Peter Bellamy - Solo Work

Solo Work

Peter Bellamy's first solo album "Mainly Norfolk" (1968) indicated his desire to promote the folk music of his part of England. It drew heavily on the repertoire of Harry Cox, still alive at that time, who was the most famous traditional singer of Norfolk songs. On the album, Bellamy sang all songs unaccompanied. Beginning on his second album, "Fair England's Shore" (1968), he began to accompany himself on the Anglo concertina. Still later, he occasionally recorded with guitar.

It wasn't until Bellamy's eighth album in 1975 that he recorded any of his own compositions. In the same year he recorded a collection of Rudyard Kipling's Barrack Room Ballads (see below).

Having mastered the art of putting new words to a traditional song and his own words to a traditional tune, he wrote a ballad-opera: The Transports in 1973 and it took him 4 years to find a company willing to produce it in 1977. It then became the folk record of the year for 1977 vindicating his long wait and many efforts to get it released. Many prominent names in the folk scene collaborated on the project Dolly Collins (a composer, the sister of Shirley Collins), Martin Carthy, Mike Waterson, Norma Waterson, June Tabor, Nic Jones, A.L. Lloyd, Cyril Tawney and Dave Swarbrick. It told the true story of the first transport ship to land in Australia and the first couple to marry on Australian soil. Based on a story Peter found in the local newspaper in Norfolk and followed by his research into the details at the city museum and library. Descendants of the Kabel family still live in Sydney and became friends of Peter. In 2004 it was re-released together with a new production involving Simon Nicol and Fairport Convention. In 1986 Sid Kipper and others devised a ballad opera called "Crab Wars". It was partly a parody of "The Transports", but Bellamy took it in good humour and even sang the role of narrator.

Another of Bellamy's ambitious projects, "The Maritime Suite", was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 but never issued on record.

The economics of folk singing meant that Bellamy sold his own limited edition cassettes at folk clubs, and many performances exist only as pirated tapes. It is said that Celtic Records have a large cache of quality recordings that are unlikely to be issued.

Continuing his early talents with the visual arts, Bellamy generally designed his own album jackets and also drew cartoons for Karl Dallas's national paper "Folk Review". He continued to exhibit and sell his paintings throughout his life.

Sydney Opera House once hosted a concert by him and he toured in the USA.

Although at folk clubs, and in private, he often sang blues on bottleneck guitar, these performances rarely appeared on his albums.