Mitford Music: Recent Episodes
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I’m breaking from tradition with this post, to share a totally different (and honestly my most favourite) side to Dad’s songwriting. Way before The Jarrow Marchers, my earliest memories of Dad are him singing songs from The Beatles and Lindisfarne, as well as his own pop style compositions. Quite often on Sundays he’d grab his guitar and you could tell his mood from the choice of song – if it was R.O.C.K. then it was a great mood, but if it was Fool for You then he was probably feeling blue.
Although the recordings were just rough demos, they’re too good not to share! One day if I ever learn a Rock n Roll riff on guitar or uke I’ll do a version myself!
Before I share the recordings here’s a little bit of audio of me interviewing Dad about how he started with pop songs and what led him to a more folk style song. You can check out ‘That’s Northumbria‘ here on the blog too.
OK now for the tracks – the only disappointment is not being able to find Dad’s infamous ‘Bottle of Tomato Sauce’ song… one day… My absolute favourites are Number One, Turn Back the Clock, ROCK, Why should a woman, and Bending over backwards. He used to do a heavier more up beat rock n roll version of Sitting here drinking which I loved but sadly don’t have a recording of.
“Fool for you” Track 1: Fool for you demo by Wilf Mitford.“Sitting here drinking” Track 2: Fool for you demo by Wilf Mitford.“Number one” Track 3: Fool for you demo by Wilf Mitford. “Turn back the clock” Track 4: Fool for you demo by Wilf Mitford“Oh darlin’ where are you now” Track 5: Fool for you demo by Wilf Mitford“R.O.C.K” Track 6: Fool for you demo by Wilf Mitford“Why should a woman only have one man” Track 7: Fool for you demo by Wilf Mitford“Won’t you tell me” Track 8: Fool for you demo by Wilf Mitford“Bendin’ over backwards” Track 9: Fool for you demo by Wilf Mitford“Someone else’s arms” Track 10: Fool for you demo by Wilf MitfordDad was pretty eclectic in his musical tastes. A major inspiration was of course The Beatles but he loved all pop and disco too. Any excuse to get up and have a dance. Here are some photos from some of Dad’s ‘pop’ eras from the 1960s to the 1980s. The street parties on Southfield Lea are stuff of legend!
ALl songs are written by Wilf Mitford and are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at https://mitfordmusic.wordpress.com/.
Ron’s a rent collector from Newcastle on the Tyne
He never turns doon a drink; whisky, beer or wine
The snow was fallin doon this one particular day
When an old woman invites him in and this to him did say
I’ve got just the thing for you Titty fa la, titty fa ley
To warm you through and through Titty fa la, titty fa ley
And he went where it was hot, thinking he would get a tot,
But porridge is al’ he got Titty fa la, titty fa ley
Tra la la la la la o’er the wall is oot
Bills a bus driver for a local company
Driving ‘is double decker al’ o’er the country
One day the manager calls him in and sez as from today
Ya one man operated but you’ll get a little more pay
Well ‘e hasn’t gone very far Titty fa la, titty fa ley
When the bus hits a car Titty fa la, titty fa ley
Says bill, the fault’s not mine, aa na cause at the time
Aa was upstairs takin’ fares Titty fa la, titty fa ley
Tra la la la la la o’er the wall is oot
Sean’s a shift worker and when ‘e’s workin’ neets
His wife gets a visit from his mate across the street
One neet Sean came home unexpectedly
There was ructions on that neet, doon in Southfield Lea
He’d come yem for ‘is bait, Titty fa la, titty fa ley
Caught ‘is wife with Tom ‘is mate Titty fa la, titty fa ley
His mate ran for the door, faster than ‘e had before
And wasn’t seen nee more Titty fa la, titty fa ley
Tra la la la la la o’er the wall is oot
There was me an’ the wife an’ the mother in law went to the silvery sea
The mother in law gets in a boat, a sailor she would be
Well the’ hadn’t been twenty yards when aa hears a shoot
The mother in law is in the sea and there she’s splashin’ about
She shoots help aa cannit swim Titty fa la, titty fa ley
Aa says noo’s the time to lorn Titty fa la, titty fa ley
The wife says ya hoond, are ye ganna watch ‘a droond
Aa says no I’ll shut me eyes Titty fa la, titty fa ley
Fa la la la la la o’er the wall is oot
One day when I was walkin doon by the Fellin’ Shore
I met wi Jontys dowter she was stan’in’ at the door
She asked’is in for a cup of tea and cause she was all alain
After the brew she served that neet al be gannin their again
I put me hand upon’a calfs Titty fa la, titty fa ley
She says divent Dee things be halves Titty fa la, titty fa ley
Now I keep hor company and she’s very fond of me
And I’m a bugger for tea Titty fa la, titty fa ley
Tra la la la la la o’er the wall is oot
Traditional with additional lyrics by Wilf Mitford
From the Mitford Family Album Geordie Greats
Credits : Recorded and Produced by Mick Sweeney at the Cluny Studio, Newcastle upon Tyne in April 1992. Wilf Mitford, Vocals.
