Harvey Andrews

I will be playing the Moonshine Room in Bewdley on April 6th. Call 07739 319 371 for ticket info.

For the last seven years I have hosted courses in France and these have been very successful. However, some people have intimated to me that the travel involved was a bit too much for them. Therefore I am doing the course in the beautiful Shropshire hills of England this year. Yvonne and John Hart at their farm near Minsterley have built a study centre overlooking the Stiperstones. Here’s the view!

The shropshire hills

We start with a get-together on Sunday 2 May 2010. The course begins on Monday and goes through to Friday 7 May. During the week we will have an evening at a traditional pub for a sing around, an evening meal at another local hostelry, and on the Friday evening (Harvey’s 67th birthday) an informal concert hosted by Harvey and students with local supporters of the folk community and friends.

Wednesday afternoon will be set aside for a bit of tourism, when students will be free to visit the fantastic gardens and house at nearby Powys Castle, or do some shopping and sightseeing in the beautiful town of Shrewsbury.

The course is suitable for both sexes and all ages and looks at lyric writing, story telling and performance skills in a relaxed and unpressured way, with Harvey giving one on one time to each student as well as time to the group. Partners are welcome to bring a good book, a camera or a sketch pad, or drive off to various places of interest in this beautiful county.

The week costs £260 including lunch. For your accommodation, details of local hotels and B+Bs will be provided.

On Saturday 8 May Harvey is in concert at the nearby Hope Village Hall. This is a separate event students may wish to stay on for.

Contact Yvonne and John Hart on yj.hart@virgin.net or 01743 891 412, write to Crossfields, Gravels Bank, Minsterley, Shropshire SY5 0HG www.gleanings.co.uk or contact me with any questions you would like answered.

We’ve just posted details of 15 new concerts in March, April and May – including an Andrews and Cooper reunion concert!

Head over to our concert listings page for full details.

I’m sorry to report that my gig on Friday 15 January at the Barn Theatre Club, Welwyn Garden City, has also had to be postponed.

It will be rescheduled in the spring, but I don’t have a final date yet. I’ll post it here when it’s all sorted out.

I’m sorry to report that, due to the weather conditions, my gig on Saturday 9 January at the Red Lion in King’s Heath, Birmingham, has had to be postponed.

However, we’ve managed to reschedule it for May 29th.

We shouldn’t still be snowed in then… should we?!

I’ve added sound samples, videos and extra content to the site, as well as giving it a wash and brush up. The only things I haven’t embraced are twitter or facebook because, really, who has the time?!

There will be new things coming over the next few months, including lots more video, podcasts, MP3 downloads and much more.

If you wish to keep up to date with new developments, you can subscribe to my blog and news feed using RSS or have updates automatically delivered by email.

Abba on Popzien

“To Amsterdam for the Dutch equivalent of ‘Top of the Pops’, called ‘Popzein’. We sang two songs.

“So I’m putting their name down in the diary tonight and we’ll see if we ever hear of them again – Abba.”

This above pic, which I only stumbled across recently, was obviously taken after recording for publicity purposes.

The guitar is a Gibson J45 sunburst bought in 1965 and used as my composing and performance guitar until the late 70’s, heard to effect on “Writer of Songs” and “Friends of Mine”.

The J45 was retired after being replaced by a Gibson Blue Ridge Custom; itself retired by my current guitar, made in 1979 by Grit Laskin in Canada.

“One of the true craftsmen of song, Harvey has created some pieces which are elegant magic and which last a lifetime. There are very few performers who are as committed as him and who can work an audience with such consummate skill. It is a genuine privilege to have met him and seen him at work!
Folk on the Moor, 2008

This is a curiosity I never knew existed. The single was issued by Transatlantic and sank without a trace. It would not have been my choice for radio play at the time. However, this gem appeared recently on the web, much to my astonishment. The PR department obviously did a good job getting this on the programme.

I walked in to the office of ATV’s head of music just as he was reading a letter asking him to commission a theme song. He looked up and said: “Hello Harvey, you can do this.” The company wanted a folk type song so I wrote it in my head on the car journey home. When I sang it to my wife she said it was just what they wanted, and then told me to write a ballad as well, pointing out that TV themes were big sellers and my unnaccompanied shanty style song was not a chart topper! Eventually she persuaded me and I submitted both. The ballad was chosen and issued as a single that did quite well. The series was shown around the world.