6th April 2006 Mick Ford & Laurel Canyon

Once again this superb Trio gave us a splendid non- stop show of great Country Music.
 As usual all three members of the band were in superb form, Mick on Rhythm Guitar and lead vocals, Bryn on Bass and John on Steel.Their show was a lovely mix of both popular and infrequently heard numbers, all of which kept dancers busy and listeners enthralled.
 Songs not heard often on the circuit included The Highwaymen's, Silver Stallion; Waylon's, Out Among The Stars, and   Door Is Always Open, Jimmie Payne's, The Weight Of My Chains, Tompall's, After All These Years, Jerry Lee's, Sing Me A Song I Can Cry To; Verne Gosdin's, Set 'Em Up Joe and Gary Stewarts, Out Of Hand.My own favourites of the evening were Paul Anker's, It Doesn't Matter Any More, a country hit for Linda Ronstadt, Little Richard's, Lucille,  a country chart hit for Waylon, Shenandoah, a smash for Charlie McCoy  and That Lucky Old Sun, a country hit for Nat Stuckey. 
For me every song was a treat.With performances like this, I can never have too much of this band.            Cyril Insley

December 8th 2005 MICK FORD and LAUREL CANYON

We are always pleased to welcome this trio to our club, for here we have three excellent individual musicians who combine superbly to produce a splendid 'Country' sound.Mick on Rhythm guitar and vocals, John on Steel and Bryn on bass are all seasoned performers and obviously enjoy what they do. Tonight they played lots of favourites which both dancers and listeners enjoyed.   Amongst these were ' I Can't Help It', ' Lucille', ' Detroit City ', ' Amanda', ' Battle Of New Orleans', ' Seven Spanish Angels', ' He'll Have To Go', and many more.  Other popular songs, not heard very often however, Included ' T For Texas', ' Rip It Up',  'I'm Right, You're Left, She's Gone' and 'Oh Boy'.  I particularly liked Mick's singing of Waylon's ' The Eagle ', Jimmy Payne's ' The Weight Of My Chains' and the Highwaymen's ' Silver Stallion'. Their whole show consistantly maintains a high standard and always finds favour with all our members. Cyril Insley.

September 8th 2005 MICK FORD and LAUREL CANYON

Being an admirer of the Steel Guitar and those who can play this instrument, I always look forward to the visit of Mick Ford and his band.  Although I missed the first half hour of tonight's show consensus opinion confirmed what a great performance they had so far given, I can concur that view from what I saw and heard.   What I especially enjoy about this group is their own particular interpretations of songs, they are not afraid to change the beat, rhythm or general arrangement of the numbers they perform, and not copy the original format. As usual we had a good mix of slow and up tempo songs and several rarely heard at this club. Good examples include Steve Young's ' Lonesome, 'Ornery and Mean', Terry Sumsion's ' Don't Go Throwing Stones', Billy Joe Shaver's ' Live Forever', George Jones' ' The Rock', Waylon Jennings' ' Don't You Think This Outlaw Bits Done Got Out Of Hand' and '  That Lucky  Ole Sun' whose only American chart entry was  by Ray Charles.Two of my favourite  items  tonight were John's Steel Guitar solo spot playing ' I Love You Because' and ' Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain', and Mick's excellent haunting version of the traditional ' Shenandoah'.Once again, Mick on Rhythm guitar and vocals. John, Steel guitar, and Bryn, on Bass guitar gave us a show to savour.Cyril Insley

September 23rd 2004 Mick Ford and Laurel Canyon

We were pleased to welcome back Mick, John, and Bryn tonight because of the unique sound they produce and the number of lesser known songs in their repertoire not normally heard here. Mick's distinctive deep voice, John's excellent steel guitar playing and Bryn's superb lead or bass guitar support all combine to create a sound of their own.Obvious devotees of  'The Outlaws'  and ' The Highwaymen', the band's program included lots of their songs // Tom Paul Glaser's ' I Still Love You After All These Years'  'Feelin' The Weight Of These Chains '  and ' Loving Her Was Easier' which was also a hit for composer Kris Kristoffersen; Waylon Jennings's 'I Can Get Off On You' and 'The Eagle' Willie Nelson's ' On The Road Again' and 'Funny How Time Slips Away' Johnny Cash's ' Ring Of Fire', ' I Walk The Line' and a personal favourite of mine ' Big River ', The Highwaymen's ' Silver Stallion'.    Other infrequently heard songs included  Dave Dudley's, 'Long Time Gone', Vern Gosdin's ' Set 'Em Up Joe' and Stonewall Jackson's ' I Washed my Hands In Muddy Water'. interspersed amongst these were the more familiar numbers including Elvis'  ' That's Alright' and ' My Baby Left Me' and several Hank Williams songs.Their show provided opportunities for the Line, Partner and Rockin' Dancers.But the biggest disappointment of this wonderful show was the small number of people in the audience. Let's hope that this was just a one off for our absent friends!            CYRIL INSLEY Top