This began as a song about a pit pony called ‘Little Chance’ and has been performed in various versions across the British Folk scene for decades with performances, recordings and versions by the likes of Jack Elliot, Bill Sables, Bob Davenport, Johnny Handle, Louis Killen, and Bob Fox. It’s no surprise then that it became part of Dad’s regular repertoire and it was always a crowd pleaser at gigs.
It appears that by the time dad picked it up it had long transitioned from a song about a pit incident and had become a great vehicle for a short limerick with a cracking punchline. Some singers kept the pit story and added the mother-in-law verse, which I personally found a bit odd – it just didn’t flow or have any context though still clearly got a laugh. Some kept the pit story, added the mother-in-law verse and then the cup of tea verse, which I think told a good story of the original song and then how it’s deviated since. Others wrote their own versions entirely. I like Dad’s approach of accepting it’s no longer the pit song anymore and taking the two non-pit verses and riffing off them. It’s a great example of his sense of humour and he loved seeing the reactions from audiences when he performed it.
I always thought the verse about the mother-in-law was written by Dad as there was an incident when we were kids where my Nanna got in a paddle boat on a boating lake and started to sink. Now I think perhaps that incident was maybe just inspiration for Dad to take on the familiar song and make it his own, as recordings indicate that the mother-in-law verse been around a good 50+ years. I guess mother-in-law jokes have always been relatable!
The cup of tea verse was obviously just on the cusp of what Mum thought was appropriate to perform with our family band. I vividly recall it as it was always the best punchline of them all and got the biggest laugh, but I note it’s not featured on our album recording. I think there was always a tension in terms of what was acceptable at a live performance when you could read the room, and what you’d commit to tape. I can relate to that coming back to performing after all of these years. I realised that many songs have not dated well in terms of what we consider acceptable now, and I’ve questioned whether I should still sing them. A good traditional example is Sandgate Lass’s Lament where the narrator jokingly talks about being kicked down the stairs, and I’ve even experienced this with Dad’s Grab A Granny Neet. I do however think though that songs are important historical sources and give us a window into how things were viewed at a point in time, so I think I’ve come to terms with singing them as they were and not trying to rewrite or censor them for a modern audience. Whether they make it to my own recordings… I suppose time will tell.
Back to this song, I’m fairly certain the first 3 verses here are Dads as he worked as a rent assessment officer for the council and my Granda Bill was a bus driver. Let me know if you know otherwise though!
Southfield Lea Street Party 1980sSean the shift worker was based on a true story from the street where we used to live. They would often have big parties on the street at different people’s houses. Sometimes the kids all bunked in together at one house (and had our own mini party) and other times we were put to bed at home with one or other of our parents popping home from time to time to check on us. Apparently those were safer times! At some stage when one of these parties was underway a late comer noticed their neighbour jumping over another neighbour’s fence. Turns out he had been paying some regular visits to his neighbour’s wife and on this occasion the her husband had come home. Or something to that effect. The names have been changed of course to protect identities, and I often wonder if those involved heard this song and knew it was about them!!
