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.
STEVE is one of the most talented guitarists and songwriters on Planet Folk. Wherever you go, you're never very far from one of his songs and they are greedily snapped up by his peers and indeed most of the Folk scene. Over the years classic songs have burst forth like a perpetual fountain, digging deep into folklore, historical events, modern-day dilemmas and characters and encapsulating them into vignettes of melodic wonder. Songs about beat-up old trawlers, statesmen, gold-diggers, outlaws, thinkers, drinkers, metaphorical banjos and naked highwaymen that linger in the memory - Slip Jigs and Reels, The Naked Highwayman, Salty Dog, Here Comes The Night and Here's To Tom Paine to name but a few. And now, Steve has joined up with long-time pals harmonica virtuoso KEITH WARMINGTON and ace violinist STUART GORDON to perform beautiful arrangements of songs old and new as showcased on their album 'Happenstance'. As Steve says, 'It's the musical equivalent of 'Three Men in a Boat' and hopefully we make a bit of a splash'! We've seen them. They will!
http://www.stevetilston.com£10 members/£12 non-members
ALAN was a founder member of the original Celtic 'Supergroup' the BATTLEFIELD BAND and stayed with them for four decades!! A band with a huge sound and a huge following, he was the 'Engine Room', introducing keyboards to great effect when no one else would dare, underpinning the pipes & fiddle and defining the band's unique sound. A gifted singer & writer, he provided many of their songs. ROB is an exceptional Dutch guitarist who has toured with a variety of Folk, Jazz & Rock acts. Also a great singer & writer, he has worked with Alan for many years. Alan is now 'retired' from the batties but still likes to get out on the road a bit, and tonight will bring together everything they've done in a wonderful, seamless fusion of old & new.
http://www.reidvansante.com/£9 members/£10 non-members
A Ram Regular, MIKE is a superb songwriter and guitarist who aims for the heart and hits! He has written some truly classic songs over the years - accessible, catchy and hugely enjoyable acoustic folk/pop ballads and rockers, sung with passion and underpinned perfectly by his trademark guitar style. Mike writes with sincerity and often wry humour about love, longing & everyday issues, with fantastic tunes & anthemic choruses that you'll know and love or soon pick up (Old Fashioned Saturday Night, Certain Something, Not That Easy). His voice is warm, full and clear, bearing comparison with James Taylor, David Gray & Jackson Browne. And he's even had a brush with fame along the way with a hit single 'Not a Matter of Pride'. Always entertaining 'live', his new album, 'Jack Dances', further confirms his position as one of the UK's foremost artists, covering subjects as diverse as holiday hell-holes, love songs (to a grandson and to a guitar!) and family tribulations.
http://www.mikesilver.co.uk£9 members/£10 non-members
BRENDAN is a complete virtuoso of the harmonica in all of its forms and genres. An All Ireland Champion, innovator and improviser of the first order, he has played the Ram on many occasions - most recently with TIM EDEY. Hot from bagging the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for 'Best Duo', they gave us the most fabulous evening. And now he is making his solo Ram debut. If you think a bloke playing a harmonica couldn't possibly hold an audience for an evening then think again, for with the aid of a variety of gizmos, beat-boxing and live looping he creates his own Folk orchestra and backing vocals as he goes, performing soaring tunes and songs over the top. He also designs and makes harmonicas, often in tunings to allow him to play what he likes! Sting, Kate Bush, Van Morrison, James Galway, Paul Young, John Williams, Mary Black - he's played with them all and many more, but tonight he'll be playing just for you. And you'll be amazed - we promise!
http://www.brendan-power.com£9 members/£10 non-members