Peter
Collins
Peter's second time at Miskin
and already he seems to be part and parcel of it all.
"I live in Wadhurst,
East Sussex and have had the pleasure over many (more than I should
like to admit to!) years of knowing and singing with some of the
great singers that Sussex has produced. All the real gentlemen of
song like Ron Spicer, Gordon Hall and Bob Copper have been personal
friends and very encouraging over the years. Bob wrote a really
beautiful note for my CD and the Copper family are still encouraging
me to use it even though he is no longer with us. I love singing
in Sussex because the atmosphere at local sessions is always warm
and socially inclusive even to incomers from London like me (I have
only lived here for 35 years!).
I really enjoy informal
sessions with a crowd of singing friends but I also look forward
to the occasional booking at folk clubs where I can sing some of
my quieter repertoire.
I have been singing regularly
at Broadstairs Folk Week since 1975 and running the lunchtime sing
in the Neptune since 1977, except for a break of 3 years while working
in Ukraine and Kazakhstan. I was full time Artistic Director of
Broadstairs FW 1995 & 1996 which I took on at short notice ."
Peter
**********************
Have a listen to snippets
from a couple of tracks on Peter's CD - OLD TIMER
Poison
Beer
Little
Pot Stove
And just to put the seal
on a good reputation here's a few words about Peter from one of
the most respected authorities on our music, the late Bob Copper:
" To hear a good song well sung by a singer whose persona
is suited not only to the subject of the song, but also to the quintessential
mood it is intended to induce, is a joy worth waiting for. And wait
one has to, to meet, or come anywhere near meeting all those qualities
wrapped up in one harmonious bundle.
It is a rare
experience and we who travel the folk scene, all too often have
had to suffer weedy youths pip-squeaking about brawny-armed blacksmiths;
demure damsels honey-toning about a gory battle at sea; and even
some poor, old near-nonagenarian quavering on about the love he
left behind him "down by the banks of the sweet prim-i-roses".
It must have been an unconscionable time ago.
In fifty odd
years of folk experience the most outstanding instance I have met
of a singer meeting all these demands, is Peter Collins. To hear
him render (the word "sing" is not powerful enough) the
unforgettable drinking song, "Old Peculier" (or any other
drinking song), is to hear the reverberating echoes of drinkers
down the years, rising up from the vaulted depths of the beer cellars
of the earth itself. His huge frame, his generous beard, the depth,
warmth and true tonal quality of his voice and the knowing twinkle
in his eye all express the attitude of a man devoted to the ancient
cause of beer-drinking and all it stands for.
Peter sings songs
on other themes, of course, but always with that unshakable note
of conviction that he knows what he is singing about and believes
it to be true.
A compelling
performer if ever there was one."
Bob Copper, 2003.
**********************
Welcome back Peter
|