TRIBUTES have been paid to a pioneer of the comedy folk scene.
Dave Turner, who died in August aged 66, influenced the likes of Billy Connolly, Jasper Carrott and Mike Harding during the 60s and 70s as one of the first folk musicians to introduce comedy into his live shows.
"There will be a bit of Dave that will carry on forever," says folk singer Fred Wedlock, the man behind the 1981 hit The Oldest Swinger In Town.
"They'll sing his songs forever and even if they don't sing his songs people will be listening to singers who were influenced by Dave. People like Jasper Carrot, Mike Harding and Billy Connolly. And myself."
Wedlock, who recorded two of his songs – The British Bobby and Robin Hood – met him in the mid-70s on the folk circuit.
"He stayed with me when he played in Bristol and I'd stay at his flat above a launderette in Hyson Green when I played in Nottingham."
He adds: "He wrote some very funny songs and he was a lovely, friendly, generous, gentle bloke. And a bit of a hippy, really."
Friends and contemporaries also included Jake Thackray, John Renbourn and Bert Jansch.
"He was the original British comedy folk performer," says brother Pete Turner.
Dave Turner was born in The Meadows and lived in Canada from the age of 10 -15. He worked as a miner for a number of years at Wollaton Colliery.
"He wrote songs down there," says Pete.
"I remember one about a pit pony that he looked after that he thought was being mistreated.
"But that was more of his serious ones. He was better known for his comedy songs.
"He started doing comedy folk on stage after listening to a record by an American called Jimmy Driftwood called Very Unfortunate Man."
He was already performing in folk clubs as part of a duet but was too nervous to go solo. During a gig at the Nottingham Folk Workshop in Heathcote Street in the early 60s, his musical partner left the stage.
"He said 'and now Dave will do a few solo songs'. He was bricking it," laughs Pete.
"But he did Very Unfortunate Man and everyone loved it. That was it."
As well as being a regular on the local circuit, Dave would tour the UK's folk clubs, playing the same clubs as Connolly, Harding and Carrott.
He also appeared on a bill with Tom Jones.
"Jasper Carrott banned him from the club he ran in Birmingham because he was too popular," says Pete.
Dave, who suffered ill-health from the early 90s, ran the Folk, Blues & Beyond night at the Running Horse for years and would introduce acts at the Golden Fleece's open mic night up until six years ago.
"About four years ago he contracted shingles in his right arm and, due to severe nerve damage, was unable to play the guitar again,"
you can add memories and comments to the nottingham evening post online lasting tribute page: http://lastingtribute.thisisnottingham.co.uk/tribute/turner/2901676
~~~
"I remember Dave Turner making me laugh till I cried on numerous occasions".
Magie Holland
~~~
"Ah, me too. In the heyday of the "folk comedians", he was the funniest of them all, and as the quotes on the link above testify, a big influence on many of the others like Fred Wedlock, Jasper Carrott etc. A lot was owed to him. Good guitarist too, i.i.r.c., which is more than could have been said of most of the others".
Ian Anderson - Folk Roots magazine
~~~
I am now living in Brittany in France and it was with deep regret that a Nottingham friend informed me of the death of a Folk circuit icon, Dave Turner. I started my own "folk career" in the old Miltons Head pub (Vic Centre now) in the Folk Club run by a group called Paraphanalia in the late 60's whilst in the RAF at Syerston near Newark. I got to know several of the Nottingham folk regulars including Dave, and when I was posted south the Brize Norton I ran a Folk Club in Wantage in Oxfordshire where Dave became a regular guest star. It always greatly amused me that Dave did a 30-40 minute spot without stopping in between songs. It was just one continuous act with the applause right at the end. Maybe it was the nervousness described by his brother that formed such an act!
It greatly amused my American wife, who didn't know of Dave, that I still knew all the words to "Robin Hood" when I played in on the website! Dave Turner was a one-off who will be sadly missed.
Jack Riley, Brittany, France ~~~
Hello. Duncan Oakley here, musical stand up comic from Nottingham. I have a lot to thank Dave Turner for as my career began in those heady nights in the Golden Fleece ten years ago. My mate Rob and I moved to Nottingham and started a double act called the Demolition Brothers at Pete and Mandy's open mic night at the Horse and Groom. They told us of this night at the Fleece and soon we became a regular feature where people would try to get us even more drunk before performing daft requests. Well, much like Dave, my partner in crime did a runner and I had to take the bricks out of my trousers and go on solo. I did this with the help of Steve Hall and Martin Phillips who ran the night with Dave and kept a string of guitars handy as i kept breaking them, but Dave gave me encouragement, support and advice as well as a good rollocking when I lost my temper. My friend Huw Costin worked at the Malt Cross where Darrell Martin ran his other comedy night and said i should come down. For the last nine years I've constantly toured this country's comedy circuit and even been to other countries including Singapore, Dubai, Croatia and Bahrain. Last year I took a show to the Edinburgh festival where i worked closely with Dave's son Joe who has become a lovely friend and definitely shares his fathers gentle good will. I regret that I won't be around for the wake on monday so would like to take this opportunity to thank Dave Turner for his support, his kindness, his deep, gravelly voice and his wickedly smashing son Joe. Thank you.