Here is a video recording from a performance at The Bond, one of our regular bookings, featuring all of the verses;
O’er the waal is oot – live at The Bond – early 1990sThere’s a great thread on Mudcat about the Little Chance , collecting bits of knowledge and the various versions. It also provides a bit more information about where the phrase ‘o’er the waal is oot’ is from. It’s a good example of how songs are often passed on aurally and therefore don’t always come with credits or certainty about who wrote them or who added which parts.
You can also listen to different versions on Spotify and YouTube. I’ve included a few links below;
And you can listen to the High Level Ranter’s performance on Spotfy
O’er the waal is oot by Wilf Mitford is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at https://mitfordmusic.wordpress.com/.
I wish I was back where I was born in Newcastle on the Tyne
In England’s North East country with all those friends of mine
Walking down Northumberland Street then ’round to Eldon Square
I wish I was back in Newcastle, I wish that I was there
I wish I was back in Newcastle, I wish that I was there
I wish I could hear that dialect that no-one understands
And see again that famous bridge that’s known throughout the land
I wish I could be there for race week when they have the Hoppings Fair
I wish I was back in Newcastle, I wish that I was there
I wish I was back in Newcastle, I wish that I was there
I wish I could ride on a Metro train, it would mean so much to me
Or take a walk by those market stalls on Sundays on the Quay
Or sing along at the City Hall with Lindisfarne each year
I wish I was back in Newcastle, I wish that I was there
I wish I was back in Newcastle, I wish that I was there
I wish I could hear the Leazes roar at St James Park Gallowgate
As the Magpies score that winning goal, that would be just great
To see again my family, nothing could compare
I wish I was back in Newcastle, I wish that I was there
I wish I was back in Newcastle, I wish that I was there
Words & Music by Wilf Mitford
From The Mitford Family album ‘Geordie Greats’
Credits: Julia Mitford Vocals; Wilf Mitford Guitar;It’s been a long time since I posted, and I figured it was time to get back in gear. It’s hard to believe it’s almost 2 years already since Dad passed away. Whilst I’ve been quiet on the blog that hasn’t been the case in the real world. I’ve been down at the session at The Fiddler, Rouse Hill as often as possible singing Dad’s songs as well as some of my favourite traditional ones, and we’re slowly making Good Old Geordie Song a favourite sing-along number. Dad would be proud! He would absolutely love the crack we have at the session. If you’re ever in western Sydney and fancy a jam, get along to the Fiddler – 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month and the most welcoming bunch of people you’ll ever have the good fortune to meet (like my Dad I couldn’t miss an opportunity for a plug)!
So it’s time for another Dad / Wilf’s songs from the archive. Back in 2015, I posted the song ‘What have they done to Gateshead?’ which Wilf wrote from the point of view of his Uncle Richard who had emigrated to Australia. He was very clearly taken by the idea of Richard being part of a great adventure to the other side of the world. This is another song written from that perspective.
The song possibly speaks more to Wilf wishing he could hang out with his Uncle and hear stories of faraway lands, and what he imagines someone would feel so far away from home, than of Richard’s melancholy at being away. In the years before he departed for Australia, Richard’s mother Annie, brother Archie, and sister Elizabeth had all died. There was only my grandfather William left, who was by all accounts, a bit of a difficult chap. I don’t know that Richard would have spent too much time missing the grey & wet industrial landscape of Gateshead when he was experiencing such hot summers and the prosperity of a booming Melbourne. By the 1980s, at the time this song was written, Richard & Gladys were living with their sons on Phillip Island, an absolutely stunning part of Victoria, NSW, famous for its’ penguin marches.
