For our 30th birthday on 21st October 2013 we updated our 'Compleat History of the Ram Club' booklet (PDF format, 10Mb). Click to view or download - it's a 'must read', with a list of all the guests we have ever had plus some stories and pictures!
Below is a list of the past guests from September 2006.
We welcome for the first this award-winning Canadian singer, guitarist, songwriter and keeper of the Tradition. Coming from the same musical heritage as compatriots the late STAN ROGERS and recent guest JAMES KEELAGHAN, DAN'S warm baritone, smooth melodies, easy style and excellent accompaniments give him the aura of an up-to-date Stephen Foster, with themes that cover the entire Folk spectrum. Ever-present on Canadian and North American radio, Dan's live performances are always like an uplifting breath of fresh air, and his latest CD Fields of Dreams and Glory is up for several awards back home.
http://www.danmckinnon.ca/£7 members/£8 non-members
No reunion has been more-awaited than this one! BOB is a highly successful solo artist and frequent visitor to the Ram, but way back in the late 70s this was possibly the Folk duo of the time. 'Nowt So Good'll Pass' was voted Melody Maker Folk Album Of The Year in 1978 and is still regarded as a milestone classic. BOB and STU will play the range of instruments featured in their original live set - including guitars, acoustic bass, dulcimer, and bouzouki - and the reunion concerts will feature all the songs from Nowt So Good'll Pass as well as a wealth of other material from their days as a duo. No more needs to be said, except 'Be There'!
http://www.bobfoxmusic.com/£9 members/£10 non-members
BARRY COOPE, JIM BOYES and LESTER SIMPSON present a radically different, modern face to English 'a cappella' roots music - Traditional songs reworked so they shine and strong, original songs with memorable tunes, soaring harmonies and sometimes radical words that strike a chord and make you listen. Always a stirring night, CBS sing it as they see it, be it the futility of war, industrial and rural decline and the glories of our traditions. They are Folk's Three Tenors, but slimmer and better looking.
http://www.coopeboyesandsimpson.co.uk/£9 members/£10 non-members
UPDATE: Click here for a write-up of the night with photos.
Since his last visit a couple of years ago DAVID has become a major star in Canada, and we are very lucky to be able to get him back for the first night of his UK tour. A storyteller and singer who connects instantly with an audience, he came late to music and only discovered his talent for song writing after encouragement by his work mates! The songs - eloquent, subtle and powerful - are delivered with quiet, understated brilliance and a down-to-earth manner, with superb accompaniment from guitarist CRAIG WERTH. In just 6 years he has received three JUNO awards (Canada's equivalent of the GRAMMYS) in the 'Roots and Traditional' category, the latest this year for his CD 'Rights Of Passage'. His songs tell honest stories of real people, places and situations and are rapidly permeating the repertoires of others. Catch him while you can!
This will be an extra special night because it is also the Ram Club's 25th Birthday! Tonight and on Sunday we will be celebrating the past and toasting the future too, because that's where we're headed! Whether you've been on board for the whole ride or have only been coming for a short while, this is your club and you are all a part of it. So, there will be a slightly longer break to cut the cake, raise a glass, wag some chin and have some fun...
http://www.davidfrancey.com/£8 members/£9 non-members
...carrying on from where we left off on Friday with a very informal get-together at the Foley Arms. From 1.00 - 3.00 pm a chance to have a leisurely chat, purchase some fine ale or Pinot Grigio from the bar and perhaps a spot of lunch, reminisce a little but most of all gird our loins in anticipation of an ever-flowing feast of musical entertainment to fill the Friday Evening Void. Everyone is welcome so see you there!
£0 members/£0 non-members
Since his debut in 2005 ADRIAN's stock has grown such that his new CD Fall or Fly has been produced by no less than CHRIS WEST (The Verve, Richard Ashcroft) with an A-list of musicians. From the coast where he lives to the mountains he climbs to the lakes he loves to be on, Adrian has a unique view of the world and a rare ability to distil it into gorgeous, mostly positive songs that seem like they've always been there - songs with carefully-chosen words and rich melodies based on the beauty of nature, travel, the sea and the Human Condition. An exceptional guitarist too, he pays tribute to heroes like Richard Thompson, Mark Knopfler, Bruce Cockburn and the late Isaac Guillory with instrumental flourishes that colour his creations.
http://www.laburnumbridge.co.uk/£7 members/£8 non-members