Hello there - in the midst of an evening's mouse-clicking at what is now home for me here in France I happened to stumble upon Chris Brady's comments concerning the Stanford Arms, Preston Circus. Forgive my nostalgia but Sunday night at the Stanford was, as a somewhat bemused teenager and trainee entertainer, nothing short of magical. Too many names to mention but Miles Wootton, Johnny Winch (with whom I enjoyed many months touring in Germany), Rod Machling, Spud Taylor, Brian Golbey often rounded off the evening AFTER the guest spots and the ambiance was nothing short of electric with everyone singing - and simply enjoying a great night out. And a special mention must be given to Jim Marshall who put it all together. They were formative years and ones that I shall never, ever forget. Thank you Brighton.

No performer, but Sunday night at the Stanford Arms saw me first-five in the queue during those wonderful sessions you mention. Brighton bread and buttered but long since left. I fondly recall the songs, the laughs, the stout and cider pints and the long walk home along the Lewes Road. And Tim, I saw your first endeavour at the Stanford Arms. A thin and gawky lad with a guitar as big as you, I see you now. Do well him, I thought. Spot winners, me.
I too have a home in France alongside the river Loire, funny how things work out, great really, for some. I can't imagine a richer experience than Brighton in the 60's; of mods and rockers and Devil's Dyke and jumping off the pier into the sea and Brian Golbey singing "Goodnight Irene" with umpteen repeats of the last verse. Heady stuff. God bless those who were there.

I'd just like to add my thanks to all the 60's Stanford Arms crowd, especially Tim and Spud Taylor. Magical can't really describe the night I dropped in to see one of the last performances by Rev. Gary Davis right there in the chair. It's now a lifetime later but the inspiration gained from you guys has kept me in touch with 'good' music all my life.

Why are all the Stanford Arms regulars running away to France - perhaps because the club doesn't exist any more? As we sit here in our home in Manche (France) Christmas is not the same without hearing Tim sing "The Workhouse Boy" and we also miss the hilarious annual Mummer's play. The first person I saw at the Stanford was Ralph McTell - not a bad start! Ham and I went there on our first date and we have just had our 34th wedding anniversary - so the club has a lot to answer for! Ham knew Tim at school but did not know he was a singer until he went to the Stanford. I wonder where all those tapes are (as mentioned by Chris)?

On behalf of some French friends Mr and Mrs Raymond Spoli, in Laroque de Fa, France, I am trying to find out what has happened to Tim Broadbent and Steve May. As a complete coincidence we were talking after election to local council here and they asked if I could use the internet to find out. Well I remember Tim from Brighton days, coincidence 1, coincidence 2 is that I now own the house in Laroque de Fa that used to be owned by Steve May - small world. Mrs Spoli is worried because the last contact she had with I think Steve was a few days before the terrible tsunami. Is there anyone out there who can ease her worry and maybe put them back in touch? Thanks very much, I was also quite involved in the folk scene whilst at Borough Road College, Isleworth in the late 60s and early 70s, travelling frequently to Brighton. I was known as Jos Moore.

Tim has a website at http://timbroadbent.com/home and he can be contacted via that. He is playing with Steve May later this year.

Like a lot of Brighton teenagers in the early to mid sixties, I tried the Sunday folk evenings at the Stanford Arms, but I always found the experience depressing. I was expecting things to be Bob Dylanesque, then new and very exciting, but I never took to those phoney English yokel voices performed with much cupping of ears and the weedy communal singing. Allan 'Spud' Taylor, who I remember from school where he was two or three years older than me, sang there and is still biggish internationally in this niche musical area. Check out his website, which is interesting.

When I can Google up sites such as this all my misgivings re the internet vanish. I was a fairly regular performer at The Stanford Arms at this time, being a student at a Drama School at Ventnor Villas in Hove.  I played a regular gig at The Devils Dyke at that time for a man whose name I recall was Kramer. He saved my life as at that time the only cash I had coming in was from those few gigs that I could muster. He'd pay me £3.50 for a 20 minute slot, good money at that time, introduce me to all his blue rinse friends and make sure I was well fed before sending me stumbling into the night. These are fond memories.  Allan 'Spud' Taylor I remember and there were several other players whose names escape me, including a local banjo player who was a regular.    My own musical career suffered as I've spent the past 36 years working as an actor, which is a different kettle of fish to the muso scene.   During the past two years however, at the age of 65, with the kids making their own lives and the acting business giving me up, I've finally put together 'Lonesome Doves' the band I always wanted but somehow never had the time to oganise.
They were great days at the Stanford Arms and the nostalgia when I think about that time is almost heartbreaking. I was at the Bind Gary Davis concert which, if my memory serves me right, was at the Pavillion and also on the bill were Buffy Saint Marie and Ramblin' Jack Elliot who hopped on stage with a broken leg in plaster! One of the good things about the club was the broad range of music which spanned the traditional 'ear-cupping yokel' stuff which Chris Taylor mentions right through the Blues to Brian Golbey singing Jimmie Rodgers Blue Yodel, stuff which he was wonderful at singing and I'm sure still is.  Rod Machling I recall, and his version of Darlin Corey, what happened to him!? Some of these people may not of course still be with us but if they are and anyone reading this knows where they are then send my love. They may not remember me, but send it anyway.

As far as I know, all the Brighton characters mentioned in the previous comment are still in the land of the living. Brian Golbey lives near Nottingham, Tim Broadbent in France, Rod Machling up in the wilds of Scotland and Miles Wootton is, like me, still in Brighton.   I gave up folk club organising a few years back, but am still involved in the local scene as co-editor of The Folk Diary which started when we were at the Stanford and is still going strong today, 38 years after.   Must correct Richard Vanstone's note regarding the Gary Davis gig: it was actually at the Stanford Arms. He was over for the Cambridge Folk Festival and I was lucky enough to book him for the club. That evening was so packed that we had people sitting in the side room. They couldn't see the Rev. Davis from there, but they did get to hear him. I remember clearly that he had a roadie with him who'd broken his arm tripping over a tent-peg at Cambridge. The situation of a blind man being looked after by a one-armed man was a but surreal! Happy days!