Programme Eleven

Interview with Ada Reed

This recording was made on 15th November 1971 in Brunswick Village. Through the course of a lengthy interview Ada Reed gives information about the functions and dances of her youth (1905 - 1920), when she lived in Dinnington. She was a remarkable woman who had been both MC and musician at the same time, playing music for dancing on the melodeon. We also hear about the Dancing master of Berwick Hill and the Kern supper dances in Barn or Stackyard, as well as other details about seasonal life in rural Northumberland. The Original reel-to-reel tape recording and interview were made by Johnny Handle and Tony Wilson as part of the North East Folk Federation recording project. Mnay other examples of North East Folk Federation recordings can be found in the FARNE archive.