Have you ever thought what life is like for a professional folk singer? Most normal people live in a world where they have a nine to five job. It may be a bit mundane, but usually it provides a living with a regular income to pay the mortgage and put food in that hole in the middle of your face. But I am willing to bet deep down inside many folks, there is a small spark that wishes, every now and then, they had a little bit of talent and the courage to walk up to his or her boss and tell him…exactly what he can do with his job!
I remember some years back when I was a sales executive, stuck in a traffic jam on the motorway. The temperature was up in the 80's Fahrenheit, I sat there, with a shirt and tie on, sitting in my brand new expensive car. When as the lanes of traffic edged along at 3 miles an hour, along side me stood this very old and battered VW camper van. In it was a party of about 5-6 'hippies' sitting in the back drinking cold cans of larger and singing 'The Wild Mountain Time' along with other folk songs. I said, "Hello," and they offered me a can of lager. I had to refuse of course, because I was driving and had an important meeting to go to. They told me they were on their way home, returning from Cambridge Folk Festival, and what a good time they had. Now this made me think, who was getting the best out of life? Sitting there feeling distinctly hot, sticky and uncomfortable, I got the feeling it wasn't me. Deep down inside of me there was this 'hippie' dying to be set free!
So what's it like being a professional folk singer? Well, it is not as easy as you might think. Either way you look at it you still have to live and eat. If you can imagine singing maybe 3 or 4 times a week, sometimes for as little as £50.00 or £60.00 a time and after deducting the cost of your travel and hotel bills, it doesn't always leave much to live on. As a rule, solo artist generally make a better living than a band. When you see an artist at your local club, it is easy to think "It's money for old rope," getting paid for just 2 hours work! But the artist's day may have started at the other end of the country, and if he has not driven to the gig, he has used public transport, which now that can be quite an adventure these days in the U.K.
It is not unusual for folk clubs to have an organiser or someone who can put the artist up for the night, to save him paying for a hotel. These are usually termed as 'safe houses'. However, you do get to stay with some real characters. I have heard tales of singers having to share their bedroom with smelly old partially dismantled vintage cars or motor bikes. Or being taken in a car after the gig, in the dark up into the mountains to stay with someone from the club. Imagine waking up early, to telephone for a taxi in order to take you to the Railway Station, only to realise you don't know the address of the house or where the hell you are! I know one singer who had bed and breakfast at a Welsh farmhouse one night. A small white painted cottage nestling on the side of a valley, roses growing around the door. It sounds idyllic, but the lady who ran it shared her kitchen and dining room with 38 cats, (he counted them) most of which had not been house trained and had fleas! Or were hell bent on increasing their numbers. He told me breakfast was like a scene from a Hitchcock horror film.
But what about the gigs? Yes this does give you a certain amount pleasure, especially if you go down well and people like your songs. Some are good, some are bad, and some are indifferent. Most artists work to a set list of songs in a particular order, punctuated with the same quip's and chat. It may sound relaxed and spontaneous to the audience, but it's not. Nothing wrong with doing things this way, after all it is the professional way to do it, and the artist can be reasonably sure of delivering the polished performance for which they're being paid.
Things don't always go as planned though, as Jez Lowe found out. Jez is a frequent and popular guest at Frodsham Folk Club. On night just for fun, Gill, the organiser, made about 7 dozen Jez Lowe lollipops. These took the form of a life-sized photo of Jez's face mounted on small sticks. They where hidden away and at an opportune moment in the chorus of the song 'Tongues might rattle' everyone popped them up in front of their faces. Poor old Jez, he was freaked out, all he saw was row after row of Jez Lowes singing back at him. Sometimes thing are a bit more embarrassing. One night back in the 70's I was singing at the 'Mucky Duck' folk club in Chester. I thought the set was going down particularly well, people where very attentive and laughing at my jokes. But little did I know that the zip on my jeans had broken, and every time I put my hand in my pocket, a little more of the corner of the pink shirt I was wearing poked out of my fly! In the end the audience was rolling with laughter before some one decided to tell me about it! My face was red for 3 months! I believe it was Noel Murphy who found to his embarrassment that when playing Nordic countries, you do not refer to a plectrum as a pic. Apparently it is the word for part of the male anatomy. He told me the audience fell about laughing one night when he said "I have lost my pic, can anyone lend me one? oh no here it is in back my pocket."
