During the nineteen seventies a group of friends, singers and musicians, inhabited the "Stamford Arms" in Bowdon,(and many other pubs in Cheshire). There was John Rampling, Gerard Ryder, Mike Robinson, Rob Pracy, Derek Robinson, Alan Walker, John Hughes, Susie Stockton and many others. We called ourselves the Jovial Crew, or sometimes the Motley Crew. We made our own entertainment by writing and singing our own songs.
Some songs became locally well known, like :- Cheshire Ales, The Fox was of a Drinking Mind, Aunty Mables Potion, Altrincham Show, and a superb version of Trevor Crozier's Piddletrenthide Jug Band song, re-written in posh Cheshire style by John Rampling.
Susie Stockton collected all these songs for "posterity" and persuaded me to host them here on my site. Some of these songs are worthy of wider acclaim, some were only funny at the time and some ??. Well I was going to sort them into different categories, but I decided not to apply any personal judgement, but just publish them all as they are.
The Flat, some of us shared at 216a Ashley Road (over Sports Motors), Hale. aquired the nickname "The Piddletrenthide Arms" as it seemed to operate like a pub, but without a closing time !
