Fred
Wedlock
"The
Oldest Swinger In Town!"
biography
| discography | gigs
| links | acknowledgments
 Who
Is Fred Wedlock?
Once
described as a "West Country Billy Connolly, although he probably
came first", Bristolian singer and raconteur Fred Wedlock
has been performing in folk clubs and concerts since the late 1960s.
Born on 23rd May 1942, he was born and brought up in a pub, where
his first paid gig was at the age of four singing to the customers
for which his fee was sixpence (6d). Fred experimented with several
careers, including teaching in the East End of London, before turning
professional in the early 1970s.
Fred
had various albums on small labels issued in the 1970s, and became
widely known early in 1981 when his single The Oldest Swinger
In Town hit the UK singles charts, rising to #6. Unfortunately
he has never maintained that success, but the song is almost guaranteed
to be played at family gatherings such as wedding receptions, as
the middle-aged uncles and aunts take to the floor to gyrate after
a few drinks.
Following
that success, Fred has had his own UK Channel 4 TV series Wholly
Wedlock and acted as a presenter on other West Country TV shows.
He also shared a BBC Radio series with Somerset jazz clarinettist
Acker Bilk. Amongst
his albums are The Folker (1971); Frollicks
(1973); Out Of Wedlock (1978); This Is Fred
Wedlock (1981); The Oldest Swinger In Town
(1981); and Fred Wedlock Live (1982). The title
song of The Folker was a parody of the Simon & Garfunkel
song The Boxer and was recorded by Irish folk-singer/comedian
Noel Murphy, who also used to include it in his act.
 Fred
has a deep love of the West Country, especially his native Bristol.
He's an acknowledged authority on the local dialect, and is keen
on all sports. A true Bristol City fan, Fred comes from a famous
footballing family - his father and uncles have played for Bristol
City and his grandfather Billy 'Fatty' Wedlock (pictured right)
won 26 England caps and played in the FA Cup final.
Adge
Cutler fans may like to note that Fred has recorded the Adge Cutler
song Thee's Got'n Where Thee Cassn't Back'n Hassn't? -
I can remember Fred singing this on TV a while back, but I can't
remember what show it was on. He also recorded a song called I
Couldn't Spell ****, also recorded by Adge Cutler & The
Wurzels - although in their version "****" was spelt "!!**&@&**!!",
which just goes to prove that it's not easy! Another song recorded
by both Adge and Fred is the old folk club standard (My) Threshing
Machine. Finally, Fred has recorded Adge's Bristol song Virtute
Et Industrial - Fred's version was included in a "mini-LP"
about Bristol.
Fred
is a presenter on the Bristol-based HTV West independent TV channel.
I found out from Bonny Sartin of the Dorset-based The Yetties that
Fred was booked to appear at the 1998 Yetties' Christmas gig but
unfortunately he was forced to cancel, having suffered a heart attack.
Fred made a full recovery and was able to perform at the 1999 bash
and has been going strong ever since. In June 2002, Fred compered
and appeared at the famous Pensford Festival along with Acker Bilk,
The Wurzels and The Blue Note Jazz Band featuring Hannah Wedlock
(Fred's daughter!). So
that's Fred - "fawk" singer, comedian, raconteur, and
- last but not least - a nicer bloke you couldn't wish to meet!
Sadly
Fred passed away on Thursday, 4th March 2010 after a short illness
at the age of 67.
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Fred
Wedlock Discography
| |
|
|
Singles |
|
|
Rocket XPRES 46
|
The Oldest Swinger In Town / Jogger's Song |
Jan 1981 |
| Rocket
XPRES 57 |
Jobsworth
/ The Ballad Of The Clevedon Kid |
1981
|
Old
Gold OG9807
|
The
Oldest Swinger In Town / Coast To Coast: Do The Hucklebuck
This
looks like a double-a-side with a re-issue of Fred's The
Oldest Swinger In Town backed by Do The Hucklebuck
by Coast To Coast. |
1988
|
Albums
|
|
|
Village Thing VTS 7
|
The
Folker
Side 1: The Folker / British Bobby / Moreton Bay /
Thee's Got'n Where Thee Cassn't Back'n Hassn't?
