Blue Murder (folk)

Infobox musical artist
Name = Blue Murder


Img_capt = Blue Murder live at Montgomery Hall, Wath-upon-Dearne, Sunday 1st November 1987. Left to Right: Heather Brady, Lal Waterson, Rachel Waterson, Norma Waterson, Martin Carthy, Mike Waterson, Dave Brady, Jim Boyes.
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Origin = England
Genre = English Folk music A cappella Country Gospel
Years_active = 1987–1988, 1994, 2000-present
Label = Topic
Associated_acts = The Watersons Coope Boyes and Simpson Swan Arcade Norma Waterson Martin Carthy Lal Waterson Eliza Carthy The Waterdaughters
URL = [http://www.coopeboyesandsimpson.co.uk/blue_murder Blue Murder]
Current_members = Norma Waterson Jim Boyes Martin Carthy Mike Waterson Barry Coope Lester Simpson Maria Gilhooley
Past_members = Heather Brady Dave Brady Lal Waterson Rachel Waterson Eliza Carthy

Blue Murder is an occasional English folk "supergroup", consisting at various times of various members of Swan Arcade, Coope Boyes and Simpson, and The Watersons.

Dave and Heather Brady and Jim Boyes of Swan Arcade and The Watersons' Norma and Lal Waterson gathered at Whitby Folk Week in August 1986 for a charity concert for the benefit of the local school. The ensemble, probably performing as The Boggle Hole Chorale, performed at the Festival’s final ceilidh.

In 1987, Ian Anderson invited The Watersons and Swan Arcade to appear at Bracknell Festival, separately and together. The collective group was named "Blue Murder" by Martin Carthy. The line up for the festival was: Martin Carthy, Norma, Lal, Rachel and Mike Waterson, Heather Brady, Dave Brady and Jim Boyes.

This version of Blue Murder performed in 1987 and 1988 at Wath upon Dearne in South Yorkshire, at The Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, at a variety of British festivals, and at the Brossella Festival in Brussels. A demo was put together from their Wath concert performance and a track from a concert in Bracknell appears on "The Carthy Chronicles" (Free Reed FRQCD-60), but this incarnation of the band made no studio recordings.

In 1994, Blue Murder performed "I Bid You Goodnight" for a benefit album "Out on the Rolling Sea". By this time, Swan Arcade had split up, and Heather Brady was unavailable on the day of recording. Barry Coope and Lester Simpson of Coope Boyes and Simpson replaced the two Bradys. Eliza Carthy meanwhile had replaced Rachel Waterson in the Watersons.

The third incarnation of the group began in 2000, following the death of Lal Waterson, when they appeared for a "Yorkshire Evening." They appeared at the Sidmouth Festival in 2001. A concert tour followed in 2002, along with the recording of their first (and thus far only) studio album, "No One Stands Alone". The line-up for 2000-2002 was Norma & Mike Waterson, Martin & Eliza Carthy, Barry Coope, Jim Boyes & Lester Simpson.

This line up - occasionally minus Eliza Carthy when Blue Murder performances clashed with her other commitments - performed sporadically over the next few years, largely on the UK festival circuit. Eventually, Eliza was permanently replaced by Maria Gilhooley, Lal Waterson's daughter and occasional Watersons and collaborator. On 23 November 2007 this line up made its debut concert appearance at the Met Theatre in Bury, Lancashire.

Discography

* The Carthy Chronicles" (Free Reed Records. Cat. No: FRQCD 60) 20014 CD box set tracing the career of Martin Carthy includes one track by the original Blue Murder lineup, recorded live at Bracknell Festival July 11, 1987.
* ANC Song (Azicatal) Blue Murder (mk I): Heather Brady, Lal Waterson, Rachel Waterson, Norma Waterson, Martin Carthy, Mike Waterson, Dave Brady & Jim Boyes: vocals

* Out on the Rolling Sea: A tribute to the music of Joseph Spence & the Pinder Family" (Hokey Pokey Records. Cat. No: HPR 2004.2) 1994Various artists compilation including one track by Blue Murder.
* I Bid You GoodnightBlue Murder (mk II):: Eliza Carthy: lead vocals; Lal Waterson, Norma Waterson, Jim Boyes, Martin Carthy, Barry Coope, Lester Simpson & Mike Waterson: vocals

* Shining Bright: The Songs of Lal & Mike Waterson" (Topic Records. Cat. No: TSCD519) 2002Various artists compilation including one track by Blue Murder (Martin Carthy, Eliza Carthy, Norma Waterson, Jim Boyes and Barry Coope appear elsewhere on other tracks on this album).
* Bright PhoebusBlue Murder (mk III): Lester Simpson, Barry Coope, Jim Boyes, Martin Carthy, Eliza Carthy, Norma Waterson, Mike Waterson: vocals; Martin Carthy: guitar

* No One Stands Alone" (Topic Records. Cat. No: TSCD537) 2002

Links

[http://www.coopeboyesandsimpson.co.uk/blue_murder.htm Coope Boyes and Simpson's page on Blue Murder]

[http://www.myspace.com/martincarthybluemurder Unofficial Blue Murder MySpace page]

[http://www.watersoncarthy.com/ Official Waterson:Carthy website]

[http://www.myspace.com/swanarcade Swan Arcade MySpace page]