Jim Causley and Bill Murray came to Widecombe for a proper Sailing Club doo on March 22nd 2019. This was a ground-breaking gig for us as in two ways, as for the first time, we were in the Cafe on the Green on a Friday evening, and secondly, we placed the performers at a different end of the Cafe. Hells bells!!! Can you stand the excitement?
Jim Causley is known to many of us (if not all of us) partly because he's a lovely local chappy, based in South Zeal, and therefore performs a lot in our part of the country (including at Widecombe Fair) but mainly because he came to the Sailing Club in December 2016*. Everybody loved his show so we decided to ask him back and this time, we asked Bill to come along as well.
Bill Murray has been singing songs from the northern slopes of Dartmoor for over fifty years. Songs about country life, most of them humorous, learnt from older generations of singers at get-togethers in village halls, fairs and inns. Songs like Widecombe Fair, Tavystock Goozie Vayre, The Bellringing and Down ‘pon Ole Dartmoor. He is a founder member of The Dartmoor Folk Festival and plays many of the old dance tunes on the English concertina at pub sessions all over the Moor. He also recites many very funny dialect stories and anecdotes from Devonshire and beyond that he has gathered over the years, from various sources. He has performed many times on television and radio as a singer, musician and storyteller, as well as at Widecombe Fair with Jim.
And for those who don't know Jim: More than simply a folk-singer, multi award winning singer-songwriter, musician and proud Devonian, he is an all-round entertainer and during the past decade Causley has been nominated no less than six times for a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award. Last year he was nominated as Singer of the Year at the 2017 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, he won the Spiral Earth Singer of the Year award in 2014, presented his own folk music show on BBC Radio Devon and in 2015 he worked with BBC TV historian Dr Sam Willis to create the music for his show ‘Highwaymen, Outlaws and Villains‘ and was asked to perform his song about Dartmoor tin mining ‘Pride of the Moor‘ on BBC TV’s Countryfile – Dartmoor Special.
Dinner was a choice of
- Slow Cooked Beef in Red Wine with Braised Red Cabbage, Roasted Celeriac, Crispy New Potatoes
- Pan Fried Salmon with Crispy New Potatoes, Roasted Fennel and Wild Garlic
- Mushroom, Brie and Cranberry Puff Pie with Crispy New Potatoes, Braised Red Cabbage and Roasted Celeriac.
The evening went down a storm. The food was lovely - tasty and plenty of it - and JIm and Bill gave us a wonderful, warm-hearted performance.
* Jim Causley's performance at the Cafe on the Green that night in December 2016 has been immortalised in a live album that Jim has just released. Click here for more information, or how to buy it, if you meant to, but forgot on the night.
Here are what some of the audience thought:
Hi Daf, great evening last Friday. Jim and Bill really complimented one another and the food was excellent. Andrew.
Last night was absolutely fantastic - thank you for organising a wonderful evening! There was such a lovely atmosphere and Jim and Bill as a double-act take some beating; they are so talented, warm and funny. My friend commented on the way home that her jaw was aching from laughing so much! As a celebration of our beloved Dartymoor and great folk music, I reckon it will take some beating. One word sums it up for me - Joyful!
And thanks and congrats, once again, to the folks at the Cafe on the Green; the meals were delicious and they really did their bit to help make the whole event the great evening out that was.
As you can tell, I quite enjoyed it.
Best wishes
Andrea x
Hi Daf
Excellent dinner at the Cafe on the Green last night, matched with an excellent concert with Bill and Jim. A perfect evening, thank you.
I would be grateful if you would put me down for two places for Belshazzar’s Feast on 22 May please, with the meal as well.
Many thanks
Steve
Got home and still on a high! I really enjoyed this evening - Sue
Thank you for arranging Jim C. and Bill M. last week - a very enjoyable evening.
Please, Daf, may I book for 4 of us to come on 22nd May to see/hear Belshazzar’s Feast.......with supper? - Lindy
To all the people at the café on Friday evening,
Thank you.
I was most impressed with the service and friendliness and the yumminess of the supper.
I am not a very patient or queuing sort of person (!), so its a bit of a struggle an event like that, and we have been to a few of Daf’s evenings. But no queuing, much more relaxing, the speed with which it was all served, and most importantly the salmon was cooked to perfection. Not sure how you managed to cook and serve so many meals all at one time. Apparently the beef was good too!