~~~
I knew Dave in the late sixties/early seventies,in fact that,s me bottom right of the human pyramid,also me next to Dave on the following photo,Cambridge folk festival maybe the second one I think.What a great man,his lyrics were way ahead of the time,I only hope that if there's a god he will be listening right now to 'a up Noah I want you to build a bloody big boat',that ell bring the clouds down!His version of the green green grass of home on acid is sung to this day throughout Wales!Rascaly fellow he was,full of humility and mirth.Lets hope that there to meet him in the afterlife is not the 'Nottingham vice squad'Farewell Dave.
Greville
~~~
I was a founder member of The Beggarmen.When the band split in 1970,my partner Terry Walsh and I set up as Kelly & Walsh. Apart from our own club in Glossop where Terry lived,we landed ourselves the residency at the famous MSG on Longmillgate in
Manchester centre working for the infamous Lesley Jenkins who became our agent.
Without a doubt the funniest act we had the pleasure and privilege to work with was the fabulous Dave Turner.A great wit,superb musician and a gentleman by all definitions.
"The Nottinghamshire corporation diesel engined jackhammer blues", still makes me smile just for the title alone.We also booked Dave for our little club at the Commercial Inn in Glossop. He did not disappoint. His inventiveness was trailblazing and as the creator of the "Hippopoterhinostracow" aboard Noah's Ark,quite remarkable.
I had not realised the sad fact of his parting and it was purely a fluke that I googled him to see if I could find out about him.The world is a sadder place for the departure of truly great comedians and wits and musicians.We particularily need them more than ever now.A lot of people owe much to the inspiration of such a man.
Tony Kelly
~~~
Dave Turner came down to Brinklow to see me about 4 years ago. I persuaded him to borrow a guitar and he did a couple of numbers. He brought with him a cassette recording of a performance he had made at The Wurzel Bush Folk Club on the day before I got married to Pam 20 years earlier. That tape contains his Noah's Ark and The Farting song. I will try and convert that tape to MP3 when I have a moment. I had none Dave for many years going right back to when I first met him at Tony Savage's club at The 3 Crowns at Barwell.
Dave Sampson
~~~
JUST POSTING A MEMORY OF DAVE. I USED TO SIT AND CHAT WITH DAVE AT THE RED LION IN THE DAYS OF CAPTAIN BIRDSEYE, LIAM. IR WAS ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO BE IN HIS COMPANY AS FOR YEARS PRIOR TO THIS I HAD HIS NAME MANY RIMES FROM TONY CROSBY. ALAN CLARK SANG WHEELIE BIN ETC ALL THE TIME AND WHEN I MET THE MAN HIMSELF, AS I SAY IT WAS A PLEASURE. I HAD A FEW SCOOPS WITH HIM ABOUT 3 WEEKS BEFORE HE DIED. IT'S GREAT THAT THERE ARE RECORDINGS OF DAVE. LEO
~~~
..
In 1969 Dave and I were living in Pete Arnold's house in West Bridgford. One day, Dave showed me a poem he had written called "Tears and Greasepaint". That evening I composed a melody for it, and played it to Dave, who instantly adopted it.
Back in those days whenever he sang it in public, he always announced that the music had been composed by "Dick da Morgue" - me!
Hearing this song forty years later was a very emotional experience.
At the time Pete Arnold, Lia and I formed a group called Paraphernalia.
I first met Dave at The Golden Fleece, I guess sometime around the mid nineties, when he was comparing the open mic nights on on a Monday with Martin Sanders. Although at this time his health was not good and his guitar playing was not what it was I think the rare performances he did were some of the funniest moments Ive ever experienced, and having heard recordings of him as a young man I think he got funnier as time went on, his Nottingham accent becoming more pronounced, as if with age he came to embody the character of his comedy more completely. I'll never forget gems like "Fred West", "only one wheel on my wheely bin" and the song that I think went something like "there's a hole in my mattress where my wife used to be". I belive that Martin must have many of these nights on mini disc which would be great to hear again. Dave was a very warm character and I remember him being very supportive and encouraging to me when I played him my songs. I will never forget meeting Dave on the street one day, I used to live round the corner from him, it was a time when I was on the rocks somewhat having lost my job amongst other things and he invited to his flat for a smoke and I seem to recal having a glass of sherry with him or was it straight from the bottle! Anyway we spent the afternoon talking about music and working through his record collection and thats when I first heard the old recordings of him back in the sixties. I regret I didn't drop in on him more often, we often chatted in the street but isn't it the case that we all chug along in this life without doing some of the things we would like to, and we sometimes forget that none of us will be around forever. God bless you Dave I'll always remember you and i hope you were happy in your own way although you were blessed and cursed by that demon songwriting.
thanks for all those words of wisdom old mate. they went a long way. we,ll meet up for a fag and a pint in the sky one day. you had a great influence on me dave. fagroon
That was a wonderful tribute in the Evening Post last night, very fitting.
Although I didn't know him as well as many, I always loved spending time in the company of Dave and his death is a great loss to music, comedy & Nottingham.
Condolences to all Daves family. Your wit and humour can never be replaced. Keep 'em laughing where ever you may be. Rest in Peace Dave Bary Middleton & Family
condolences to all daves family.remember him well from the running horse in the 90s particularly.god bless him.a great character and a good friend of my late best friend patrick walsh.
