Spinners

THE SPINNERS. Folk group from Liverpool active between 1958-1989. The group was unusual for its time in having a multiracial lineup. They began as a skiffle group with a mainly American repertoire until they were prompted by Redd Sullivan, a seaman, to include sea shanties and other old English folk songs. The group played the Cavern Club Liverpool for the first time on Friday 18th January 1957 with The Muskrat Jazz Band and The Liverpool University Jazz Band. They became The Spinners in September 1958 and founded a folk club in Liverpool, the 'Triton Club" Their first album Songs Spun in Liverpool, was recorded by Bill Leader from live performances. In 1962 Peter Kennedy of the English Folk Dance & Song Society recorded an album with them called Quayside Songs Old & New. In 1963 Philips signed them and they recorded eight more albums over the next eight years before signing for EMI in the early 1970s. They became ever-popular by reviving some of the greatest folk music and singing new songs in the same vein. Although sounding like traditional English folk songs, some of their material was in fact composed by Hughie Jones ; "The Ellan Vannin Tragedy" and "The Marco Polo". One of their best known songs, particularly in their native Liverpool was the 1962 hit "In My Liverpool Home". The Spinners produced over forty albums, made numerous concerts and TV appearances. In 1970, they were given their own television show on BBC1 which ran for seven years. They retired in 1988 (after thirty years together) although they did lead the community singing at the 1989 FA Cup Final. Some members of the group still occasionally perform, although Cliff Hall retired to Australia where he died in 2008 .....