The clubs history

 


The Folk Club originally opened on Saturday 19th of February 1972 at The Denbigh Arms, Monks Kirby The opening night guests were The Fureys.

Initially the club was named after the pub and from the start the folk club was very popular with nights when over a hundred people packed into the small upstairs room. but when a new landlord took over the pub he wasn't satisfied with a packed room full of drinkers he wanted the Folk Club to pay a substantial sum for using the room. As a result of this the club moved home and became The Wurzel Bush Folk Club organiser Dave Sampson vowed that the club would have its own identity and would never again bear the name of the establishment where it met.

Thus it was that the Wurzel Bush Folk Club opened at The Fletch Hotel in Coventry in September 1973 the first guest artist was Jasper Carrott and the admission price was 40p.

At that time some folkies moaned because a pint of M&B Brew 11 was 16p a pint:- somewhat expensive !!!!

In 1975 Jasper returned to the club with a mobile recording studio. The resulting live album "RABBITS ON" was to reach number 7 in the top ten album charts.

Victoria Wood also appeared at the club in that year, Club organiser Dave Sampson went to a lot of trouble to have a piano 'dragged in' from the public bar. Victoria however didn't seem impressed by the beer stained relic, Dave however took the view that since he had carried his guitar across Coventry that evening he had saved her the trouble of bring her own piano from Birmingham.

In 1976 Jeremy Taylor (having hurt his hand) brought Cat Stevens along as his guitarist.

In 1980 The club moved from Coventry to Brinklow and changed from a Saturday night to every Friday night at The White Lion.

In 1985 The Wurzel Bush Folk Club made made international news after the Moulton morris men danced a traditional fertility dance, Six of the folk club regulars became pregnant and the club was featured on TV and radio newscasts and national newspapers. An American journalist telephoned to ask if the morris men featured in the ' News of the World ' were from British Leyland. (He thought the were something to do with The Morris Minor motorcar.)

In 1994 the club moved to The Royal British Legion where the first event was a charity night for BBC Children in Need called The Human Juke Box. Stevie Price and Keith Donnolly turn up at the event with a outside broadcast unit and produced a memorable coverage which was shown on BBC1 minutes later.

The club was firmly established at The Royal British Legion at Brinklow but because of problems with the new steward and his friend who is a self confessed Freemason Dave Sampson had to pull the plug on that venue. Dave who had become involved in saving the RBL club could not remain involved in that club once he found that criminal activity involving the distruction of evidence had involved a person still involved with that club..