Looking forward to the next one in May. JC
And now for Andrew Lester's photos....
Jim Causley is known to many of us (if not all of us) partly because he's a lovely local chappy, based in South Zeal, and therefore performs a lot in our part of the country (including at Widecombe Fair) but mainly because he came to the Sailing Club in December 2016*. Everybody loved his show so we decided to ask him back and this time, we asked Bill to come along as well.
Bill Murray has been singing songs from the northern slopes of Dartmoor for over fifty years. Songs about country life, most of them humorous, learnt from older generations of singers at get-togethers in village halls, fairs and inns. Songs like Widecombe Fair, Tavystock Goozie Vayre, The Bellringing and Down ‘pon Ole Dartmoor. He is a founder member of The Dartmoor Folk Festival and plays many of the old dance tunes on the English concertina at pub sessions all over the Moor. He also recites many very funny dialect stories and anecdotes from Devonshire and beyond that he has gathered over the years, from various sources. He has performed many times on television and radio as a singer, musician and storyteller, as well as at Widecombe Fair with Jim.
And for those who don't know Jim: More than simply a folk-singer, multi award winning singer-songwriter, musician and proud Devonian, he is an all-round entertainer and during the past decade Causley has been nominated no less than six times for a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award. Last year he was nominated as Singer of the Year at the 2017 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, he won the Spiral Earth Singer of the Year award in 2014, presented his own folk music show on BBC Radio Devon and in 2015 he worked with BBC TV historian Dr Sam Willis to create the music for his show ‘Highwaymen, Outlaws and Villains‘ and was asked to perform his song about Dartmoor tin mining ‘Pride of the Moor‘ on BBC TV’s Countryfile – Dartmoor Special.
Dinner was a choice of
- Slow Cooked Beef in Red Wine with Braised Red Cabbage, Roasted Celeriac, Crispy New Potatoes
- Pan Fried Salmon with Crispy New Potatoes, Roasted Fennel and Wild Garlic
- Mushroom, Brie and Cranberry Puff Pie with Crispy New Potatoes, Braised Red Cabbage and Roasted Celeriac.
The evening went down a storm. The food was lovely - tasty and plenty of it - and JIm and Bill gave us a wonderful, warm-hearted performance.
* Jim Causley's performance at the Cafe on the Green that night in December 2016 has been immortalised in a live album that Jim has just released. Click here for more information, or how to buy it, if you meant to, but forgot on the night.
Here are what some of the audience thought:
Hi Daf, great evening last Friday. Jim and Bill really complimented one another and the food was excellent. Andrew.
Last night was absolutely fantastic - thank you for organising a wonderful evening! There was such a lovely atmosphere and Jim and Bill as a double-act take some beating; they are so talented, warm and funny. My friend commented on the way home that her jaw was aching from laughing so much! As a celebration of our beloved Dartymoor and great folk music, I reckon it will take some beating. One word sums it up for me - Joyful!
And thanks and congrats, once again, to the folks at the Cafe on the Green; the meals were delicious and they really did their bit to help make the whole event the great evening out that was.
As you can tell, I quite enjoyed it.
Best wishes
Andrea x
Hi Daf
Excellent dinner at the Cafe on the Green last night, matched with an excellent concert with Bill and Jim. A perfect evening, thank you.
I would be grateful if you would put me down for two places for Belshazzar’s Feast on 22 May please, with the meal as well.
Many thanks
Steve
Got home and still on a high! I really enjoyed this evening - Sue
Thank you for arranging Jim C. and Bill M. last week - a very enjoyable evening.
Please, Daf, may I book for 4 of us to come on 22nd May to see/hear Belshazzar’s Feast.......with supper? - Lindy
To all the people at the café on Friday evening,
Thank you.
I was most impressed with the service and friendliness and the yumminess of the supper.
I am not a very patient or queuing sort of person (!), so its a bit of a struggle an event like that, and we have been to a few of Daf’s evenings. But no queuing, much more relaxing, the speed with which it was all served, and most importantly the salmon was cooked to perfection. Not sure how you managed to cook and serve so many meals all at one time. Apparently the beef was good too!
Looking forward to the next one in May. JC
And now for Andrew Lester's photos....