IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BEES 
This song is a homage to the Abbots Bromley horn dance. Performed on the first Monday of September in some form since 1532. The tune is that of the dance with new lyrics by Hazel 
 
 
The story begins with The National Forest company (click HERE for their website) securing funding from the Hertitage Lottery Funds to set up a project in the heart of the National Forest. That project was called Black to Green. Click HERE to find out what Black to Green was all about. One of the Black to Green projects was setting up a local singing group. A balladress from Manchester, Jennifer Reid (click HERE for her website), was engaged to get the group started. The idea was to discover local songs and sing them.  
 
After much investigation it turns out there are no local songs to discover. With that news it was decided that the group would write their own songs. Jen taught the group to research local places, events and people and they began to create lyrics and put them to traditional folk tunes. That way the group avoids paying royalties and it is a much more authentic sound. The group named themselves "The Coal Tits".  
 
This song is a homage to the Abbots Bromley horn dance. Performed on the first Monday of September in some form since 1532. It is probably older but records are non-existant from that early time. The antlers have been carbon dated to the 11th century. 
 
©Hazel McDowell July 2019 
 
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