Strawhead (band)
Encyclopedia
Strawhead is a northern England
, Preston-based folk
musical group founded in 1974, that specializes in historical British music. Bolstering their national reputation for their accurate and powerful interpretation of the genre of social history of the 16th to 19th centuries, the group's repertoire includes popular songs from the English Civil War
era to the Victorian period performed on period and electronic instruments.
The band members are:
The group have engaged in projects associated with disparate musical traditions in British history. In October 2005, Strawhead celebrated the 200th anniversary of 21 October 1805 Battle of Trafalgar
through a performance at the 2005 Canalside Festival in the market town
of Banbury
. Other projects have included music of the English Civil War
and the Victorian period. The Fylde Folk Festival website lists "subjects such as the colonisation of America, the English Civil War, Marlborough’s Wars in the Low Countries, Monmouth’s Rebellion, and drinking songs."
According to a BBC
review, "Strawhead have enjoyed considerable success appearing at the top of the bill at most of the UK's major folk festivals, becoming firm favorites among folk fans." In addition, Strawhead has achieved worldwide recognition for their distinctive sound and interpretation of songs.
Strawhead fueled some controversy when it made a derivate work from an old ballad entitled "The Bold Fusilier". The Bold Fusilier is a British
song in which some argue predates the 1903 tune to Waltzing Matilda
. Waltzing Matilda is Australia
's most widely known folk song, and has been referred to as 'the unofficial national anthem of Australia. There are similarities between Waltzing Matilda and The Bold Fusilier, making for argument that one of the songs is based on the other song. There is no evidence that The Bold Fusilier is older than Waltzing Matilda and Australia
and most sources reject the idea that a British song serves as a parent work for the Australian Waltzing Matilda.
In the 1970s, Strawhead wrote four more verses for The Bold Fusilier and called their resulting song, The Rochester Recruiting Sergeant. The Rochester Recruiting Sergeant was adopted by a generation of folkies
and battle re-enactors
. The four additional verses called to mind the Marlborough's Wars of 1702 to 1713. In addition, the Strawhead creation sounded so like a relic of Marlborough's wars that many of the folkies and battle re-enactors came to believe that Strawhead's The Rochester Recruiting Sergeant was from the early 18th century. As a result, folkies and battle re-enactors came to mistakenly believe that the 1903 tune of Waltzing Matilda
was borrowed from the 1970s The Rochester Recruiting Sergeant, rather than the reverse, even though the sleeve notes
to Strawhead's 1978 record features an explanation of how they developed The Rochester Recruiting Sergeant.
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
, Preston-based folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
musical group founded in 1974, that specializes in historical British music. Bolstering their national reputation for their accurate and powerful interpretation of the genre of social history of the 16th to 19th centuries, the group's repertoire includes popular songs from the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
era to the Victorian period performed on period and electronic instruments.
The band members are:
- Gregg Butler (vocals, cornettCornettThe cornett, cornetto or zink is an early wind instrument, dating from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods. It was used in what are now called alta capellas or wind ensembles. It is not to be confused with the trumpet-like instrument cornet.-Construction:There are three basic types of...
, citternCitternThe cittern or cither is a stringed instrument dating from the Renaissance. Modern scholars debate its exact history, but it is generally accepted that it is descended from the Medieval Citole, or Cytole. It looks much like the modern-day flat-back mandolin and the modern Irish bouzouki and cittern...
, recorderRecorderThe recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
, keyed bugle, ophicleideOphicleideThe ophicleide is a family of conical bore, brass keyed-bugles. It has a similar shape to the sudrophone.- History :The ophicleide was invented in 1817 and patented in 1821 by French instrument maker Jean Hilaire Asté as an extension to the keyed bugle or Royal Kent bugle family...
, euphoniumEuphoniumThe euphonium is a conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument. It derives its name from the Greek word euphonos, meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced"...
) - Malcolm Gibbons (vocals, 12-string guitar, laudLaudLaud may refer to:People with the surname Laud:* William Laud , Archbishop of Canterbury* Derek Laud , British political lobbyistPeople with the given name Laud:* Laud of Coutances , bishop of Coutances...
) - Chris Pollington (keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, midi horn, accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
) - Alison Younger (occasional vocalist)
The group have engaged in projects associated with disparate musical traditions in British history. In October 2005, Strawhead celebrated the 200th anniversary of 21 October 1805 Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
through a performance at the 2005 Canalside Festival in the market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
of Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
. Other projects have included music of the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
and the Victorian period. The Fylde Folk Festival website lists "subjects such as the colonisation of America, the English Civil War, Marlborough’s Wars in the Low Countries, Monmouth’s Rebellion, and drinking songs."
According to a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
review, "Strawhead have enjoyed considerable success appearing at the top of the bill at most of the UK's major folk festivals, becoming firm favorites among folk fans." In addition, Strawhead has achieved worldwide recognition for their distinctive sound and interpretation of songs.
Strawhead fueled some controversy when it made a derivate work from an old ballad entitled "The Bold Fusilier". The Bold Fusilier is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
song in which some argue predates the 1903 tune to Waltzing Matilda
Waltzing Matilda
"Waltzing Matilda" is Australia's most widely known bush ballad. A country folk song, the song has been referred to as "the unofficial national anthem of Australia"....
. Waltzing Matilda is Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's most widely known folk song, and has been referred to as 'the unofficial national anthem of Australia. There are similarities between Waltzing Matilda and The Bold Fusilier, making for argument that one of the songs is based on the other song. There is no evidence that The Bold Fusilier is older than Waltzing Matilda and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and most sources reject the idea that a British song serves as a parent work for the Australian Waltzing Matilda.
In the 1970s, Strawhead wrote four more verses for The Bold Fusilier and called their resulting song, The Rochester Recruiting Sergeant. The Rochester Recruiting Sergeant was adopted by a generation of folkies
Folk music of England
Folk music of England refers to various types of traditionally based music, often contrasted with courtly, classical and later commercial music, for which evidence exists from the later medieval period. It has been preserved and transmitted orally, through print and later through recordings...
and battle re-enactors
Historical reenactment
Historical reenactment is an educational activity in which participants attempt torecreate some aspects of a historical event or period. This may be as narrow as a specific moment from a battle, such as the reenactment of Pickett's Charge at the Great Reunion of 1913, or as broad as an entire...
. The four additional verses called to mind the Marlborough's Wars of 1702 to 1713. In addition, the Strawhead creation sounded so like a relic of Marlborough's wars that many of the folkies and battle re-enactors came to believe that Strawhead's The Rochester Recruiting Sergeant was from the early 18th century. As a result, folkies and battle re-enactors came to mistakenly believe that the 1903 tune of Waltzing Matilda
Waltzing Matilda
"Waltzing Matilda" is Australia's most widely known bush ballad. A country folk song, the song has been referred to as "the unofficial national anthem of Australia"....
was borrowed from the 1970s The Rochester Recruiting Sergeant, rather than the reverse, even though the sleeve notes
Liner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
to Strawhead's 1978 record features an explanation of how they developed The Rochester Recruiting Sergeant.
Selected discography
- Victorian Ballads - 1993
- A Walled Town and a Ragged Staff - 1995
- Songs of the Civil War - 1997
- So The Boys Got Together, and Formed a Band....... - 2004
- Songs from the Book of England - 1980
- Bold Nelson's Praise Disc 1 and Disc 2 - 2005