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John Hobbs (Roud 21966)

from Midlife by Jon Wilks

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    Due to popular demand, "Midlife" received a physical CD release. Much to my delight, Brummies (and non-Brummies) the world over got in touch saying they wanted the album on compact disc, either for themselves or as gifts for other Brummies (or non-Brummies). So who was I to refuse so many Brummies (and non-Brummies)?!

    The CD version comes with one extra song: "Oh, It Was My Cruel Parents Who Did Me First Trepan". Arguably the best title of any song ever in existence.

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about

John Hobbs & Bandy-Legged Lett
(Roud 21966)

The first of two rather sinister songs that deal with the unpleasant subject of “wife selling”, which was so common in the Midlands in the late 1800s that a genre existed around it. I should point out that I’m not endorsing the selling of spouses by exploring these songs. Just as ‘Shallow Brown’ reintroduces us to the heartbreak of those smuggled onto slave ships, these songs give us pause for thought on the harsh fates of those who lived here before us.

That said, there seems to have been a side to “wife selling” that wasn’t quite as sinister as the name suggests. Often, the woman would also be seeking a way out of the marriage, and at a time when divorce was heavily frowned upon, this seemed like a way of getting things done. In fact, records of the time suggest it was common for the woman’s lover to be present at the market to conclude the transaction. Everyone left happily, it seems, apart from the Church, who eventually clamped down on what was deemed licentious behaviour.

The two songs here show versions of both the dark side of this practice and the more frivolous nature. Both are taken from "The Urban And Industrial Songs Of The Black Country And Birmingham", edited by
Jon Raven.

credits

from Midlife, released November 1, 2018
Traditional. Arranged, produced and performed by Jon Wilks.

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Jon Wilks Whitchurch, UK

'The sort of performer folk circles mean when they talk of the living tradition' - Mike Davies, Folking.com

“One of the best of the New Wave of Folk Blokes. As a guitar player and arranger of traditional songs, Jon Wilks already deserves speaking of in the same breath as your Simpsons and your Morays.” – Ian A. Anderson, fRoots Mag
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