Richard Mitford, Peggy Mitford, William MitfordMargaret, Alan, Peggy, John, Anne, WilfNonetheless, Wilf used this idea to explore what makes Newcastle truly distinctive – the Tyne Bridge, the metro, the Hoppings, the footy, and the sounds of Lindisfarne with Fog on the Tyne. I think most people who are from the North and live away from the area can relate to that. This song reminds me of “I’m coming home Newcastle” by Ronnie Lambert (The Busker) – though his offers a more jaunty angle. It’s perhaps no coincidence that Ronnie’s song was also written in the 1980s – perhaps some inspiration for Wilf there.
I was lucky enough to visit Richard’s wife (my Great Aunt) Gladys, their son John, and grandson Jacob last year (and better late than never given I’ve been in Australia for over 15 years now, for shame!). Gladys lives in Wonthaggi these days and the coastline along that part of Victoria is breathtaking. Apart from a few visits in the 60s and 70s, the latter a few years after his only remaining brother William passed, Glady and Richard didn’t return to Gateshead. Experiencing Australia myself now I understand that the distance is long, and the main draw to return is family. Northumberland is of course stunning but there are really only a few weeks in the year where the weather makes the trip enticing. I’ve become too acclimatised to the Australian weather and so now I find the cold intolerable. My last trip home was for Christmas 2022 and I’ve sworn never to do a winter visit again!
My daughter Erin and my Great Aunt Gladys near Wonthaggi last yearWhilst Wilf was clearly fond of Richard and Gladys, he wasn’t close to them. He would only have met them a few times. They did however occupy a special place in his heart, whether it was simply because of his own longing for adventure or his perception of their seemly exotic life. He talked of them often and as I mentioned in my previous post he sent them a letter every year, a tradition I’ve continued with Aunty Glad. When Wilf passed away he had very few personal items – he wasn’t a sentimental man, and generally didn’t get attached to things – however we found a tie pin and cufflinks set in the shape of Australia. A gift from Richard & Gladys no doubt.
I’m very grateful Dad maintained that connection with our Australian family. It was a joy to be able to sit with Gladys over a cuppa and hear about Uncle Richard and their life down under that so captivated my Dad and provided so much creative inspiration for his songs. Now to start planning the next visit!
Julia (Me), Erin (my daughter), Grant (my husband), John, Jacob & Gladys
I wish I was back in Newcastle by Wilf Mitford is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at https://mitfordmusic.wordpress.com/.
Three, six, nine, on the banks of the Tyne, here comes Bobby Shaftoe
Canny day doon the Waggon Way, we’ll may the Keel Row
CHORUS
Dirty back lanes, kids playing games
Skippys and marbles and kick the block
Clippy mats, up and down flats
Days when your back door would never be locked
When I was young, we made our own fun
We always found something to pass the time
Playing football, against the yard wall
Or bicycle riding by the banks of the Tyne
In many ways, they were happier days
Though money was short in those post war years
One and six, for a seat at the flix
At the Palais, the flea pit, just off Felling Square
Whip and top, Granny’s claes prop
Monday was washing day, rain or shine
If it was dry, no clouds in the sky
The back lane was littered with clothes on the line
Credits : Wilf Mitford Vocal & Guitar, Julia Mitford, Vocals & Whistle; Pamela Mitford, Fiddle. Recorded at Red Nose Studios 1991.
I hadn’t had a chance to chat to dad about the background to this song, so figured I wouldn’t have much to write, but once you get into decoding it for the non-Geordie there’s so much to unpack, so strap in!
I like to think that the success of recording historical songs, both traditional and original, and seeing those songs used in schools might have inspired Dad to write this song which has lullabye / nursery rhyme qualities. I recall with the starting section he wanted something that sounds like a game being played in the backyard, and I love the way he’s woven in some of the traditional songs from the area.
