I was led into the wonderful world of Folk, Roots & Acoustic Music after seeing Celtus live as support for Jimmy Nail at the Plymouth Pavilions in November 1999. On meeting Pat & John McManus and keyboard player Dan Axtell in the foyer at the interval, we knew we had to see them again. My daughter (11 at the time) was totally hooked on Pat's fiddle playing and promptly announced she wanted to learn the violin. He has always been her inspiration (we have kept in touch and saw him in Dec 07 and in Dec 08 in Market Bosworth, Leicestershire) and later as has Phil Beer from Show of Hands, and she has now taken up guitar too! Seth Lakeman has given Emma lessons off and on for two years before he went off and got famous, and we are delighted to have had some time with him and that he has made it to the top, as he did wonders for her confidence and fiddle playing. We are so chuffed he has achieved the fame he deserves. It was my pleasure to have been at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2007 when he received Folk Singer of the Year Award. Summer of 2008 we saw him riding high in the mainstream charts at No 8! He is doing really well.
At another Celtus gig, in Dartford, Kent we met up with the lovely Darren Beech, Chief of Folking.com who after we had got chatting, asked me to be the South West Album and Gig Reviewer for Folking.com. I jumped at this and Darren and I have been firm friends ever since. Folking.com has opened me to all sorts of folk and acoustic artists, both well-known and up and coming. I have made so many friends out of it all , especially the Longdogs community, who support Show of Hands.
My history of newspapers, selling, managing and training, PR and marketing stands me in good stead for promoting, and I enjoy it immensely. I am also a freelance journalist and cover events in and around Plymouth and South Devon. Wherever if need be!
SPEAKEASY AND UNSTRUNG HEROES are local to me here in Devon and Geoff Lakeman is the father of someone famous! Speakeasy are songs from the roaring twenties - and Unstrung Heroes are 3 old folkies who have joined together recently to make good tradtional songs and then some.........
PAUL ROBERT BURTON from Australia and I have been corresponding by email for some time and finally met on July 30th on a half way meet from where he was staying in London and enjoyed some time together in Avebury and Stonehenge. A really great day. Consequently I am putting together a tour for him in the UK possibly including Europe in the Spring of 2012.
Mike Silver and Johnny Coppin I have had the pleasure of knowing for a number of years and have helped them with their collaboration as Coppin and Silver. Always a treat for the ears both individually and as a duo.
Barry Hunt - Tamworth based singer/songwriter who sometimes duos with his daughter Chloe to sing at gigs and pops up at festivals. Barry has this year passed out of Bath Uni with a Masters degree in Songwriting! Well done Baz!
I was delighted to help organise and provide the PR for Morwellham Quay Festivals. The 6th Morwellham Quay Folk Festival was a total success, selling out before the day with Devon's own Seth Lakeman headlining. I was well pleased with that and so were the management! The artists and audience really enjoyed themselves and had some lovely messages back.. Fell in love with this beautiful place the first time I visited it 10 years ago. Sadly and disgracefully - Devon County Council have now pulled the funding for this fantastic old mining port now a living museum. Morwellham is a lovely mystical place that you cannot help but fall in love with. Very inspirational too.
Nobody is really sure what is happening there at the moment.
Helped out with the PR and the Souvenir Programme plus raising awareness of what is going on at the IVYLIVE 2010 Music Festival.
Now helping with sponsorship and advertising for the Plymouth Volksfest 2012 Music Festival. Lovely team, pleasure to be involved. Look out for the Rewind Festival happening on May 5th in Plymouth City Centre. www.plymouthvolksfest.co.uk
In my spare time (!) I enjoy photography, going to gigs, reading and socialising, and fretting about my daughter Emma who joined the Navy in April 08. So very proud of her. They all do a good job and should have our support. She still comes home to eat my food especially my spag bog and chicken korma and also to bring her washing!
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog!
Jean Camp