Folk clubs

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Folk clubs (as distinct from American folk-music nightclubs) were primarily an urban phenomenon of 1960s and 1970s Britain. Ewan MacColl was a founder of the "Ballad and Blues Club" in a pub in Soho. After a few weeks they moved to "The Princess Louise" at Holborn in 1961. A.L. Lloyd, Martin Carthy, Shirley Collins and many others sang there. Within five years every major city in the UK had a pub where, once a week there would be a room set aside for young people, usually students, to sing traditional and contemporary songs, perhaps with a musical accompaniment. At this time music on the radio and on television was rather tame, and jazz was seen by many as excessively sophisticated.

Some singers who later became famous in popular entertainment started in folk clubs - Billy Connolly, Jasper Carrott, Ian Dury and Barbara Dickson. Björn Ulvaeus from ABBA is perhaps the only multi-millionaire who still appears in folk clubs.

The number of clubs has been in decline since the 1980s. On the west coast of Ireland and the far north of Scotland folk clubs exist but are called sessions. Some have existed for more than 30 years. The Bridge Folk club in Newcastle (previously called the Folk Song and Ballad club) claims to the oldest club still in existence in its original venue (1953). In Edinburgh, Sandy Bell's club in Forest Hill has been running since the late 60s. In London, the Troubador at Earl's Court, where Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Sandy Denny and Martin Carthy have sung, still exists. It became a poetry club in the 90s but is now a folk club again. The Singers Club closed its doors in 1991. Les Cousins in Greek Street was where John Renbourn often played. Like the Scots House in Cambridge Circus, it stopped being a folk club long ago. One of the most famous clubs in London, Bunjie's Folk Cellar on Lichfield Street has reverted to a restaurant, but the 12 Bar Blues Club nearby has taken on its mantle.

Martin Nail, the organiser of the Islington Folk Club, runs a web site listing about 160 UK folk clubs which have a web presence.

In Dublin, Irish music pubs are now part of a well-advertised tourist trail. Irish cultural centres have existed in England since the 1950s, primarily for the descendants of Irish immigrants. On Friday and Saturday nights these have been folk clubs in all but name. They have been able to book major Irish bands that ordinary folk clubs could not have afforded.

Changes in the law mean that you often have to become a member 24 hours beforehand. Although the average age is now in the 40s rather than the 20s, folk festivals and instrumental sessions tend to attract a younger age group. Sidmouth Festival began in 1954, and Cambridge Folk Festival began in 1965. In 2004, on the fiftieth anniversary of Sidmouth it was announced that financial problems would mean it would be the last. However, in 2005, the Sidmouth Folkweek was agreat success and the festival will continue under this name. Cambridge Folk Festival is still going strong.

Newcastle University and University College Cork allow folk music to be studied at an academic level.