Meet the Band

Roger Champkin

I was born in Birmingham in 1947 straight into a musical family – a piano in the house, my mother a classical pianist and my father a singer.

At the age of 7 I became a chorister in Birmingham and it was here that I developed my love of singing and especially singing harmony. At the age of 12 my voice broke and I said a fond goodbye to Handel, Haydn, Stanier and Mendelssohn and moved on to pastures new.

Rock and Roll was at its height at this time and, as most people were, I was knocked out by the sound of the Shadows and Chet Atkins. Some of the local boys thought it would be a good idea to form a rock band so out I went to buy a bass guitar in addition to my 6 string acoustic guitar and I became bassist and vocalist with the legendary Scorpions. We had 3 great years playing at venues like the Plaza at Old Hill (where we supported Helen Shapiro and Marianne Faithfull), the Tower Ballroom in Edgbaston and Stourbridge Town Hall.

Around 1964 I heard the playing of Jimmy Shand and met an Irishman called Christy Hannally. His box playing was so inspiring that my love of traditional music was inevitable. Seeing my passion for this my grandfather bought me my first accordion, and so armed with that and the guitar I set out to help the folk revival on its way.

The music scene was great then, you could go to a different folk club every night of the week. I was a regular singer at Stourport Folk Club and it was here that I met Arlo Guthrie and Dominic Behan. I ran the Worcester Cross Folk Club in Kidderminster for a while, and made great friends with Alex Campbell and Diz Disley. My main stamping ground though was in the Birmingham clubs including the Jug of Punch, the Holy Ground, the Skillet Pot and the Crown.

The next move was into the Morris. I joined South Shropshire Morrismen in 1969 as their musician and went to many boozy ring meetings, sharing good times with many Morris characters – how I survived I do not know! I now go out from time to time with Silurian Morris.

It was around 1974 that I met John Williams and reacquainted myself with Pete Geoghegan at the Knightwick Ceilidhs. We played as a 3 piece band until Dion Cochrane joined us on percussion, and Colin “Burco” Robinson came on tuba – the result was the birth of a monster called Hodges Dump. The infamous Hodges Dump lasted for 25 years going through many line–ups, and playing at countless folk festivals, until it came to the end of its natural life and it was time to move on again.

In 1993 I got involved with West Gallery Church Music – 18th century anthems, psalms and such and became a founding member of Vital Spark, singing bass and making our first recording.

Cut the Mustard, has evolved over the last 5 years to settle with its present line up and I am so lucky to be playing with such talented musicians.

One of my aims is to get the young generation interested in playing traditional music and to that end I have worked alongside Megan Webb and Ruth Herbert inspiring young, budding musicians.

Long may the music live on!

Joanna Christie

I started violin at the age of 4, and studied all the way through to my music degree at Birmingham University. I then spent 4 years in a band called Jinrai signed to the Acid Jazz label. In 2004/5 I trained as a music teacher, and in 2006 started playing with Cut the Mustard. I met Roger and Richard at a wedding they were playing at in Warwickshire and they invited me to join the band.

I have always liked playing traditional music especially fast Irish reels and tunes in minor keys. I am now head of music at a Birmingham comprehensive that specialises in performing arts.

Richard Revett

I first began playing in the 60s at the age of 11 when my brother left me his guitar when he went to university.

Initially self-taught, I spent hours listening to Donovan LPs trying to fathom the chords and picking style. I specialized in flat-pick and finger-style and was fortunate in my 20s to mix with some talented guitar players from whom I learned a great deal.

I joined my first Band, Kangaroo Alley, in Norwich in the late 70s - a country rock outfit.

I studied music at Middlesbrough Tech in the 80s after taking advice from a music–undergrad–fiddle–playing busking partner to learn to read. This opened up musical possibilities that had previously eluded me. I moved down to Worcester from the North East of England in 1991 and soon got involved in the local music scene, playing in hard-hitting country rock outfit Powderfinger and more recently in 60s rock combo The Score.

I first encountered Roger Champkin’s accordion playing in 2004 when he was short of a guitarist for a ceilidh gig out in Shropshire. We’ve been playing together ever since. Roger’s a great natural musician with a real passion for the art and with Cut the Mustard I’ve had the privilege of playing alongside some really gifted musicians.

Helen Wilding Smith

I started playing the violin when I was 7 years old and continued to fiddle through school and higher education college, where I obtained a B.Ed Honours degree in primary school teaching. I balanced a busy teaching career with orchestral playing in Gloucestershire and suddenly discovered the joys of playing folk, jazz and bluegrass with various Stroud bands.

I was fortunate to live and teach for a year in Denver, Colorado, USA, where I played in such places as the 16th Street Mall, Denver, a log cabin in the mountains and on the edge of a canyon in the Rockies. At this time I gained my violin teaching diploma and taught violin and piano for a while, until I emigrated to Ontario, Canada to live and teach. I was fortunate enough to meet up with a fab guitarist, David Wipper, who has recorded with musicians such as Alana Miles. and we had a most marvelous musical relationship, playing classical, jazz and easy-listening music at weddings (the one on the beach was good), restaurants (great food), and releasing various CDs as Voicestrings.

Upon my return to England in 2007 I settled with my family in Brampton Bryan, Herefordshire. I took up violin and piano teaching in Powys as well as supply and class music teaching, and I am now Music Coordinator for South Powys as well as continuing my music teaching. I also bumped into two medieval musicians soon after my return and discovered the medieval fiddle and rebec – two wonderful stringed instruments which are great fun to play! We perform regularly in the Marches as the trio Fleurs de Lys. I also perform with a Ludlow guitarist, Paul Wrightson.

I met Roger at a Ceilidh at the Salways Arms near Ludlow in November 2007 and immediately had a race to see who could play faster. I was asked to join the band to continue our race (it's still neck and neck!).

Ritchie Lund

Ritchie is a professional musician who has been playing and teaching music for the last 30 years. He is a multi–instrumentalist who plays guitar, bass and drums. The venues he has played at include the Royal Albert Hall, West End theatres, P&O cruise liners, hotels, and clubs including Ronnie Scott’s.

He started playing with Cut the Mustard when Roger was looking for a drummer to join the band to give it that authentic Scottish sound.

Pete Hagan

I started playing the guitar in 1974, being greatly influenced by Joan Baez and Bob Dylan.

I have played at many folk clubs and in various duos. I moved to Shropshire in 1980 and in the mid 80s got involved in the Irish sessions at the Boat Inn at Jackfield. The sound of Irish traditional music played on a banjo just blew me away and it was then that I bought my first banjo and really got into the Irish music scene.

A big influence on my playing has been Gerry O’Connor. I now have 5 banjos – 3 vegas and 2 sullys. I go to Ireland every year for the Fleah – and the crack! – and I got to the final of the All–Ireland Fleah one year.

It was in 1996 that I met Roger at a ”Boat“ session and we have been great friends ever since. We have played many gigs together including a tour to Denver, Colorado USA where, incidentally, I slept in the same bed as my hero Bob Dylan, who had been there two weeks before us.

We have also enjoyed a tour of Brittany in 2007 and St. Patrick’s night at the Diver’s Inn, Braye, on Alderney, in the Channel Islands, 2008

Nada Meredith

Nada has been playing the fiddle since she was nine, and was playing in her first ceilidh band when she was 11. She has always enjoyed the folk music tradition. Over the years she has performed and recorded with friends and other musicians and now lives at The Hatch with her family near Tenbury Wells.

She joined up with Cut the Mustard in 2007 after meeting Roger at a session in the Talbot at Newnham Bridge.