The Two Bob's Worth

Bob Lewis and Bob Copper at a Kent folk club, 1999

MT Records MTCD374

A Fair Maid Walking; The Honest Labourer; Good Morrow Mistress Bright; You Seamen Bold; We Shepherds are the Bravest Boys; The Streams of Lovely Nancy; The Pretty Ploughboy; George Collins; A Sweet Country Life; The Banks of Sweet Primaroses; The Cobbler; The Bold Princess Royal; My Boy Willie; While Gamekeepers Lie Sleeping; Three Crows / Blackbirds; The Threshing Song; Spencer the Rover; Thousands or More; Oh Good Ale; John Barleycorn
In 1999 Geoff Doel, at that time the organiser of Nellies' Folk Club in Tonbridge contacted both Bobs with the idea that the two of them might come to the club to appear together at the club.  Though they knew one another well they had never appeared together a duo and in fact this was the only time that they ever did so.  Andrew King was there and recorded the evening and made a copy for Bob Lewis.  Nearly twenty years later Bob rediscovered this and set in motion the process which led to the release of this live recording of their performance that night.

The end result is this CD of two of the oldest authentic voices of Sussex presenting twenty remarkably fine performances of old Sussex songs.  By cutting some gaps in introductions and fading some of the applause, Rod Stradling has been able to squeeze just under 80 minutes of this unique occasion on to this release.  Generally they sing alternately with Bob Copper being able to record songs from outside his family's heritage including some that from his days song collecting days for the BBC.  Both men are in excellent voice and we get a chance to hear the old songs were sung before the folk revival came along.

Vic Smith - 22.3.18, writing in Around Kent Folk

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