Tony Rose returned to on 9 August ’76, as did Wounded John Scott Cree on 16 August. The next week Steve Tilston, who had released an LP on Transatlantic earlier in the year, performed at the club on 23 August, and after a break for the bank holiday Noel Murphy returned on 6 September.
Past members of the Stag Folk Club often recall the local floor singers – unpaid local performers who get the chance to sing in public for pleasure, to learn/hone their skills in front of an audience that has maybe turned out for a ‘pro’. One popular floor singer was Tom Dillon, who lived in Godalming, and was often seen at the Ram Cider House folk sessions. Stag organizer Johnson recalls Dillon singing many times at Stagfolk and more than once having a guest singer ask after him.
A side project called the Singers’ Club was run at The Half Moon, Meadrow, Godalming for a couple of years from ’75 onwards. Monthly folk music and song at The Half Moon opened with the baritone of, ex-host of the Troubadour, Old Brompton Road, Martin Winsor on 20 November ’75 and followed by the traditional maritime music and sea shanties specialist, Johnny Collins the on 18 December. Rumour has it that discussions at the club led to the publication of The Southern Rag by Ian Anderson, which later became fROOTS magazine.
Ian Anderson was also involved in a BBC Community Programming show transmitted on 15 May 1982, at 6:30pm on BBC Two; titled “The Not The Finger In The Ear Show”. This ‘Open Door’ program featured the Stag Folk Club with Lawrence Heath as master of ceremonies for Maggie Holland from Farnham, Martin Simpson, Pete & Chris Coe; Anna Maude, Tony Engel, Peter Webb forming Peter Webb & Webb’s Wonders, and The Open Door Dance Band.
Just over a year after the show was broadcast the Stag Folk Club closed it’s doors in mid-1983.
Tracks:
Gallery:
Our Soundscene 