John jones oysterband biography of barack obama

Has now relocated to a village north-east of London. Upbringing: totally normal, except for driving parents and siblings demento with whistles, recorders, banging on the piano, etc. They did not deserve this. Instruments tried: guitars, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, bowed psaltery, bones, bandura, various guitar synths, sitar, drums failedtrumpet failed failedbanjo-mandolin eeyuk!

Invented the banana-flavoured bolognese sauce for spaghetti, which remains a signature dish in the sense that no one else on the planet will touch it with a bargepole. Got heavily into the guitar; in fact got so far into the guitar that once when Ian was wittering about recent events I had to say: "General election? What general election?

Found myself in The Oyster Ceilidh Band and the rest you know. Married Jane Elder inone son Harry born September ' Born in Aberystwyth, Wales, and brought up in Meltham, Yorks. Dad rarely spoke Welsh, maybe because they called him Taffy, which he hated. Mum's family came from Castleford and had a coal-mining background. Parents were Labour supporters, grandparents were Communists, so there was no shortage of political argument in the house.

My grandad, Edward Longley "Red Ted"was the greatest influence on my life when young. From him I got radical politics, the sense of injustice, al love of nature, a love of lurchers, hatred of the Tory way of mind, the sense of history, and a short temper. Went to grammar school; was made aware of what selection in schools does to people.

Survived school thanks to good teachers and was the first of my family to get to university. After football, music was my big love, particularly Northern Soul. Became the first mod in Meltham. Learned piano, thankfully. Went to Exeter University: a revelation, it was so middle-class. Took Politics and Sociology people did in those days. Fell in love with British traditional music and all things English - learned melodeon, morris-danced, wore collarless shirts, and generally tried my best to become an old man before my time.

Arrived in Canterbury, Kent, via London, and met afro-haired, bespectacled guitarist and severe short-haired Scottish fiddle-player among many others in a truly amazing local music scene. Was an English teacher for some time and became a year-head in Canterbury's only comprehensive school. I was a lazy teacher but a good year-head - I think.

Helped form Oyster Ceilidh Band, which in its prime was the best ceilidh band, anywhere, ever. Some nights we even did a ceilidh. Some songs are better held back as mood pieces. You always have doubts. Is this any good or not? John derives plenty of inspiration too. We were heading for The Village Pump Festival in Westbury and the last of the white horses that line the route.

Just going past those chalk white horses you know you are on an ancient trail, so I just tried to imagine all of those people who had gone that way before. The path carried all of their hopes, getting a job, seeing a lover, perhaps not being forgotten as they moved away from people left behind. You feel a definite connection with that and at the same time reflect on your own hopes and journey.

What spirituality I have comes from out there. There are great natural cathedrals of landscape that you find and respond to. Other songs come from closer to home, but as John lives in the Welsh Borders, these too draw breath from a rural environment. There was a tragedy there a while back and a woman drowned, although no one else was involved.

I Will Never Stop Moving also mixes in the environmental consequences of building on the floodplains of rivers like the Severn and the Wye. The band also featured Al Scott on bass at some gigs. Pete Flood, formerly of Bellowhead replaced Davies on drums. On 5 FebruaryJohn Jones, Alan Prosser and Ian Telfer announced on Facebook that Oysterband will be retiring as a touring band, although they plan a 'long goodbye.

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John jones oysterband biography of barack obama

Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item. British folk rock band. This article needs additional citations for verification. Pressures we met as a band 2 decades later and older but they still have the power to mess you up. Finally, the irony for me is that much as I loved blues and soul music it was through discovering my own roots in British folk music, that I finally found my voice.

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