Biography
Ed was best known as
the melodeon player in The Bismarcks for a long time, but is now building a parallel
reputation as a fine singer. His material is drawn from a
broad range, ancient and modern, English and borrowings from further a-field. The songs
themselves are the most important aspect of the performance and Ed’s accompaniment
and vocal style ensure that. (Hmm, this is beginning to sound a bit pompous.) What
I mean is his performances are relaxed and uncluttered. The songs are of a wide
variety and though there may be slayings and sorcery, there are also love and laughs. All
of life is there.
And some nice joiny-inny
bits.
The
tunes are jolly too.
..
So whence Ed?
Well.
Ed was born in South
East London in 1959. When he was 10 his family relocated to Basingstoke. At school Ed sang
in the choir, progressing through treble, alto and tenor. He also taught himself to play
the guitar, using a David Bowie song book as a guide, because it had chord shapes in it
and Ed was a bit of a fan.
At 18 Ed joined the
Yateley Morris Men, learning to dance in the cotswold style. At that time he was also
playing guitar and bass in some very silly pub bands. He gradually became more actively
interested in traditional music whilst in Yateley, learning to play the melodeon for
dancing and singing unaccompanied.
He moved to Godalming
and joined Pilgrim Morris Men of Guildford to play and dance. Also he joined Mayflower
Morris of Ash, a womens north west side, to play while Annie, his then girlfriend, danced.
In addition Ed played in a local dance band or two and continued to sing whenever.
In 1996 Ed stopped working shifts and
immediately founded the Good Old Way Folk Club in Godalming. The club ran for 4 successul
seasons. That year also saw the formation of The Bismarcks with Nina Hansell and Gareth
Kiddier. But that's another story
The Rennies (yes he
married Annie years ago) now live in Mid Devon. Ed is already involved in the vibrant
local folk music scene, in an "in the back ground sort of way" naturally. After
all, it was all working perfectly well before he turned up.
What others have
said
"with his off
the wall sense of humour ed is a lot funnier than he looks"
Lawrence Heath,
Electric Voices
"Do you play the
piano in The Bismarcks?"
Far too many people
"Alright,
Rob?"
Far too many people in
devon
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