The current state of availability of recordings of English traditional singing is complicated and in flux. Numerous recordings that have been made available over the years, usually issued by small labels and dedicated enthusiasts, were on LP records and cassettes, and have not made the transition to CD or digital download. Many are now very hard to find. It is not feasible to list all those deleted releases here, although most can be found in The Folk Song Index and a copy is usually preserved in the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library.
The following discography focuses solely on CD issues and digital downloads that are currently available from established organizations.
EFDSS
2 Regent’s Park Road, London NW1 7AY; www.efdss.org
Various, A Century of Song: A Celebration of Traditional Singers Since 1898, CD002 (1998)
Musical Traditions
1 Castle Street, Stroud, Gloustershire GL5 2HP; www.mustrad.org.uk
Bob Hart, A Broadside, MTCD301-2 (1998)
Cyril Poacher, Plenty of Thyme, MTCD303 (1999)
George Townshend, Come Hand to Me the Glass, MTCD304 (2000)
Walter Pardon, Put a Bit of Powder on It, Father, MTCD305-6 (2000)
Wiggy Smith, Band of Gold, MTCD307 (2000)
Pop Maynard, Down at the Cherry Tree, MTCD400 (2000)
Various, Just Another Saturday Night: Sussex 1960, MTCD309-10 (2001)
Various, Up in the North and Down in the South, MTCD311-12 (2001)
George Dunn, Chainmaker, MTCD317-18 (2002)
Various, Here’s Luck to a Man: Gypsy Songs and Music from South-East England, MTCD320 (2003)
Various, The Birds Upon the Tree and Other Traditional Songs and Tunes, MTCD333 (2004)
Various, A Story to Tell: Keith Summers in Suffolk 1972–79, MTCD339-40 (2007)
Brazil Family, Down by the Old Riverside, MTCD345-7 (2007)
Bill Smith, Country Life: Songs and Stories of a Shropshire Man, MTCD351 (2011)
National Sound Archive
British Library, 86 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB: http://sounds.bl.uk
The ‘Traditional Music in England’ project has gathered many privately made post-war sound collections to preserve them for posterity. Over 20,000 recordings are available for free access on the archive’s website.
Rounder
Various, Classic Ballads of Britain and Ireland 1, CD 1775 (2000)
Various, Classic Ballads of Britain and Ireland 2, CD 1776 (2000)
Various, Songs of Seduction, CD 1778 (2000)
Harry Cox, What Will Become of England?, CD 1839 (2000)
Saydisc
The Barton, Inglestone Common, Badminton, Gloucestershire GL9 1BX; www.saydisc.com
Most of the Saydisc catalogue is available as download albums and tracks.
Various, Sea Songs and Shanties: Traditional English Sea Songs and Shanties from the Last Days of Sail, CD-SDL405 (1994)
Various, Songs of the Travelling People, CD-SDL407 (1994)
Various, English Customs and Traditions, CD-SDL425 (1998)
Topic
Fernie Business Park, Station Road, Uppingham, Rutland LE15 9TX; www.topicrecords.co.uk
For many years, Topic was the main source of LPs of traditional English songs, and dozens of important records were issued. These LPs are no longer available and are not listed here, although some of the material has subsequently been reissued on CD, and Topic has a policy of providing all their past catalogue as downloadable tracks.
