Folk - Gordon Tyrrall

Gordon Tyrrall is a Yorkshireman who tours the folk scene playing traditional songs, but he also writes some of his own tunes. “There was an old English folk tradition called the Broadside Ballad,” he says, “whereby musicians sang songs based on contemporary issues. I’ve used the same sort of style of music, with the same sort of melodies, but I’ve written my own words, to reflect what’s going on today. There’s one I’ll play on Thursday, about the Brazilian guy they shot on the tube, Jean Charles de Meneses, which I wrote on the anniversary of his death. It’s a bit like a Woodie Guthrie number.”

He finds that on many occasions the traditional songs he sings have contemporary relevance (‘emotions are always emotions’): on other occasions appear not to. “Some songs may seem completely irrelevant to today,” he says. “They deal with issues like press gangs, and what it was like to fight in the Battle of Waterloo. There’s one I sing ‘Lovely on Water’ which is about naval warfare in Nelson’s times.” He sources his music, which he plays on guitar and flute, from manuscripts, old recordings, and collections made up to 100 years ago. “I like the fact that these songs have been passed on over the generations by word of mouth, and that I’m continuing that process. It’s part of our culture, and I’m helping to maintain that culture. That’s what makes it relevant.” AL