Shirley Collins

Shirley Elizabeth Collins , MBE (born July 5, 1935 in Hastings , East Sussex ) is an English folk musician .

life and work

Shirley Collins grew up with her sister Dolly near Hastings in southern England. Traditional folk music had a permanent place in her family, songs that she learned from her grandfather and her aunt determined her musical direction.

After finishing school, Collins began training as a teacher in London . In 1954, at a party organized by Ewan MacColl in London, she met the American music researcher Alan Lomax , who had left the United States due to the anti-communist hysteria of the McCarthy era . With him, Collins began a love affair, together they went on a trip to the southern states of the USA for several months after their first record, Sweet England (1959), where they collected folk songs from July to November 1959 and recorded with musicians like Fred McDowell . These recordings were released by Atlantic Records under the title Sounds of the South and partly as the soundtrack for the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? - A Mississippi Odyssey (2000) used by the Coen brothers . In her book America Over the Water (2004) , Collins described the impressions and experiences that she made with Lomax during recordings in religious communities, meetings, but also prisons .

Back in England, Collins continued her career as a folk singer and changed the English folk scene with the influences brought from the USA. In 1964 she released her album Folk Roots, New Routes, recorded together with guitarist Davey Graham (originally Davy Graham ) . In 1967 she and her sister Dolly (at the portative ) published a collection of southern English folk songs The Sweet Primeroses . In 1969 their album The Holly Bears the Crown was released together with the folk band The Young Tradition .

Shirley Collins' most important publication is her album Anthems in Eden (1969), which thematically dealt with the life in rural England influenced by World War I and whose music was arranged by Dolly. Remarkably, the ancient-looking instrumentation of example Rebek , sackbut , viola da gamba and Krummhorn that were used in addition to the usual guitar. Some music critics have noted that this gave impetus to the use of electric instruments in traditional music, as soon afterward was practiced by folk bands such as the Fairport Convention or Steeleye Span .

This was followed by the album Love, Death and the Lady (1970) and (with the Albion Country Band , 1971) the folk rock production No Roses .

All of her records testify to Collins' great love and deep understanding for English folk music, which she arranged in a contemporary way.

Shirley Collins married her second husband Ashley Hutchings in 1971 , who left Steeleye Span and after several short-lived projects with Collins, formed the Etchingham Steam Band . From this formation in 1976 was Albion Dance Band and two years later the Albion Band . Shirley Collins was actively involved in these groups until the early 1980s.

Shirley and Dolly Collins released their last joint studio album, For As Many As Will , in 1978.

Today she gives lectures and reads from her book and program A Most Sunshiny Day (about traditional music in England and especially in Sussex) and I'm a Romany Rai (about "gypsy music" in southern England).

Services

Shirley Collins is one of the initiators of the revival of English folk music. But she has also influenced other areas significantly, for example the American rock band 10,000 Maniacs released a cover version of Collins' piece Just as the Tide was A'Flowing .

David Tibet of Current 93 published a selection of songs by Shirley and Dolly Collins from 1963 to 1978 on his Durtro label under the title Fountains of Snow . 1998 also appeared on Durtro Harking Back , recordings of Collins concerts in Dublin in 1978 and London 1979. Shirley Collins also sang a version of Idumæa on Current 93's Black Ships Ate the Sky album (2006) and appeared on other Current 93 albums.

Billy Bragg said of her: "Shirley Collins is without doubt one of England's greatest cultural treasures." (German: "Shirley Collins is undoubtedly one of England's most important cultural treasures.")

The singer of the band The Decemberists , Colin Meloy , recorded an EP ( Colin Meloy Sings Shirley Collins ) with six covers of Collins in 2006 , which was sold in limited numbers on his solo tour through the USA. After a decade-long hiatus, Shirley Collins released a new album consisting of traditional songs called Lodestar in autumn 2016 , which received consistently positive reviews from music critics. Another album, Heart's Ease , followed in 2020.

Honors

In 2004 she received the gold badge for her services from the English Folk Dance and Song Society (an English society for the preservation of folk songs and dances). In 2007 Shirley Collins was awarded the Order of the British Empire for her services .

Discography (selection)

• Shirley Collins - Sweet England (Argo, 1959)
• Shirley Collins - False True Lovers (Folkways, 1960)
• Shirley Collins - Heroes in Love (Topic EP, 1963)
• Shirley Collins and Davey Graham - Folk Roots, New Routes (Decca, 1964)
• The Young Tradition and Shirley and Dolly Collins - The Holly Bears The Crown (Fledg'ling, 1969/1995)
• Shirley Collins - The Sweet Primeroses (Topic, 1970)
• Shirley Collins and the Albion Country Band - No Roses (Pegasus, 1971)
• Etchingham Steam Band - Etchingham Steam Band (Fledg'ling, 1975)
• Shirley and Dolly Collins - Power of the True Love Knot (Polydor, 1968)
• Shirley and Dolly Collins - Anthems in Eden (EMI Harvest, 1969)
• Shirley and Dolly Collins - Love, Death and the Lady (EMI Harvest, 1970)
• Shirley Collins - A Favorite Garland (Gama, 1973)
• Shirley Collins - Adieu to Olde England (Topic, 1974)
• Shirley and Dolly Collins - For as Many as Will (Topic, 1978)
• Current 93 - Thunder Perfect Mind (Durtro, 1992)
• Shirley Collins - Fountain of Snow (Durtro, 1992)
• Shirley and Dolly Collins - Harking Back (Live in Concert 1978/1979, Durtro, 1998)
• Shirley Collins - The Classic Collection (Highpoint, 2004)
• Shirley Collins - Within Sound (Fledg'ling, 2003)
• Shirley and Dolly Collins - Snapshots (Fledg'ling, 2006)
• Shirley Collins - Lodestar (Domino, 2016)
• Shirley Collins - Heart's Ease (Domino, 2020)

literature

• Shirley Collins: America Over the Water , Turnaround Publisher Services, 2004, ISBN 978-0-946719-91-4

Web links

• Shirley Collins' website
• Shirley Collins biography
• Biographical notes and album review Lodestar (German)