The
name Freds Folks first appeared on the hoardings in 1961,
when this Nottingham band played on the weekly BBC radio
programme "The Dancing English". The first programmes were
on "The Third Programme" (Radio 3), but later
we were moved to the "Home Service" (Radio 4).
Since then the group has developed through a number of phases.
At first, the leader was the renowned Irish fiddler Kevin
Briggs (died November 2019), with Eric Foxley on the accordion and Kath Woods
on the drums. Additional members for early broadcasts included
Stuart Woodhouse (bass), Sam Brown (guitar) and David Renouf
(piano). In those days, folk bands were thin on the ground,
and our regular stomping ground stretched from Bingley down
to Worcester and across to Skegness. One week we travelled
to all three. And we were required to wear evening dress
for Playford Balls at York and elsewhere! The band membership
has changed greatly over the years, and Eric is the only
member who has been with them for the whole fifty-several
years. Nowadays we try to work closer to our base in Nottingham,
but make an exception for gigs for friends around the country,
and French tours (just for the Breton cider) and regular
gigs near Frankfurt, Germany.
Our
MC Joy is happy to work in English, German or French as
required.