JOHN KIRKPATRICK was awarded Musician of the Year 2010 at the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards on Monday February 1st at a ceremony in London. ‘Not before time’ was the opinion of many who attended the award ceremony. Congratulations, John.
More details can be found at www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/events/folk-awards-2010

A great deal of excitement is building up around a forthcoming Fledg’ling release - PANIC GRASS & FEVER FEW - the debut album from IAN KING.

Unusually Ian King was the subject of a fRoots magazine cover story some eight months before the appearance of his imminent debut album, Ian King now finds himself on the verge of ubiquity. Born in Yorkshire, a dry-stone waller by trade and a punk by nature, King is “a big fan of folk music from around the globe, what they call world music”. He maintains: “I might not be from the traditional English school of folk but I sincerely believe that all traditional music shares a common ground. My objective is to create a sound with broad appeal beyond just folk”. On Panic Grass and Fever Few – incidentally the title comes from a phrase in John Hersey’s war retrospective Hiroshima where the author refers to the green shoots of herbs that swiftly emerged from the ashes of that catastrophic event (King thought it juxtaposed rather nicely with the gentler folk sensibilities of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme) – King has done much more than that: he’s created a musical landscape uniquely suited to the multi-cultured ether that surrounds us.

Panic Grass & Fever Few was recorded with Adrian Sherwood and the legendary On-U Sound crew and is a major milestone in the continuing development of English folk-rock. The CD will be released on 24th January 2010. You may pre-order a signed copy now from the Fledg’ling online shop.

The IAN KING Band will be performing at the fRootsenanny - celebrating 30 years of fROOTS magazine with the best of folk and roots music on Fri 22nd Jan : at the Roundhouse LONDON full details at: www.roundhouse.org.uk

You can catch the IAN KING Band on their first tour at the following dates:

Mon 8th Feb : MANCHESTER Band on the Wall

Wed 10th Feb : CAMBRIDGE Portland Arms

Thu 11th Feb : BIRMINGHAM Glee Glub

Fri 12th Feb : OTLEY Korks Wine Bar

Sat 13th Feb : LONDON HMV Borderline

Mon 15th Feb : BRIGHTON Prince Albert

Wed 17th Feb : BATH Moles Club

Fri 19th Feb : GUILDFORD The Boiler Room

Sat 20th Feb : BRISTOL Folk House

more information at: www.myspace.com/iankingofengland

As Fledg’ling comes to the end of our fifteenth year as an independent record label there is a good deal to celebrate. We’re very pleased to announce that after lengthy negotiations we are able to bring two folk-rock classics back to the catalogue. MORRIS ON FLED 3037 and The COMPLEAT DANCING MASTER FLED 3038 will be re-issued on January 18th 2010.

Many years ago, singer Iain Matthews agreed to be interviewed for the Hokey Pokey newsletter. With great kindness he answered all the questions from the cub reporter, effecting not to be disappointed by the reporter’s repetition of the same old questions. Hokey Pokey eventually led, in a round about fashion, to the Fledg’ling label. You can imagine how proud we are to be releasing Mr Matthews’ latest recording. In Iain’s opinion it is the best record of his career. Artiste’s often say that, but in the case of Joy Mining he may well be right.

Iain Matthew’s career has been a long and illustrious one, journeying from Pyramid, through Fairport Convention, Matthews Southern Comfort and Plainsong to a remarkable series of poetic solo albums. On paper, his collaboration with the Searing Quartet is a strange pairing. Egbert Derix is an established jazz composer, from the Netherlands and Iain Matthews’ roots, have taken hold in contemporary singer/songwriter circles. However, if we break down these borders, look deeper and think in terms of quality, rather than genres, it’s a musical marriage made in heaven. The pair first came together in 2003, touring with a live version of Matthew’s legendary 1970 solo album “If You Saw Thro’ My Eyes”. Plans were made at the time to forge a writing partnership, only for it to be capsized by other career commitments. But not before they had two new songs in the bag and the realization that an ease and understanding of the writing process existed between them.

