About John Wilson
Singer of Folk Songs
This is what folks have said:- His voice: "special quality", "powerful", "sensitive", "melting chocolate", "mellifluous"... His guitar: "absorbing", "inimitable", "percussive", "captivating", "idiosyncratic", "brilliant"... His approach: "When other people sing a ballad you're waiting for it to finish. When you sing one you're waiting to see what happens next".
John is best known for his singing in the North East of England but would sing wherever! To contact John for your club or event please use the Contact Us page or john@whitcliffe records.co.uk
Photo: Robin Dale
This is what John says:-
"I enjoy folk music for its intimacy and immediacy, face to face across the room. Moulded by season, the day and its news, the venue, performers and audience; a transient pleasure like Burns poppy, 'seize the flower, the bloom is gone'.
I am pedantic about emphasis and placing of words for intelligibility and nuances of meaning (as I see them intended). The timing, perhaps even the melody may give way to the story telling. Unaccompanied songs have that free flexibility but the guitar can bend too. I am a singer with a guitar, not a guitarist who sings.
I play in a curious way; intuitive even haphazard; you'd have to see it, but its what it sounds like that matters.
The multiplicity of variants of traditional songs fascinates me but I sing anything whose content feels right. The song must be worth the effort, worth the singing for its story or message or emotion. Yes I sing some well known songs but only if something there has grabbed me.
A few songs are my own writing; I also borrow poems that deserve a wider hearing.
I was persuaded to record "Robert Willance" for the 400th Anniversary of Willance's Leap. I'd rather be singing you songs face to face, but there's just me here, or me and the guitar, recorded together, no brass bands, no rock guitarists. Maybe an odd way to make a CD but hopefully it comes across like you'll hear me down at the Folk Club. Hope to see you soon! Happy Listening."
FREE CD!
Folk Club Organisers just ask for a copy for your raffle!
Traditional and more recent
