Wurzel Bush Folk Club facts for kids

The Wurzel Bush Folk Club is a special music club in Rugby, England. It's a place where people can enjoy folk music and listen to talented performers. This club is not for profit, meaning it's run for the love of music, not to make money. It meets on Tuesday nights at The Rugby West Indian Social Club. The doors open at 7 PM, with a warm-up session around 7:30 PM. The main event starts at 8 PM with the resident band, Crybb Folk.

The Club's Early Days

The Wurzel Bush Folk Club first opened its doors on February 19, 1972. It was started by a folk-comedian named Dave Sampson. The club quickly became very popular. It soon needed a bigger space than its first home, The Denbigh Arms in Monks Kirby.

Moving to Bigger Venues

Because so many people wanted to attend, the club moved to The Fletch Hotel in Coventry. This new venue was much larger and could hold about 150 people. Even with this bigger space, the club was often completely full. Sometimes, over 150 people would be waiting outside when the doors opened!

Expanding to Birmingham

The club's popularity made the brewery (Watneys) very happy. They encouraged Dave Sampson to open another Wurzel Bush Folk Club in Birmingham. This new club was at The Roebuck Ballroom in Erdington, which could hold over 400 people. The brewery even advertised the new Birmingham club on a local radio station called BRMB. The first night in Birmingham was packed with people.

Famous Performers and Recordings

Having clubs in both Coventry (on Saturdays) and Birmingham (on Fridays) helped attract famous performers. These artists often performed in theaters, but they could now play at both Wurzel Bush clubs on back-to-back nights. For example, the famous comedian and musician Jasper Carrott used this setup. He recorded his new album for DJM Records at both venues on consecutive nights. This helped with editing his album, Jasper Carrott Rabbits On, which became a big hit, reaching Number 5 on the album charts.

Changes and New Homes

After three years, Dave Sampson had to stop running the Birmingham club because he was very busy with work in Middlesbrough. He continued with the Coventry club on Saturday nights. However, due to a disagreement with new management, the folk club moved again. It found a new home at the White Lion in Brinklow, where it stayed for the next 12 years.

International Attention

While at the White Lion, the club gained international attention. This happened after a performance by the Moulton Morris men, who performed a traditional dance. This event became very famous. News reporters, like John Swallow from Central News, came to report on the story for ITV. Dave Sampson appeared on TV and national radio. His song "In the club the traditional way" was even played on radio news bulletins, including Coventry's Mercia Sound. The News of the World newspaper also shared the story with its readers.

More Moves for the Club

In 1993, the folk club had to leave the White Lion because the function room was turned into bedrooms. For the next 15 years, the club met at the Brinklow Royal British Legion Club.

The Club Today

The Wurzel Bush Folk Club held a special reunion event in August 2016. After this, it restarted its weekly folk club events. It returned to the White Lion Inn in Brinklow, Warwickshire, for a short time. In February 2017, the club moved to The Bulls Head. Then, in October 2018, the folk club moved to its current home, The Rugby West Indian Club. You can find the latest program and information on the club's website: www.wurzelbush.co.uk.