Dear Companion Bonnie Dobson

£11.70

Genre:
Folk
Label:
Big Beat
Format:
CD
Catalogue Id:
CDWIKD 325

The second album from the writer of ‘Morning Dew’, one of the most distinctive voices of the 1960s folk boom.

The return of Bonnie Dobson to the singing spotlight with a rich new album is one of the more surprising but satisfying events of recent times, giving modern audiences a chance to hear one of the most distinctive voices of the epoch-making 1960s folk boom. Maybe it’s because she has taken several decades off from singing since the 1970s, but 2013’s “Take Me For A Walk In The Morning Dew” saw Bonnie still sounding as crystal-clear and strong as she did on the four albums she recorded for Prestige in the early 60s.

Bonnie was one of the four female folk singers written about in the landmark 1961 Time magazine feature, which also focused on Joan Baez, Judy Collins and Carolyn Hester. Back then, the idea of a guitar-toting female singer swerving her usual placing in the country market to sing songs being passed around the folk grapevine was something of a novelty. Striking out on her own in a musical field inevitably dominated by males and about to be revolutionised by a new arrival called Bob Dylan, Bonnie was an innocent trailblazer, always stressing she was simply following her love of the folk form, rather than seeking the kind of stardom soon to be foisted on performers such as Peter, Paul and Mary. She even wrote a classic in her first attempt at songwriting, getting an early taste of music biz skulduggery when Tim Rose claimed authorship of her chilling post-holocaust missive ‘Morning Dew’ in 1967.

Bonnie is still active and revelling in curling the undimmed purity of her voice around the songs she started out on and began writing in the early 60s. She says she was excited to hear about this reissue of “Dear Companion”, her second LP, but also “really very pleased because no one ever bothers with my Prestige albums. I don’t remember there being any promotion at the time. There were a few ads in Sing Out! but they were not heavily promoted at all”. Now the record sounds like an alien broadcast beamed in from another, less-tainted time, brimming with dark folklore undercurrents going back centuries. One young woman and her guitar, captured in the perfect studio. “It was so different then,” sighs Bonnie. “It was just me and my guitar and I was just doing what I would normally do if I was standing on stage at some folk club. It’s hard to imagine that now.”

Kris Needs

Share

Track listing

Show

Delivery & Returns

Show

We offer free P&P to UK addresses. For all other territories packaging is free and postage is charged on a weight basis.

We use Royal Mail First Class for UK deliveries and standard Air Mail for all other territories, very large orders will usually be sent via parcelforce. You may cancel your order at any time prior to your order being dispatched by emailing us at orders@acerecords.com ensuring that you quote your name, address and order reference number or by telephoning +44 (0) 208 453 1311 between 9am and 5pm GMT/BST, Monday to Friday. Please note: As music downloads are dispatched immediately after purchase, there is no possibility of cancelling these orders.

In the event that any products supplied to you by us are damaged or defective, we agree to replace or repair the damaged or defective products or refund the amount you paid for such goods (including postage & packaging) providing you notify us (either via post at or e-mail: orders@acerecords.com ) and return the goods within 28 days of purchase. Physical goods should be sent back to us in the same condition you received them to: “Returns” Ace Records, Such Close, Letchworth Garden City SG6 1JF, United Kingdom. Music downloads should be returned to us via the e-mail address above including a copy of your notification.

You have the right to cancel your order within seven days of purchase, or seven days of receipt of the goods (whichever is the longer). If you choose to cancel your order, full payment will be returned to you. Returned items should be sent to: “Returns” c/o Ace Records, Such Close, Letchworth Garden City SG6 1JF, United Kingdom. Music downloads should be returned to us via the email address: orders@acerecords.com including a copy of your notice of cancellation and order number.

Customer reviews

Show

Related products

Customers who bought this item also bought