David Arthur Williams 1934 - 1997
Dave Williams of Marchwood died suddenly on 4 September 1997 whilst on a visit to Cirencester with his wife Christine. Marchwood church was filled to overflowing on the following Thursday for a moving service and address conducted by the Rev. David Slater, President of the Sidmouth International Festival of the Folk Arts, a colleague and friend of many years standing. A band of fellow musicians and a dancer provided a fitting accompaniment of the hopeful items that he himself would have surely wanted. Dave Williams was a founding father of the Solent and New Forest and indeed the National folk scene and it can never be the same without him. Dave was not a standard 'folk artist' and latterly did comparatively few gigs at clubs and certainly not at Arts Centres, although he visited the clubs when he could; apart from Sidmouth Festival his scene was the schools, Women's Institutes, youth clubs and old people's homes which is where he felt happiest. He also helped organise many charity and other special folk events and helped to find money for trips abroad by various folk groups. He will be sorely missed. TRG 15 September 1997 |
Musical Traditions Website including Musical Traditions Magazine which is now on the web (only) and includes articles by Dave Williams. This site also includes information about the Traditional Song Research & Collection Group.
It's Not Pleasant or Delightful (Sadler) (1.7 Mb), a delightful musical critique of certain smelly local government (mal)practices, sung by Dave Williams on the Fo'c'sle tape "Dunnage", a recording of the last Joiners Arms session (refer to for further details).