Singabout - Journal of Australian Folksong, Volume 3 - precis of each issue

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The Bush Music Club was founded in October 1954 & published the first issue of Singabout in January 1956. This issue included notice of BMC's First Annual Conference on Saturday 11th February at the International Seaman's Club. 

The final issue published was Vol. 6, no. 2, 1967. Issue 6(3) was prepared but never printed and BMC then relied on newsletter-style publications until Mulga Wire started in 1977.

Singabout 3(1) Summer 1958

Cover - members of the Bush Music Club Concert Party - Peter Francis, Jamie Carlin, Gay Terry, Lorna Lovell, John Meredith & Alan Scott.

New Songs

The Never-Never Plan - words & music by J. Scott

The Kookaburra Laughed - words & music by Stan Wakefield

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Australian Ballads

Definitely Barred by Merv Lilley

Malone's Cockatoo - from the collection of Matt O'Connor, Wilcannia, NSW

Lucinda Closing Down by Jim Hogan, Townsville, Qld

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Collected Songs

Never Trust A Sailor - learnt by Bill Scott when he was in the Royal Australian Navy in the early 1940s

Wild Rover - collected from Joe Cashmere

 Paddy Sheahan - collected from Madge Laver, daughter of Lance Skulthorpe

The Dying Stockman - collected from Madge Laver, daughter of Lance Skulthorpe

The Drover's Dream -c ollected from Charlie Phillips at Warrawong, NSW

I'm Spending My Days in the Doss House - depression days parody collected from Mr J. Bates by Merv Lilley, Yeppoon, Qld

Old T.I. - one verse of a  variation learnt from native military during the war by Merv Lilley.

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Recitation

How would you be?

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Singabout 3(2) Autumn 1959

Cover - All home made. Three of the Manifolds with puplute, pan-pipes and 4-string bass. The family band also includes a mandora (tenor Mandolin) which is likewise home-made.

New Songs

Farewell Snowy Lamb - words, Merv Lilley, tune - The Dying Stockman

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Collected Songs

Garrawilla - written by a shed-hand at Garrawilla station, collected from Jack Wright, who learnt it from his father.

The Goondiwindi Song - extra verses - collected by Jamie Carlin from the singing of Lach Robertson

The Dying Stockman - contributed by Ian Mudie who learnt it from his mother, who had learnt it in the seventies.

The Body in the Bag - music hall song contributed by Stan Wakefield 

T.I. - from Jean Devanny's book about North Queensland, By Tropic Sea and Jungle (A&R, 1940) 

2 fragments of Kelly Ballads - the first collected by John Meredith from 86 year old Jack Luscombe in March 1953, the other sent to the editor in 1956 by Mrs H. McKenzie, aged 89 of Launceston, Tas. 

Sixteen Thousand Miles from Home - collected from Jack Wright of Coogee who learnt it from his father.

The Little Fish - 2 extra verses, collected from Jack Wright, Coogee

Banks of Riverine - collected from Mrs Smeed, Mudgee,

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Reciter's Corner

The Spider from the Gwydir

The Shearer's Nightmare - by Darcy Burns, Monaro, contributed by Fred Sloane

The Bush Ain't What it Was - contributed by G.A, NSW

Gumleaf Musician - by Len Fox 

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Singabout 3(3) Winter/Spring 1958

cover - Bush Music Club members at the Henry Lawson Statue in the Sydney Domain.

New Songs

The Goose-Neck Spurs by Duke Tritton (composed during 1905 shearing season) 

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Birth of the Victorian Bush Music Club

 

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Collected Songs

Humping Old Bluey - words & music from the singing of Mr. Rod Manton, aged 70, of Erskineville

The Wild Colonial Boy - supplied by Mr Theo Archdeacon, WA who learnt it at school in Western Australia in the middle 80s when it was new.

Charlie Mopps - the theme-song of the Bush Music Club, collected by Redd Sullivan from the Chief Refrigeration engineer on the ss Tekoa in 1953 & localised with Sydney pubs. 2nd verse written by BMC member Peter Francis.

The Pommy's Lament - collected from Mrs Murial Whalen of Katoomba, NSW

Shickered as He Could Be - collected from a fisherman on Lake Macquarie with additional verses remembered by members.

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Reciters Corner

A Battle of Wits by Matt O'Connor, Milparinka, NSW

Hurry Up by Stan Wakefield, Panania, NSW

The Tragedy, traditional, collected by Kath Anderson, Heathcote, NSW

Shearer Man (fragment of an Afghan's rhyme on shearing) - traditional, collected by Dennis Ryan, Sydney.

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Miscellaneous

Skipping Rhymes by Alan Scott

Aboriginal Songs by Roland Robinson. Reprinted by kind permission from The Bulletin.

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Singabout 3(4) (n.d.)

Cover - This jolly crowd of performers are members of the Billabong Band from Melbourne, founders of the Victorian Bush Music Club. 

History of the Victorian Folk Music Club (est. 1959 as Victorian Bush Music Club)

www.vfmc.org.au/VFMCHistory.pdf

1959

In August an offer by the Sydney Bush Music Club to a ten percent share in their “Singabout” magazine was accepted. An example of the Club’s contribution to this magazine can be seen in “Singabout” Vol. 3, No. 4, which included the words, music, notes and drawing for the “Dying Shearer”, and an article by Frank Nickels.

New Songs  Ringing on Gummin - by Duke Tritton

The Bream of Anson's Bay by Clarence Strochnetter, Tas,  music by Stan Wakefield

Pelican Joe - words & music by Stan Wakefield

The Stock Route Again - words & music by Stan Wakefield

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Collected Songs

The Maiden's Prayer - collected from "Cat" McCann in Gulgong, NSW

The Dying Stockman - collected from Mr Tom Newbound, Rutherglen, Vic

Old Poley Cow (air - Blue Tail Fly) - contributed by Jamie Carlin, who received this version from Mr Alf A. Ryall of Kojonup, WA.

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Reciter's Corner

Battler's Ballad - Jack Wright, Coogee, NSW

Bollon - Stan Wakefield, Panania, NSW.

Shearing Ditty (air - Marching Through Georgia) - contributed by Charlie Rundle, Louth, NSW


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