and

CHALTON

CHRIS BASHFORD

Local musician and performer

Chris has been singing and performing for many years and his performances have often been enjoyed in Moggerhanger and surrounding villages. Here are a few examples of his earlier work.

The Last of the Great Whales, Matty Groves and Leaving of Liverpool from the album Full Bodied & Fruitly recorded in 1985 at the Greenbank Studios in Luton after a tour of Germany by the band Home Brew. To hear the songs click on the titles.

Leaving of Liverpool is a very traditional and is sung all over the world in clubs and pubs as well as having been recorded by many well known artists.  It is a sailor's song and one of the earliest references was when it was collected from a Liverpool man on board The General Knox in 1885.  It obviously goes back much further.

You may be wondering about the use of the word fruitly in the album title above. Chris said it came about whilst the band were in Germany:

“We had just recorded a set of songs which were looking for a title. Shortly after we were taken to a wine cellar for a wine tasting.  Mien Host, in describing the various qualities of the wines, used the expression ‘FULL BODIED and FRUITLY’ for a particular vintage.  We all thought it amusing at the time and the name stuck. That's it!  We were all in good sorts at the time as you may imagine.”