AFTER a lengthy 15 year break, English folk singer/songwriter Bill (Belinda) Jones is back with a long awaited new album and a tour which warms up with a gig at Bishops Castle Town Hall this Sunday night, May 5, writes Barry Jones.

She emerged in 1999 and won the BBC Radio 2 Folk Horizon Award in 2001, and fans of her first three albums ‘Turn To Me’, ‘Punchpuran’ and ‘Two Year Winter’ have been demanding more.

But in 2004, Bill took the decision to step back concentrate on raising her family, and she had stuck with that until now when she considers the time right to return with a brand new album ‘Beautiful Fairytale’ with 12 songs.

In many ways the showcase number is ‘Humphrey Kynaston’, the wild Shropshire landed gentry outlaw and his horse Belezebub.

Bill decided he needed a ballad of his own after she was introduced to the tale by her friend, the Shropshire storyteller, Amy Douglas who runs the local BLAST storytelling series and was keen to get Bill to play in Bishops Castle.

“When I was performing at Sidmouth Folk Festival for the first time in 1999, I was given accommodation in the same twin B&B room as Amy who I had never met before, and we have been great friends ever since. I love listening to Amy tell stories and bring them to life, and my children have no idea how lucky they have been, growing up hearing stories from Amy,” said Bill.

“I wanted to write a song based on a traditional story, I asked Amy if she knew a story that would make a great song ballad, and she suggested Humphrey Kynaston.

“Amy had contributed her telling of this Shropshire tale to a book called ‘The Anthology of English Folk Tales’ in 2016. It’s a great tale of a gentleman fallen from grace who goes on to be the hero of the common people, accompanied by his magical horse.

“I really enjoyed writing this song, and I think I’ve got enough of the original epic story in there. I was writing the lyrics when I was on the train to Ludlow last year to see my uncle, and the train passed near to several of the places named in the story,” said Bill.

The result is a great new song for Shropshire.

County Times:

Also on the album and available as a single is ‘My Elfin Night’ with great vocals by Bill, with just piano accompaniment.

Opening the set is ‘The Arboretum’ with echoes of the folk song the ‘Trees They Do Go High’ and a few flugelhorn toots.

Title track ‘Wonderful Fairytale’ is a lullaby with elements of ‘Lavender Blue’; ‘A Far Cry’ is a gentle cover of a Peter Crossley song with Bill’s piano and Niles Krieger’s lovely violin; while “The Cold Susquehanna”is a transatlantic composition between Bill and co-writer Anne Hills.

‘The Wear County Line’ is the most upbeat song so far recalling happy times living in Wearside; ‘The Three Ravens’ is a riff on a couple of popular old folk songs adapted and extended to include a touching violin solo by Jean-Pierre Garde; while Bill adds accordion for her jaunty tale of murder and obsession in ‘Never a Lad’.

‘Myself at Home’ is a piano led reflection on growing up; a strong quartet adds to ‘Caden’s Lullaby’, another lullaby, for Bill’s youngest child; and the album closes with ‘So Here’s To You’ with Bill joined by Anne Hills and Gareth Davies-Jones singing acapella.

Bill said: “I’m looking forward to coming to sing at Bishops Castle on Sunday. Children are welcome, kids seem to particularly connect with my music, and I have many fans now who were first introduced to my music as children 15 years ago, and now come as young adults and even bring their own families.

“My family will be there in the audience, I have boys aged 15, 13, and six. It’ll be me singing and playing piano and accordion, chatting a little with the audience, maybe some singing along . . . . .”

The show starts at 7.30pm and tickets cost £10 from the Town Hall on 01588 630023.