English folk singer-songwriter Bill Caddick has passed away at the age of 74. His wife, the illustrator Katherine Soutar, said via Twitter on 20 November:
Last night the world lost a great songwriter, musician and human being.
And I lost my life partner, slightly reluctant life model and muse.
I was told that he died peacefully at home surrounded by his family: his wife Katherine and son Tam, with Christie, Bill’s eldest son.
Bill was particularly noted for his songwriting, some of his most well-known songs are “John O dreams”, “Waiting for the Lark”, “Unicorns” and “She Moves Among Men”. His songs have been covered by many including the likes June Tabor, Alex Campbell and Christy Moore. He was also a member of the innovative and influential group Home Service as well as the Albion Band. When I ventured into putting on gigs back in 2014 he was among first acts I booked, he was a true performer, a man with a strong passion for song writing and a warm presence, he could draw any audience in, one of our best writers and a real storyteller.
Elements of the following are taken from Bill’s old website which is no longer available.
Bill had been singing the British folk club circuit since the early 1960’s although it wasn’t until 1976 that he released his debut solo album Rough Music, an album that has since become a collector’s item as there were only 1500 copies pressed. He then released ‘Sunny Memories’ the following year in 1977. The latter, a reflection on Edwardian Life was re-written as a show and premiered at the Roundhouse in London followed by an extensive tour.
In those intervening years he joined the puppet and street theatre group called Magic Lantern which was formed by the renowned folk storyteller Taffy Thomas who received the UK’s first Laureate for Storytelling in 2009.
Theatre was to feature soon again for in 1977 he joined The Albion Band for their National Theatre production of Lark Rise and The Passion. A further solo album ‘Reasons…’ was released in 1979. He then formed an occasional trio with Peter Bond and Tim Laycock, collaborating on the show and album ‘A Duck on his Head’ about circus life, as well writing songs for local radio and Granada TV – for whom he also wrote and performed music for a film on the Tolpuddle Martyrs.
He continued to work at the National Theatre, writing and appearing in ‘Don Quixote’ ‘A Country Calendar’ ‘The Passion’ ‘The Nativity’ ‘Doomsday’ ‘The Mysteries’ – the award-winning trilogy performed at the National, West End, TV and throughout Europe.
Bill was a founder member of The Home Service whom he left in 1985 and released a new solo album ‘ The Wild West Show’. After a brief spell living in London, where he recorded a limited edition cassette ‘Urban Legend’ with fiddler Neti Vaandrager and bassist Bernard O’Neill, Bill moved back to the Midlands to Jackfield, Shropshire, with his wife Katherine, an Illustrator, and their son Tam.
In 1996 he released a new CD ‘ Winter with Flowers’, backed by a number of local musicians, including members of ceilidh band All Blacked Up which he went on to join. He continued to work as a solo performer and with the local band the Jackfield Riverbillies and the new Anne Lennox Martin Band.
Bill released a retrospective double album ‘Unicorns’ in 2002 which I was sent a copy of. It featured new recordings of thirty-six of his finest songs. The liner notes opened:
“After you’ve written them, songs leave you like children leave home, only quicker. You can work on a song, be close to it, know it inside out, think it’s finished and a week later look at it and think, “Did I?…”, “How did I…?” And sometimes even “Why did I…?”
It’s a beautiful album and one you should seek out.
In between times, he was Musical Director of a new production of “Larkrise” by the Shropshire Theatre Guild at Shrewsbury Castle. He also hosted a Singers night at the Black Swan in Jackfied.
When midnight comes and people homeward tread
Seek now your blanket and your feather bed
Home comes the rover, his journey’s over
Yield up the night time to old John O’ Dreams
Yield up the night time to old John O’ Dreams
Bill Caddick, 1944 – 2018