The song paints a vivid picture of the back lanes of Felling. If you’re not from the North then if you think of the opening title for Coronation Street that should give you a good visual of terraced house back yards all facing onto a shared lane. ‘Up and down flats’ refers to the common ‘Tyneside Flats’ which were configured in a row with both upstairs and downstairs flats, both with entrances directly from the front street. There’s a great article about Tyneside Flats from the BBC in 2015;
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-26868399
The clippy mat referred to in this song is a mat made from old rags, cut up into small pieces and poked through some webbing. They’re also known as proggy mats, and they made a bit of a come back through the COVID pandemic as people looked for crafting activities. If you google proggy mat you’ll find all sorts of kits you can buy. The Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead have a fantastic leaflet detailing some of the history of the mats in the North East as well as how to make one;
https://shipleyartgallery.org.uk/files/13016-hooky-and-proggy-a-beginners-guide.pdf
The back lane became a meeting point for kids where you could mark out goal posts for a footy game with friends or if you were by yourself you had a yard wall to kick the ball off. Whilst marbles requires no explanation as it continues to be timelines, ‘kick the block’ was a new one for me. I’ve found this great explainer for what appears to be a tag / tip / stuck in the mud / British Bulldog style game;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kick_the_can
I love this quote from this 2007 article on historical games from the BBC “… a form of hidey where one kid was ‘man’ and he looked after the ‘can ‘ (an old baked bean tin) If a kid sneaked back and kicked the can , he could automatically get the other captured kids free”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/wear/content/articles/2007/04/25/julia_carol_book_of_fun_feature.shtml
Whip and top was a simple game with a bit of wood for spinning and a leather strap – the British Library have a fantastic overview of this game with a recording of a young girl describing it. It appears that there are versions of this across the world. The Tairawhiti Museum in Aetoroa (New Zealand) also have a video and note that spinning tops have made it into modern culture through Beyblades!
https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/whip-and-tops
https://www.facebook.com/tairawhitimuseumgisborne/videos/241522297220042/
For those that aren’t familiar with the term ‘flix’, a more common spelling will give you a better clue – the ‘flicks’ otherwise known as the cinema! The Imperia Palais de Danse (or ‘Pally’) operated from the late 1920s to the 1960s. One and six refers to one shilling and six pence (probably the equivalent of about 7p today according to Project Britain). According to Oxford Languages via Google a ‘fleapit’ is “a dingy, dirty place, especially a run-down cinema”. You can still see the building standing in Victoria Square, now a bingo hall. The Chronicle as always can be relied upon for a bit of history and some great photos;
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/local-news/return-glory-former-imperia-cinema-1352838
A ‘claes prop’ or clothes prop is a piece of wood used to prop up a clothes line for drying clothes and beating the dust of rugs or mats. Laundry was soaked, scrubbed, rinsed and dried on a clothes line in the back yard. There’s a brilliant song by Thomas Wilson from the early 1800s which depicts life before indoor washing machines beautifully. It’s called The Washing Day and you can learn more at Gateshead Libraries Folk Archive Resource North East (FARNE). I recall singing it a school though was disappointed not to find a recording of it – perhaps I’ll do one eventually;
http://www.farnearchive.com/detail.asp?id=H1446901
In really old photos (and certainly at Beamish Museum) you’ll see a metal bath hanging outside the back door at the top of the stairs – ready for the weekly wash. There was also often a coal shed and an outside netty (toilet) found in the backyard.
There’s so much to learn about how people lived even only 60 or 70 years ago through a simple song such as this. I’m off to try and finish the clippy mat I started in the lockdown!
Dirty Back Lanes by Wilf Mitford, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at https://mitfordmusic.wordpress.com/.
This is the third part in my series of posts about Dad (Wilf Mitford)’s achievements. It’s a summary of the impact of his work. All of the posts in this series are taken directly from an award nomination made by my Mum, Maggie, back in the late 1990s, which is an absolute gem in terms of the history of Dad’s folk music writing period. This is all of course just one part of his songwriting history. Before his venture into Geordie songs he wrote some great pop songs like ‘A Fool for You’ and ‘Sitting Here Thinking’, and in later life he wrote more about his own experiences in his album ‘Geordie on his Holidays in Spain’ and ‘A Northumbrian Geordie’.
