About Me
Born Gateshead.
Started mouthorgan about five years old. Early tunes: My old man's a dustman, Blaydon Races, and Love me do.
In those days: into Lonnie Donnegan, George Formby, Jimmy Shand and then The Beatles.
Bought a Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick LP (Bonny Black Hare) at thirteen for the picture on the cover, 'Byker Hil' (Iknew where Byker was and was curious) and because it was one of the few records along with Trojan reggae albums that I could afford - 14/6 as apposed to 37/6 for anything else. Thought about playing a guitar.
Won first dance competition at school at about fifteen as a joke (Northern Soul, -
used to go to Wigan Casino (big Northern Soul all nighter).
Left School at 16 to go to Wigan Tech, to try to get the 5th 'O' level I needed so that I didn't have to work in a factory. Blew my entire grant, day one, on a guitar (£24 un-named Top Twenty copy, still have it, it's on 'Sheer Joy'.
Worked in a few factories.Played guitar for The Nice Men (79-82) - check out 'Love Betrayal' our last recording with founder Rob Tasker.
Moved to London for gigs.Left the band because my three friends had all left as none of us liked the people in the music biz.
Moved to Chelmsford. Found a record in the library - Jack Elliot - Songs of a Durham miner. Fantastic, roots, like all the rggae I'd allways listened to. Found another 'Bob Cann - West Country melodeon' Ace.Met a bloke in a pub in Good Easter, Essex (Steve 'Monkey' Monk) playing a "Hohner 4 stop single row melodeon in 'D' " - he said.
Looked in junk shops for about a year, found one for £25 and discovered it was simply a mouthorgan with bellows instead of lungs!He took me to see 'Old Hat concert party' and Flowers and Froiicks and introduced me to Colin Cater who took me to see Bob Davenport and the Rakes!
It all made sense. Hoo Ray!
Went to Devon and met Bob Cann. I thought he was a dead legend. He taught me Ripple of Teign.
Went to a pub in Suffolk (thanks to 'Monkey') bumpt into the 'Old Hat' lot and sang 'till 4am.
Monkey taught a load of us some Molly Dances, then met some morris dancers fellin love with their female accodion player and ended up living in Thaxted.This is more of less what it says on my out of date website: simonritchie.com :Fairly well known on the traditional music circuit as an exponent of East Anglian Music, song, stepdancing and melodeon player for The Posh Band. Simon like most melodeon players is self taught and learned largely from the traditional players and singers which once frequented many of the country pubs in Suffolk and rural Essex where he lives.
As a member of 'Old Hat' Simon has played most of the relevant festivals and clubs and appeared on a number of Radio and TV items, and also featured on a Radio 2 hour long special on the band recorded live at Sidmouth festival, stepdancing, playing and singing the East Anglian Anthem 'Oh Joe...' as the finale in a line up also featuring Barry Coope and Chris Wood. Old Hat recorded for the BBC drama 'All the King's Men' starring David Jason and Maggie Smith in 1999 and featured on the soundtrack CD.Simon's solo recordings have been played by Rob daBank on Radio1, Andy Kershaw, Phill Jupitus and Mike Harding, Tracks have been used on Coronation Street, Spitting Image and MTV2's SpongebobSquarepants.The Posh Band's well received CD 'English' had numerous plays on John Peel's Radio1 show and a track has been used on a cover CD for fROOTS magazine and also on the 2004 Topic records anthology of English Dance Music "Stepping it up" alongside the like of Eliza Carthy and Reg Hall who is the Posh Band's usual piano player.
Simon also felt honoured to record and co-produce Flowers and Frolicks 'Reformed Characters' CD. Thanks to John Howson.He has guested on other artistes' albums, most recently with Bob Davenport, The Bismarcks and toured as part of The Old Swan Band and Waterson:Carthy.Simon also plays in his home town of Thaxted for Thaxted Morris Men and the twice-monthly Tuesday country dances in Margaret Street Hall and is an occasional presenter of The Traditional Music Hour on Resonance FM 104.4.Still playing for peanuts, but with some of the the most considerate, nicest, kindest people on earth. Next practices and engagements at time of writing with Hired Hands, playing bass in a pop covers band and then with The Thaxted Country Dance Band, and 'Katies Quartet' then we'll all go up the pub and play for free.
Thank you all for putting up with me.
