Concertina Tradition

Contributions to the Concertina Library by Richard Carlin.

The Fayre Four Sisters: Concertina Virtuosi
by Richard Carlin: Interviews with Inga, Tina, Sylvia, and Lillian Webb, the “Fayre Four Sisters,” concertinists on the British music hall and vaudeville circuits. The sisters were daughters of Joseph Webb (JoJo of the Brothers Webb), and part of the circle including George Jones, who gave them their first concertina lessons, and of Frank Butler. As published in The Free-Reed Journal No. 3 (2001), pp 79–88.; Posted 15 January 2005; » read full article; » read full article in pdf

Frank Butler: An Interview
by Richard Carlin: An account of Frank Butler's background and teaching methods, with some opinions on playing the concertina, based on an interview in 1975. As published in PICA No. 1 (2004), pp 24–30.; Posted 15 January 2005; » read full article; » read full article in pdf

The English Concertina (Folkways 08845)
Compiled and annotated by Richard Carlin: Recordings of historic players dating from 1975. Includes tracks by the Fayre Four Sisters, Wilfred Pearce and Reuben Shaw, Alf Edwards, Harry Crabb, Gregory Matusewitch, Henry Minting, and Richard Carlin. Available for purchase from the Smithsonian Institution website at www.folkways.si.edu. Samples of each of the tracks can be listened to free on the website.; Posted 15 January 2005; » go to website