It's true and I believe it, that a large part of being a successful gigging folk singer has to be the humour. As songs are passed around, so to a large extent, is the folk humour. With a live performance it is very important to make that invisible bridge between you and your audience. This is called stagecraft, and some performers have it and unfortunately some don't. At Chester Folk Festival I watch in awe as Bernard Wrigley held the audience in the palm of his hand for an hour. On the same bill where some other performers who sang like angels and others played brilliantly but did not make that 'bridge' and in comparison, their performance was flat.
Now to the serious business of being a professional folk singer today. I hope that you have decided to become a folk singer because you believe in the music genre and enjoy what you are singing. Make no mistake about, you will not end up super rich like a pop star, but you may well make a living. So how do you start up? Assuming you do not already have a pot of money in the bank to live on. In the U.K. at least, there are various ways you can fund or part fund your start up until you are perhaps lucky enough to sign up a lucrative contract with a top record company. But beware if they invest money in you for equipment and promoting your CD and tours, they will naturally expect the lions share of the profit. Read the small print carefully and take advice before signing. One way to fund your venture is to approach your Local County Council Arts Commission (it may have a slightly different name in your area) and see if there are any grants you can apply for. If you can get one or indeed anything at all, will depend on where you live and their disposition towards folk music as an art form or a tradition. If you are under 25 years old, it may also be worthwhile applying for a grant from the Prince of Wales Trust, but you will have to convince them 'you' as an artist have something to offer and are a viable project. The National Lottery fund is another source of funding. In the past they have been known to fund the cost of motor vehicles for storytellers and Morris dancers, so why not a traditional folk singer?
Whichever way you fund your start up, you must rigorously run your career as a business. Make a plan with a break-even point. If it does not turn out as you planned, pack it in and get a job. It is no good expecting the gigs to just come to you, the word is: Promotion. You must go out and generate the business. Promotion is not a dirty word, but something you will have to do. It may mean having to travel a few miles out of your immediate area to visit folk clubs and try and get them to give you a ' floor spot '; if they do, make sure you give your detail and a demo cassette tape to the club organiser. It can be a good idea spending a few hundred pounds getting a demo CD made and sending a copy to all the major folk clubs and festival organisers. When making your demo or first CD, I personally think it is not a good idea to go into a studio and produce a perfect album using a large number of guest musicians to play and embellish your album beyond your capabilities. It may sound nice and you will receive rave reviews from the critics, but if when the public comes to see you perform live, and frankly without the 'band' as a solo artist you can't cut the mustard, they won't be impressed. It will make it difficult to get a return booking!
If you are clever and the CD has a nice cover, it is possible you will be able to re-coup all or part of the cost of the CD by selling some at your gigs. It is also important to telephone all the organisers to whom you have sent CDs. Ask if it possible to fit you in on their guest lists, if not this year maybe on next year's calendar. The personal touch goes a long way, but don't be greedy and expect large fees for your first gig. You will find a lot of clubs simply can not afford to pay huge fees. It will be more beneficial for you to serve your 'apprenticeship', and sing as often as you can in the early years to establish your name, plus the experience will put you in good stead.
If you are computer literate, it can be a good idea to start a mailing list for a newsletter or fanzine. Tell your fans what you are up to and when and where you are next singing in their area. In the folk music world, the personal touch goes along way, so be approachable at all times.
Another approach to promotion, is to sign your self up with an agency and leave it all to them to organise your tours / bookings. If you become famous and very busy, a good agent can be invaluable. But naturally they will take a commission from your earnings, but Hey your famous… you can afford it!
Assuming you are still keen to be a performer, it is important to ask your self a few questions:
1 Is there a market for what I want to do?
2 Am I presenting and performing the material in the correct way?
3 Am I original enough? Or am I copying some other performer?
4 Can I perform without being under the influence of Drugs or Alcohol? (If you can't, get out now while your still alive. You're in the wrong business)
A few Do's and Don'ts
Don't take on too much work - singing 4 - 5 times a week for 2 hours can take it's toll on your voice, especially in a room that has no P.A. system and is smoky.
Don't have a heavy meal just before singing.
Don't have too much to drink before going on stage.
Don't smoke marijuana on or before going on stage, it won't impress anyone!
Do arrive at the gig in plenty of time - to get the feel of the venue.
Do have a sound check with the P.A system if possible.
Do get the instruments in tune before you go on stage, if you play in a band.
Do carry some spare strings in case the inevitable happens.
Do carry some tools and a soldering iron in your kit.
Do remember to thank the organiser for having you, and thank your audience for listening.
But above all - have fun.
A folk singer who won the lottery, when asked what he would do now, replied, "Oh, I guess I will just keep singing until the money runs out."