Side 2: Spencer The Rover / Skinheads / Bristol Buses
/ Bruton Town / Lurn Theeself Fawk |
1971 |
Village Thing VTS 20
|
Frollicks
Side 1: The Vicar And The Frog / Robin Hood / Handier
Household Help / Salvation Army Lassie / Examinations Rag
/ Oh Sha La La
Side 2: Vatican Rag / Robin Head / Lovely Like Me /
Superman / Talking Folk Club Blues / Wild Rover |
1973 |
|
Pillock Produckshuns PPS1 |
Fred
Wedlock's Home Made Gramophone Record
Side 1: The Vet / The Bantam Cock / Mississippi Sawyer/
Secret Agent / The Widow and the Fairy / A Song Of Patriotic
Prejudice
Side 2: The Teacher / Side by Side / The Two Magicians
/ Mini Cooper / John Barleycorn / British Rail / Flasher (with
Mike Evans) |
1975 |
|
Pillock Produckshuns PPS17 |
Fred
Wedlock's Greatest Hits!! (with Mike Evans & Chris
Newman)
Side 1: British Bobby / Handier Household Help / Donkey
Reel / Bristol Buses
Side 2: Skinhead / Football Song / Talking Folkclub
Blues / Robin Hood |
1977 |
One Up OU2217
|
Out
Of Wedlock
Side 1: I Couldn't Spell **** / The English Urban Garden
/ The Gnome / Three Drunken Nights / The Riddle Song / The
Threshing Machine
Side 2: Clevedon Cowboy / The Plumber / The Great Fish
Finger Disaster / Early One Evening / Inter-City / British
Railways Pies / Ten Inch Reel / Mini-Cooper |
Oct 1978 |
Pillock Produckshuns PPS 271
|
The
Oldest Swinger In Town with Chris Newman
Side 1: The Oldest Swinger In Town / The Union Psalm
/ American Trilogy Pt II / Boxes / The Jogger's Song / Nuages
- I Got Rhythm / Tits & Bums
Side 2: The Hippies And The Hairies O / Soldiers Joy
/ Breathalysed / Teddy Bears' Rave Up / Sweet Sue / An Old
Somerset Poem / The Weather / Songs
|
1979 |
|
Rocket TRAIN 13 |
The
Oldest Swinger In Town
Side 1: Do It Yourself / The Vicar And The Frog / Examinations
Rag / The Lady Recruit / The Punk One / American Trilogy /
The Jogger's Song
Side 2: The Ballad Of The Clevedon Kid / Union Psalm
/ Nuages - I Got Rhythm / The Widow And The Fairy / The Hippies
And The Hairies / The Oldest Swinger In Town
Note: This is a different album from PPS 271
|
Apr 1981 |
|
EMI THIS 32 |
This
Is Fred Wedlock
Reissue of Out Of Wedlock - see above for track
listing
|
Apr 1981 |
Rocket
TRAIN 19 |
Fred
Wedlock Live with Chris Newman
Side 1: Let's Walk Round The Harbour Again / Old Somerset
Weather Poem / Filton First Aid Fellowship / Folk Alphabet
/ Giving Up Giving Up /
Side 2: Kung Fu Woman / The Vet / The Village Production
Of Hamlet / Hereford Scrotum / Sheep At Half The Price / Just
Kidding |
1982
|
CDs |
|
|
Village Thing
|
The
Complete 'Folker' and 'Frollicks' Albums
Disc
1: Folker / Bristol Bobby / Moreton Bay / Thees Got'n Wur
Thee Casn't Back'n, Asn't? / Spencer the Rover / Skinheads
/ Bristol Buses / Bruton Town / Lurn Theeself Fawk / Silbury
Hill [bonus] / Si Mi Quieres Escribir [bonus] / Franklin [bonus]
/ Hey Nelly Nelly [bonus]
Disc 2: Virtute et Industrial [bonus] / The Vicar and the
Frog / Robin Hood [Live] / Handier Household Help / Salvation
Army Lassie / Examinations Rag / Oh Sha La La / Vatican Rag
/ Robin Head / Lovely Like Me / Superman / Talking Folk Club
Blues / Wild Rover
The
original 1971 and 1973 Village Thing albums reissued on CD
with five bonus tracks.
Buy
it on 
|
29
January 2008 |
Other
Recordings featuring Fred Wedlock
| |
|
|
| Catalogue
no. |
Title/Tracks
|
Date
|
| 12"
LP |
|
|
|
Village Thing VT-SAM 15 |
Us
Sampler album of tracks by various artists on the Village
Thing label
Includes the track The Folker taken from Fred's album
of the same name (VTS 7) |
1972 |
Saydisc 33SD 245
|
Sounds
of Bristol
Described on the cover as "A Portrait of Bristol in
Sounds, Dialect & Song". Fred Wedlock sings a
version of the Adge Cutler song "Virtute et Industrial"
on this record. |
1973 |
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Fred
Wedlock Links
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Acknowledgements
Thanks
to:
- Brian Derby for
suggesting Fred as a suitable addition to the Scrumpy &
Western pages
- Mike Tomlin for the information about
the Pillock Producshuns album
- Kevin Goodall for information about some
of Fred's records.
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