“Since I asked him to write a song about The Jarrow Crusade for a project at school in October 1986, Wilf Mitford has made an exceptional contribution to the arts in this area with his treasury of songs depicting people, places and events in the North East of England. His songs reflect all aspects of life in the region, most happy, some sad.
He has brought his songs to audiences who don’t usually get the chance to hear live music (original as well) in senior citizens clubs and hospitals etc. He has performed his songs to a much wider audience by taking them out into the community in schools, community centres, at village fairs, as well as the usual platform of theatres, folk clubs and folk festivals. Events such as the National Garden Festival at Gateshead provided him with an even wider, international audience for his songs of North East life.
His recordings of ten albums on cassette, mainly comprising his own compositions, have enabled his songs to travel even further. They have been played from Radio Newcastle to Radio WGBH FM in Boston in the United States of America. Since making these recordings he has continued his songwriting on North East themes with topics ranging from Newcastle United’s recent success (Magpie Mania) to a song in support of the campaign against the closure of Swan Hunter Shipyard (Save Our Shipyards) which have received airplay at St James Park and Radio Newcastle respectively.
The fact that Wilf has had no financial assistance to help him with his ventures has no way deterred him. His love of people and the North East are his inspiration. “
Thanks Mum for your involvement in putting together this potted history of Dad’s Geordie songwriting career, and thanks also to Dad who documented his work so carefully. I have found in his belongings copies of all of his correspondence with press, TV, radio, and venues where we performed, along with newspaper clippings and of course all of our recordings. It’s a rich archive.
Slowly I’ll share excerpts of his archives here on the blog and of course more and more of his songs. I think he’ll have me blogging for then next 40 years!
This is the second part of an award nomination letter written by my Mum that outlines some of Dad’s achievements. It puts so much of his work into context and order and will be enormously useful for me in compiling Dad’s archives in a meaningful way.
“Achievements between 1st August 1992 and 31st August 1993
Wilf Mitford commenced the above year by releasing an album on cassette called ‘Geordie Greats‘, recorded by his family folk group The Mitford Family, on his own label ‘Mitford Music’ in August 1992. The sixteen tracks on the album included ten of Wilf’s original songs on the theme of Newcastle upon Tyne, together with six traditional songs associated with the area. Wilf wrote his new songs about the area to redress the balance after all of the bad publicity the area received following the Tyneside riots in September 1991.
Wilf and his family folk group also gave their first-ever performance of new songs in August 1992 at a concert in the Benwell area of Newcastle which was attended by the Lord Mayor of Newcastle.
Benwell was one of the areas badly hit by the riots the previous year. Also in August 1992, one of Wilf’s songs on cassette, ‘Tall Ships on the Tyne ’93’ received extensive airplay in the Massachusetts area of the United States of America when the Tall Ships visited Boston that month.
Back on Tyneside, as Newcastle United’s Football team, known as The Magpies, began their battle to reach the Premier League, Wilf wrote a song called ‘Magpie Mania’ which chronicled their eleven wins out of eleven games at the start of the season. The song was played at their home ground of St James Park which resulted in interest of the group and Wilf’s songwriting by The Journal newspaper. Tony Jones of The Journal referred to The Mitford Family as the most prolific recording artists in the North East.
In November 1993 they released ‘Geordie Greats Volume Two‘ which included nine of Wilf’s compositions on a North East theme. Although the group had now called it a day, Wilf continued writing songs and formed his own music publishing company, Mitford Music.
In April 1993, ‘Geordie Greats Volume Three‘ was released, which included another twelve of Wilf’s songs and completed the trilogy of ‘Geordie Greats’ albums which featured fifty Geordie songs over thirty of them written by Wilf Mitford.