The most important CD release for many years was the Voice of the People series, a twenty-volume anthology edited by Reg Hall, issued in 1998 (CDs also available individually):
1 Come Let Us Buy the Licence: Songs of Courtship and Marriage, TSCD651
2 My Ship Shall Sail the Ocean: Songs of Tempest and Sea Battles, Sailor Lads and Fishermen, TSCD652
3 O’er His Grave the Grass Grew Green: Tragic Ballads, TSCD653
4 Farewell My Own Dear Native Land: Songs of Exile and Emigration, TSCD654
5 Come All My Lads That Follow the Plough: The Life of Rural Working Men and Women, TSCD655
6 Tonight I’ll Make You My Bride: Ballads of True and False Lovers, TSCD656
7 First I’m Going to Sing You a Ditty: Rural Fun and Frolics, TSCD657
8 A Story I’m Just About to Tell: Local Events and National Issues, TSCD658
9 Rig-a-Jig: Dance Music of the South of England, TSCD659
10 Who’s That at My Bedroom Window? Songs of Love and Amorous Encounters, TSCD660
11 My Father’s the King of the Gypsies: Music of English and Welsh Travellers and Gypsies, TSCD661
12 We’ve Received Orders to Sail: Jackie Tar at Sea and on Shore, TSCD662
13 They Ordered Their Pints of Beer and Bottles of Sherry: The Joys and Curse of Drink, TSCD663
14 Troubles They Are But Few: Dance Tunes and Ditties, TSCD664
15 As Me and My Love Sat Courting: Songs of Love, Courtship and Marriage, TSCD665
16 You Lazy Lot of Bone-Shakers: Songs and Dance Tunes of Seasonal Events, TESCD666
17 It Fell on a Day, a Bonny Summer Day: Ballads, TSCD667
18 To Catch a Fat Buck Was My Delight: Songs of Hunting and Poaching, TSCD668
19 Ranting and Reeling: Dance Music of the North of England, TSCD669
20 There Is a Man Upon the Farm: Working Men and Women in Song, TSCD670
Various, Hidden English: A Celebration of English Traditional Music, TSCD 600 (1994)
Various, English Originals, TSCD706 (1999)
Sam Larner, Now Is the Time for Fishing, TSCD511 (2000)
Harry Cox, The Bonny Labouring Boy, TSCD512D (2000)
Walter Pardon, A World Without Horses, TSCD514 (2000)
Copper Family, Come Write Me Down, TSCD534 (2001)
Various, You Never Heard So Sweet: Songs by Southern English Traditional Singers, TSCD671 (2012)
Various, I’m a Romany Rai: Songs by Southern English Gypsy Traditional Singers, TSCD672D (2012)
Various, Good People Take Warning: Ballads Sung by British and Irish Traditional Singers, TSCD673T (2012)
Veteran
PO Box 193, Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14 3WZ; www.Veteran.co.uk
Various, Stepping It Out: Traditional Folk Music, Songs and Dances from England, VTC1CD (1993)
Various, When the May Was All in Bloom: Traditional Singing from the South East of England, VT131CD (1995)
Phoebe Smith, The Yellow Handkerchief, VT136CD (1998)
Various, Songs Sung in Suffolk, VTC2CD (2000)
Various, Comic Songs Sung in Suffolk, VTC3CD (2000)
Various, Good Order! Ladies and Gentlemen Please: Traditional Singing and Music from The Eel’s Foot, Eastbridge, Suffolk, VT140CD (2000)
Various, Down in the Fields: An Anthology of Traditional Folk Music from Rural England, VTC4CD (2001)
Various, When the Wind Blows: An Anthology of Traditional Folk Music from Coastal England, VTC5CD (2001)
Various, Pass the Jug Round: Traditional Songs and Music from Cumberland, VT142CD (2001)
Charlotte and Betsy Renals, Sophie Legg, Catch Me If You Can: Songs from Cornish Travellers, VT119CD (2003)
Fred Jordan, A Shropshire Lad, VT148CD (2003)
Various, Uncle Tom Cobleigh and All: Folk Songs Sung in the West Country, VTC9CD (2004)
Various, It Was on a Market Day 1: English Traditional Folk Singers, VTC6CD (2005)
Various, Heel and Toe: Traditional Folk Songs, Music Hall Songs and Tunes from Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex, VT150CD (2005)
Tom, Jean and Ashley Orchard, Holsworthy Fair: Songs, Tunes and Stepdances from a Devon Gypsy Family, VT151CD (2005)
Various, It Was on a Market Day 2: English Traditional Folk Singers, VTC7CD (2006)
Viv Legg, Romany Roots, VT153CD (2006)
Various, Good Hearted Fellows: Traditional Folk Songs, Music Hall Songs and Tunes from Suffolk, VT154CD (2006)
Ray Hubbard, Norfolk Bred, VT155CD (2007)
Mabs and Gordon Hall, As I Went Down to Horsham, VT115CD (2008)
Various, Many a Good Horseman: Traditional Music-Making from Mid-Suffolk, VTC8CD (2009)
Harry Green (and others), The Fox and the Hare: Folk Songs, Music Hall Songs and Recitations, VT135CD (2010)