Following on from the dramatic success of their “debut duo” album – “A year too late & a month too soon”, reviewed here, which also recently featured in Mojo’s “Top Folk Albums” for 2022 (No 6!!), Yorkshire’s finest two ladies of folk, Bryony Griffith & Alice Jones – now give us a truly traditional Christmas tune, true to form, true to Yorkshire; Early Pearly hails from the streets of Ripon.
A Year Too Late And A Month Too Soon is traditional folk music at its most beguiling.
Dave McNally (Review)
Early Pearly is a traditional Yorkshire song that was still being sung by children in the 1940s in the streets of Ripon at Christmas time. The jaunty tune shrouds the sentimentality typical of Victorian tearjerkers, and the children would go from door to door in the hope of tugging on the heartstrings of the occupants to gain financial reward.
This version is a concoction of ‘Haley Paley’ from Dave Hillery and Harry Boardman’s 1971 album ‘Transpennine’ and Hull singer Margaret Gardham’s ‘Early Pearly’ on the Yorkshire Garland website. It was sung in her family as a lullaby for at least four generations.
A message from Bryony and Alice: We are hoping to be able to donate proceeds to homeless charities after they’ve covered costs. We know it’s tough times for a lot of people, but if you’re in a position to donate more than £1 for the track, please do and help us make a difference to someone’s quality of life this Winter.
Listen to the single below which we encourage you to buy from Bandcamp: https://bryonyandalice.bandcamp.com/track/early-pearly
Other Similar Customs: ‘Thomasing’ or ‘gooding’ traditionally took place on the longest night (21st December – St Thomas’s Day). In Steve Roud’s ‘The English Year’ he states that most accounts state that the custom was almost entirely confined to women, often with the help of their children. These customs often took place in small close-knit communities where everybody knew each other. Effectively this goodwill custom was much like a local charity, looking after those in need.
Website: https://bryonyandalice.com/
Bandcamp: https://bryonyandalice.bandcamp.com/track/early-pearly