In May 1993 he wrote ‘Save Our Shipyards’ in support of the campaign to save the Swan Hunter Shipyards. His recording of the song was played on Radio Newcastle in June 1993 during an extensive interview about his songwriting with Mark Ecclestone.
In July 1993 there was renewed interest in his ‘Tall Ships on the Tyne ’93’ song when the Tall Ships Race Festival commenced. Also that same month, the Newcastle Discover Exhibition in Newcastle decided to use Wilf’s songs and recordings as background music.”
When going through Dad’s things I found this award nomination that my Mum wrote, no doubt with some input from Dad. It’s an absolute gem of a piece of writing as it clearly outlines what he produced, when, and the reception it received. I couldn’t resist sharing it. I’ve left it pretty much as written, with only a few changes to formatting here and there, and I’ve added some photos from the time to bring it to life. I’m splitting it into 3 parts so come back again soon for part 2!.
“Wilf Mitford has been writing songs for the last thirty years. Influenced by the songwriting of John Lennon and Paul McCartney he wrote his first ‘pop’ song in 1963 when he was fourteen.
In the late 1960’s he started writing contemporary folk songs which he performed in local clubs in the North East area.
But it was in October 1986 that his ‘Geordie’ songwriting on themes of people, places and events in the North East of England commenced. It was around the 15th anniversary of the Jarrow Crusade when I asked him to write a song about the event for a project at the school at which I then taught (I am a Primary School teacher in Newcastle). After reading an article about the event in that morning’s Sunday Sun newspaper, he came up with the song ‘The Jarrow Marchers‘ within an hour. He then began writing songs about other local events such as ‘Tall Ships On The Tyne‘ about the 1986 Tall Ships Race, and ‘The Great North Run‘.
In April 1987 he formed The Mitford Family folk group with our daughters, Pamela and Julia, for the Northumbrian Gathering at Morpeth that year. Their repertoire comprised of the new original Geordie songs written by Wilf mixed with traditional Geordie songs. The group continued to perform this act in community centres and schools. They made their TV debut in July 1987 on BBC North East’s Look North programme previewing Cramlington’s Day of Folk, at which they also performed.
To meet the demand of Wilf’s new songs of people places and events in the North East of England, they recorded eight of them, together with traditional Geordie songs, in October 1987 for their first album on cassett, ‘That’s Northumbria‘, which was released in November 1987.
In 1988 the group continued performing at folk clubs, competing in Folk Festivals, and taking their brand of ‘Geordie’ folk music into the community by performing Wilf’s songs at Senior Citizens clubs, hospitals, schools, community centres, the Gateshead Garden Festival, and village fairs. They were also the subject of an extensive interview by Ian McCrae on Radio Newcastle.
At the Morpeth Northumbrian Gathering in April 1989, The Mitford Family, performing a mixture of Wilf’s new ‘Geordie’ songs and traditional ‘Geordie’ songs, won the Folk Group competition. Wilf also won one singing competition and came runner up in another, performing his own songs ‘North Blyth‘ and ‘Grab a Granny Neet‘ respectively.
The latter song became the title track of the group’s second album which they recorded in August 1989. Like their first album, it included eight of Wilf’s original compositions on North East themes together with a selection of traditional ‘Geordie’ songs.
Over the next few years Wilf continued to steer the group through many wins in competitions at Folk Festivals in Kielder, Hexham, Newcastleton, Alnwick, Rothbury and Morpeth, where on many occasions the song or instrumental in the winning set was one of Wilf’s original compositions.
Their third album ‘The Gateshead Garden Festival‘, which included nine of Wilf’s compositions including the title track, was released in May 1990 to coincide with the opening of The National Garden Festival at Gateshead that year. The group played there in August and September 1990, performing Wilf’s new ‘Geordie’ songs to an even wider audience than the usual North Easterners.
