| John has lived in many different areas but is still a Northerner at heart. However it was during a long spell in the East Midlands that he became one of the founding members of the Leicestershire-based band Oakenshield for 5 years in the 80's, recording two albums of mostly traditional music. After that he played on the pub circuit in the Coventry area and briefly in another folk band (RedHanded), until deciding to concentrate on his own songs, performing solo with guitar. Then in the 90's, work brought him back to the North West where he teamed up with Ailsa (well, he married her, but apart from that...) and set up home in Cheshire. | Ailsa, a Liverpudlian who is also proud of a well-documented line of Scottish ancestry, comes from a family rich in music. Her dad sang principal bass with the Liverpool Grand Opera Company and her mum was a talented pianist. Ailsa had sung in choirs as a teenager (including Faure's Requiem) and for some private functions, but on meeting up with John again (they have known each other for many years, but it's a long story...), they started to sing together and many people have since become fans of Ailsa's unique melodic style, equally at home on traditional ballads or standards from the thirties. She'll even sing Puccini, given half a chance... |
As well as being involved in the running of Northwich
Folk Club, over the last few years they have visited a number of North
Western clubs and also made appearances at Acton Bridge, Poynton, Middlewich,
Four Fools, Glasson and Ireby Village festivals as well as performing in
the community projects The Marbury Mysteries (2002) and Salt
Tellers (2005) (for which John wrote the original music) and Moulton
Drama Group's musical productions - Smike!
and Animal Farm
- as well as providing the period music for the Harlequin Players production
of Dad's Army. They have also featured on Genevieve Tudor's
Folk Programme on Radio Shropshire, Radio Stoke and Radio Hereford
& Worcester and on Stan Ambrose's Folkscene on Radio Merseyside.