Mick Softley was born on 26 September 1939, South Woodford, Essex, England and died on 1 September 2017 (aged 77) in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. He was an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. A figurehead during the British folk scene, Softley set up his own folk club, released three albums and worked with performers such as Mac MacLeod, Donovan, and Maddy Prior.
Donovan covered two of Softley's songs ("Goldwatch Blues" and "The War Drags On") in 1965. Dave Berry also covered two of Softley's songs ("Walk Walk Talk Talk" and "I Love You Baby") in 1966.
Genres: Folk
Instruments: Guitar
Years active Early 1960s - 2017
Softley grew up in Essex near Epping Forest. His mother was of Irish origin (from County Cork) and his father had East Anglian tinker roots, going back to a few generations. Softley first took up trombone in school and became interested in traditional jazz. He was later persuaded to become a singer by one of his school teachers, and this led to him listening to Big Bill Broonzy and promptly changed his attitude to music, to the extent of him buying a mail-order guitar and some tutorial books and teaching himself to play.
By 1959, Mick Softley had left his job and home, and spent time travelling around Europe on his motorbike, with a friend, Mick Rippingale. He ended up in Paris, where he came into the company of musicians such as Clive Palmer, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, and Wizz Jones. Here he improved his guitar skills and spent time busking with friends until his return to England in the early 1960s. He set up a folk club at The Spinning Wheel in Hemel Hempstead. It was shut down by the police after only a year, however, for "various reasons", mainly health and safety; a very small basement room, with only one way in (and out). Softley did not look back on this time favourably claiming during production he had gone "through a lot of hells and no heavens, a terrifying amount of personal pain" to the extent that he quit the music business for over four years. During this time he survived as a market trader in Hemel Hempstead, fathered two children, in 1963 and 1964, and still played gigs frequently in folk clubs around the south east. He returned to life on the road in 1968. Due to contractual issues he never received any royalties in the later years.
Softley began singing in 'The Cock', a pub in St Albans, which was a hang out for beatniks and hippies and attracted musicians down from London. Informal sessions were common. This was where he met a young Donovan Leitch, to whom he taught cross-picking guitar techniques. (Leitch later cited Softley as a "major influence").
Donovan was soon snapped up by a record label and shot to stardom, but this enabled him to bring Softley to the attention of producers and record companies. His first release was the 1965 single "I'm So Confused", released by Immediate Records.
He went on to work with Peter Eden and Geoff Stephens, and his debut album Songs For Swinging Survivors, which was a purely folk record. The album featured only Softley and his acoustic guitar and includes the songs "The War Drags On" (covered by Donovan on his Universal Soldier EP), and Softley's own interpretations of Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit", and Woody Guthrie's "The Plains of the Buffalo".
Time Machine: https://youtu.be/C15LXv4uEDI :
Discography:
- Songs For Swingin' Survivors (1965),
- Sunrise (1970)
- Street Singer (1971)
- C'est la Fête à Malataverne (1971), Expression Spontanée – one track, "Time Machine" record live in French folk festival
- Any Mother Doesn't Grumble (1972)
- Capital (1976)
- Mensa (1978)
- War Memorials (1985)
More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_Softley