English Dance & Song 
The longest-established magazine devoted to folk music, dance and song in the country. First published in 1936, it has appeared at least four times a year ever since.

Back issue copies are available - please contact us.

Spring 2009 52-page Full Colour issue!!!

Jim Moray is our cover feature and the subject of the Singer, Song and Source. The song is ‘I’ll Go and List for a Sailor’ with an unusual source – John Kirkpatrick and Morris On. Jim Moray was presented with his fRoots Critics Poll Album Of The Year award (for Low Culture) on 26 February at Cecil Sharp House during the packed London concert on his current tour.

Reviews – including the Bert Lloyd CD (written by Martin Carthy & Norma Waterson), Bob Fox & Stu Luckley, The Old Friends Band, John McCusker’s Under One Sky, Graham & Sam Pirt, Martin & Shan Graebe, Wheeler Street, Ray Driscoll, Dave Goulder, The Ram Company, Ian Anderson’s Country Blues Band, Phil Hardy, Janet Russell, Hilary James, Notts Alliance, Bill Whaley & Dave Fletcher, The Assembly Players, Jez Lowe & the Bad Pennies, Jack Crawford;

and Book Reviews for Tony Foxworthy’s book of Kent customs, and Stuart Songs and Ballads.

Regular Features: Branching Out (Kathryn Tickell’s Queen’s Medal for Music); Festive Round-Up; Lives Remembered; Dancing in the Spring (list of dance events); and EFDSS Matters.

Morris dancing features in several articles. There’s a resume of the recent media interest – Morris Media Frenzy – and an item on the new film, Morris: A Life with Bells On! There’s a two page feature on The Mary Neal Project, which reached its climax at a day of celebrations at Cecil Sharp House in February.

There are features on three Tynesiders, Louis Killen, Ray Fisher and Colin Ross, who all received EFDSS Gold Badges recently. And Jane Harland writes about the folk club they all sang at, Folksong and Ballad in Newcastle, now called the Bridge Folk Club, to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Paul Hutchinson is well known as an accordion player with Belshazzar’s Feast and Hoover the Dog, and he also plays for folk dance clubs and workshops: Steve Jordan writes about Paul and his musical influences.

Chris Pitt writes about his school dance group, Essex Longsword Girls, and Martyn Harvey considers some recent ceilidh successes in the north-west of England.

Free Reed Records kicks off a series of features on independent record labels.

Sadly, we also report the deaths of a number of folk music and dance enthusiasts: Francis Shergold and Sonner Townsend from the Bampton Morris traditions, the three guitarists, John Pearse, Davy Graham and John Martyn, the dance caller John Lagden, musician Johnny Conquest, morris dancer and Towersey Festival founder Denis Manners and song collector Ken Stubbs.