RIP Norma Waterson

[Plumdaff]

One of the stalwarts of UK folk music since the 60s has died. I found her via her daughter, Eliza Carthy, but she produced music throughout her life with her siblings, husband and children.

I just love the direct warmth of her voice. RIP

 

[danny la rouge]

Yes, somebody posted about her death earlier. But I’m not sure where. RIP anyway. She was great.

 

[Plumdaff]

Ach, I thought I'd checked enough. Still, she bears mentioning more than once.

 

[Sprocket.]

Ach, I thought I'd checked enough. Still, she bears mentioning more than once.

It was in the favourite unaccompanied voices thread.
Still a sad day.
RIP.

 

[danny la rouge]

 

[Sprocket.]

Thank you for posting this, it means so very much to me and my family.
Myself coming from a large mining family..
Both granddads, my dad, seven uncles and countless cousins. Plus my wife’s family around the same number.
Sadly the majority of them are no longer with us.

 

[weepiper]

Very sad. Martin Carthy stayed at my house a couple of times when I was a kid, when he was playing the folk club my parents ran, and Eliza Carthy and Marry Waterson are friends with my eldest brother. Norma was a fabulous singer and general force of nature. My mum (gone a few years herself) would be gutted about this.

 

[killer b]

I only saw her once, when the family toured Bright Phoebus a few years ago, but she was wonderful - she's been in poor health for a decade so not performing very much. The Watersons recordings have been a constant companion over the last couple of years though, and I'm sad about this.

I've put Martin Carthy on a few times in Preston, and once asked him why he was still touring, did he just love performing and had to do it? He laughed ruefully and told me he needed the money. It seems pretty perverse that one of the most important and influential musical families in the country weren't able to relax and enjoy their older years in comfort, but Martin not being able to tour consistently for the last two years has left them in dire financial straits - there's a page for dropping them some cash here if you have any spare: https://ko-fi.com/elizacarthy

I was just listening to this recent recording of the family singing round the kitchen table. Lovely.

 

[killer b]

(fwiw I last saw Martin Carthy live in the autumn, and while he was wonderful he's also increasingly infirm and forgetful, and I doubt he has many years of performance left in him, so go and see him next time you have the opportunity)

 

[A380]

I saw her sing a few times as a kid. Didn't realise how lucky I was as I thought everyone got opportunities like that.

RIP

 

[weepiper]

I can't post the recording that goes with this post because of Facebook privacy settings which is a real shame because it's great, but here is my dad's post from today.

 

[killer b]

I can't post the recording that goes with this post because of Facebook privacy settings which is a real shame because it's great, but here is my dad's post from today.

View attachment 308333

get him to send it you, I'd love to hear that. I've been listening to 60s Watersons all day...

 

[weepiper]

get him to send it you, I'd love to hear that. I've been listening to 60s Watersons all day...

I've asked, hopefully I can get hold of it in a form I can post.

 

[killer b]

fwiw even a fairly poor quality club recording of Norma & Lal from 1964 would be of serious wider interest - I'm not aware of any others in the public domain

 

[weepiper]

Does this work now?



Edit, yes

 

[killer b]

amazing! I don't reckon the audio quality is even that bad, I've listened to worse modern bootlegs.

thanks for that. would love to hear some more of the tape if he digitises any more of it...

Really enjoyed this early 80s BBC folk documentary which has some great singing and some interesting chat from Norma & Mike