The Barrow Poets or Barrow Collective were a group of poets and folk musicians formed in England in the 1950s.[1] Their name came from their practice of selling, from a barrow, copies of works they had written or performed.[1] Members at different times included Gerard Benson, Jim Parker, William Bealby-Wright, Christine Shotton, Cicely Smith, Heather Black, John Naylor, Susan Baker, and William Gardener.[2] They released several folk and spoken word albums on Argo Records from 1963 to 1981, sold mostly at their own gigs.[2] The group "performed everything from Shakespeare and Milton to limericks and risqué ballads everywhere – from the back rooms of pubs to BBC's Late Night Line-Up, around the country and in Europe and the US".[3] "The Pheasant Plucker's Song" was an Australian Top 10 single.[3]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Wolfreys, Julian (2018). Haunted Selves, Haunting Places in English Literature and Culture: 1800–Present. Springer. p. 180. ISBN 9783319980898. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  2. ^ a b "(1963) The Barrow Poets – The Barrow Collection". Folkcatalogue's Blog. Wordpress. 3 May 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Gerard Benson: Award-winning writer and teacher who played a central role in the Poems on the Underground scheme". The Independent. 1 June 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2019.