Down in the Park – cover by Phil Berthoud

Rewind back to 24th May 1979 and an episode of Top of the Pops that I’ll always remember.  Along with Roxy Music’s Dance Away, Boys Keep Swinging by David Bowie and Shine a Little Love by ELO was a song that really got my attention more than anything...

Golden Brown on guitar, fiddle and mandolin

Here’s my rendition of The Stranglers 1982 singie, Golden Brown.  I remember this coming out while I was still at school.  A lot of the kids at school felt betrayed by the distinct change of direction of the punk band.  Known for snarling out punk classics like...

Old Joe Clark – Old time American tune

This tune was originally a North American traditional song.  The lyrics are thought to be inspired by the 19th century Kentucky mountaineer Joseph Clark and versions have been recorded by the likes of Woody Guthrie, Cowan Powers and the Kingston Trio. Many verses have...

John Ryan’s Polka on Tenor Ukulele

I’ve recently been enjoying working out Irish tunes on my tenor ukulele.  It’s tuned GCEA, like a concert ukulele.  But, the G string is an octave lower. For a guitarist, this sounds like the four thinnest strings on the guitar (standard tuned), with the...