Tyne Tees Television recorded them at the National Garden Festival performing Wilf’s song ‘The Great North Run‘ for a television documentary celebrating ten years of the Great North Run.
After releasing an instrumental album featuring Pamela and Julia (which included some instrumental composed by Wilf) and a solo album by Wilf Mitford (comprising entirely his own songs), The Mitford Family recorded their ‘Back to Northumbria’ album in May 1991. That album featured another nine of Wilf’s compositions including ‘Gazza the Geordie from Gateshead‘ which received airplay on Radio Newcastle.
In October 1991, only a month after the Tyneside riots, they played a gig in Benwell, Newcastle, in the heart of the areas involved in the riots, where Wilf previewed his composition ‘The Bonny Banks of Benwell‘. In November 1991, they released the ‘Geordie and Northumbria‘ album on cassette which included twelve of Wilf’s compositions.”
Wilf and daughter Julia, at her weddingWilf and daughter Pamela, at Julia’s weddingWilf at his 60th birthdayI’m very sad to share the news that my Dad, Wilf, passed away on 20th September 2022. Whilst he didn’t get a chance to see all of his songs published (I’ve barely scratched the surface!), he was glad to know before his passing that this project was well underway, and that his streamed music has received over 12,000 listens.
This site has had over 700 visitors and I will continue to add Dad’s songs over the coming weeks and months, including any background information or related stories that I have. Eventually I hope to publish books of his songs as this was always his dream.
My sister and I are sorting through Dad’s possessions and have been delighted to find letters from newsreader Mike Neville MBE who had “thoroughly enjoyed” his music, Tony Jones from The Journal who often featured our family band in his Entertainment section, Boston radio broadcaster Andy Nagy who was “absolutely delighted with The Mitford Family albums” featuring them on his show in the US, Northumbria Police who used Dad’s ‘We all have to pay’ song in a crime prevention campaign, and some local folk who appreciated his music and took the time to write.
It’s heartening to know how much his music was appreciated, and my sister and I are grateful that we have his songs and recordings to remember him. Dad wrote some particularly special personal songs including “Pamela’s Song” which he wrote in the phone box when my sister was born and which has been my daughter’s bedtime song since she was a baby, and Seaton Sluice to Sydney which he wrote after I moved to Australia. Here are some recent video shorts of Dad singing. The first is from lockdown, taken outside his house (Wee’s the Geordie?), and the second is from August this year following a spell in hospital after a fall (Karaoke King of the Costa Del Sol).
Maybe in the not too distant future we could organise a gig featuring his songs performed by some fantastic local musicians?
Addendum on the word ‘Vale’
I’ve had a few questions about the word ‘Vale’. This is a word commonly used in Australia when someone has died. It is latin for goodbye. I had forgotten it was a term I was quite unfamiliar with when I first moved to Australia. It’s the equivalent of saying ‘Rest in Peace’ (RIP).
Evening Chronicle Announcement
Below is the announcement that we have published in this week’s Chronicle;
The family of Wilf Mitford, singer songwriter of South Beach Estate Blyth, are sad to announce that he has passed away at the age of 73. Much loved father to Pamela and Julia and grandfather to Keira, Erin and Xanthe. He will be remembered fondly by sister Margaret, Maggie and family, Val and family, and many friends.
Funeral: Wednesday 12th October 1:45pm at Blyth Cowpen Crematorium Chapel for a short service, followed by burial at Blyth Links Cemetery at 2:30pm. All welcome to celebrate Wilf’s life after the service at The Melton Constable, Seaton Sluice.
Family flowers only. Donations welcome in lieu of flowers to the Young Musician’s Fund www.justgiving.com/fundraising/pamela-mcgahon
Enquiries to: Co-op Funeralcare Manor Cottage, Forum Way, Cramlington, NE23 6YD Tel: 01670 712 886
You are welcome to share your memories of Wilf or his songs via the comments here on the blog, via the Funeral Notice, or via my <a rel=”noreferrer noopener” href=”http://