Ian - Bass guitar
He started playing acoustic guitar at fourteen, concentrating on traditional and contemporary folk songs. He's been a resident singer at the Bee Folk Club, Rhyl, and the Inverness Folk Club (guess where!).He also plays Appalachian Dulcimer, bodhran (doesn't everyone?), and dabbles with whistles and mandolin when no-one's listening. At about the same time as he took up the guitar, Ian encountered traditional dance - and was knocked out by it. It wasn't until many years later, though, that he managed to join Harwich Morris Men. Soon afterwards he joined the associated ceilidh band Bonny Green Garters, playing bass for them for around four years until moving North. During this time, Ian was involved in a unique folk-rock production, "Oh Kitty!" as joint author, co-director, and musician in the band. The blues-rock group that evolved from this was ready to go public when its drummer took a gig on the QE2 instead! Ian had a brief membership of Yorkshire Coast Morris - they keep trying to tempt him back! - then settled with the traditional Goathland Plough Stots longsword dancers. He's kept up Cotswold Morris by teaching the Cædmon School Traditional Dance Club for many years, and they've earned a reputation for first-rate dancing. More recently he's been on the organising committee for the International Sword Dance Spectaculars, and is the Dance Organiser for Whitby's annual Moor & Coast Festival.
Sword Dancing
Favourite ceilidh band? Florida, with Geckoes a close second!