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On July 27th Fledg’ling will reissue a classic folk-blues album - JESSE FULLER’s exuberant Move on down the line. Fuller was the original make-do-and-mend man of music - carrying his venerable Martin 12-string guitar in a battered home-made case, a kazoo and harmonica he traveled widely presenting a heroic figure. Move on down the line includes his earliest recordings from 1959 and a session recorded in London for Topic Records in 1965. The CD contains Fuller’s original recording of his San Francisco Bay Blues and a version of John Henry that has been out of print since the early 1960s.

vintage flyer displayed courtesy of the fRoots archive

Jesse Fuller “The Lone Cat” (1886-1976) was one of the great blues troubadours. A remarkably expressive singer and a fine 12-string guitarist, he developed his unique one-man-band style around his fotdella (foot-operated bass) and harmonica / kazoo rig. Lots of sleevenotes from Joe Boyd and Val Wilmer and some previously unpublished photographs will complete the package.

Later in the year, in a joint venture with Carthage Records, we hope to bring you definitive editions of the first four albums by The INCREDIBLE STRING BAND, freshly re-mastered under Joe Boyd’s supervision. Watch this space.

After a very busy winter we are proud to announce the latest Fledg’ling CD releases. Due for release on June 1st are new digipac editions of two classic early MARTIN SIMPSON albums - Grinning In Your Face (FLED 3021) and Sad Or High Kicking (FLED 3022). Following a fortnight later will be a wonderful new solo album from JOHN KIRKPATRICK. The Dance Of The Demon Daffodils (FLED 3075) is a splendid collection of John’s original tunes recorded earlier this year. The CD release will coincide with the publication of a new John Kirkpatrick tune book by Quarry House Press.

In July we hope to release a definitive edition of the legendary JESSE FULLER album Move On Down The Line (FLED 3074). This country blues classic includes the first ever recording of San Francisco Bay Blues together with material recorded during a British visit in 1965. More news soon, please watch this space.

Sandy Denny * Pat Donaldson * Trevor Lucas * Gerry Conway * Jerry Donahue

Fans of Fotheringay rejoice - the nine classic performances on their debut album are soon to be joined by eleven more studio recordings. Jerry Donahue has been working for many, many months reviewing all the recordings to finally bring this remarkable project to conclusion.

After several years of careful research in dusty tape archives, the surviving members of Fotheringay have been able to complete their second album begun back in 1970. It is very, very rare that musicians get the chance to complete a project begun 38 years previously. Fotheringay 2 will be released on Fledg’ling Records on 29th September 2008.

Fotheringay remain one of the great might-have-beens of British music. They lasted less than a year, and released just one album, but their disappearance robbed the early-’70s scene of a group of musicians capable of taking folk-rock to new heights of subtlety and musicianship. Now, the nine songs on that debut album; assumed for almost four decades to be their sole testament, are joined by the eleven that would have constituted a follow-up. Sadly they broke up during the recording sessions for that second album. Incredibly all the tapes survived in various record company archives. Guest musicians include Rabbit Bundrick on keyboards and Sam Donahue (Jerry’s father) on saxophone.

Track list: John the Gun * Eppie Moray * Wild Mountain Thyme * Knights of the Road * Late November * Restless * Gypsy Davey * I Don’t Believe You * Silver Threads and Golden Needles * Bold Jack Donahue * Two Weeks Last Summer - Fledg’ling FLED 3066

A previously unpublished photograph of Fotheringay courtesy of Linda Fitzgerald-Moore.

With the sun due any day now it must be time to tell you about an exciting new development - our first exclusive Digital Download release.

The mighty Green House Band have joined forces with Fledg’ling for our first digital download release: Big Sun ~ The Green House Band (DOWN 4002), available now from all the very best download e-tailers, iTunes, e-music, etc.

A gathering of 1970s ‘cult’ folk / rock musicians and an award-winning theatrical arranger fronted by a beautiful young actress/singer forms the unusual nucleus of The Green House Band. The line-up includes former members of medieval rockers Gryphon; folk rockers Albion Band; and cult prog folk act Fuchsia. Vocals are by Madeleine Worrall, better known until now as a successful actress on stage and television. The core of the band will be familiar to all fans of the John Kirkpatrick Band.

Full biographical details and music samples can be found at: http://www.myspace.com/bigsunbytes

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