“Everything changed when I heard Elvis. Where there had been nothing, there was suddenly something.” – John Peel
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There are many words you could use to describe the late broadcaster and DJ John Peel. Passionate. Obsessive. Instinctive… One thing’s for sure, he was a man who knew his own mind. When Peel liked something, he went all-in. He had the gumption to commit.
On its release in 1978, Peel famously played The Undertones’ Teenage Kicks twice in a row on his radio show, hailing it “the perfect pop song”. The opening line – “Teenage dreams so hard to beat” – is etched on his gravestone in Great Finborough, Suffolk.
Peel was always fiercely devoted to the subjects of his admiration. He granted 24 BBC Peel Sessions to his most treasured band of all time, The Fall. And his gushing promotion helped boost a catalogue of other artists in their raw infancy, not least The Smiths, Marc Bolan, The White Stripes, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Kanda Bongo Man, Joy Division and, of course, Half Man Half Biscuit.
In the late 60s, when he moved from pirate radio to the BBC, Peel stumbled across a young folk singer, Bridget St John, and instantly became a colossal fan. So much so, in fact, that he felt the burning desire to start his own record label, largely in order to capture Bridget’s work and get it distributed to a wider audience.
Speaking years later he explained “nobody else was going to record her stuff.” Through artistic endeavour, he felt he had to.
So, in 1969, Peel set up Dandelion Records – named after his pet hamster – with business partner Clive Selwood. The label’s first release was Bridget’s debut album Ask Me No Questions, recorded in just 10 hours and produced by Peel himself.
From the start, Peel was captivated by Bridget’s brand of contemporary folk, particularly her voice, which represents a marriage of Nico noir sensuality and gentil Woodstock bliss. It’s an evocative, haunting sound. And a distinctive one at that. She has the kind of mesmeric, resonant timbre that can shroud you in sorrow one second and wrap you in warm blankets the next. At times, listening to Bridget, you sense a Joni Mitchell vibe and there are some comparisons to be had with Vashti Bunyan, but it’s undeniably her own precipitous realm.
Peel once said, during a 1971 interview with Melody Maker: “If something has me confused, I want to play it on the radio”. Now, he most likely had Captain Beefheart in mind at the time but, in a strange way, it could also refer to Bridget’s elusive tones. You’re never sure which way it’s pulling (or pushing) you.
As for her tender, emotive guitar streams, they bear evidence of a more clear lineage: Nick Drake appears to have been a considerable influence. John Martyn too. She met John Martyn in London in 1968 and they quickly became kindred spirits. She affirms that Martyn and Michael Chapman are her “musical brothers”.
Prior to that, Bridget had grown up in a musical household and busted her way through a few years of formal lessons on the viola and trumpet before settling on acoustic guitar as her weapon of choice. She played some early gigs at Sheffield University and a pub in Rotherham.
Relocated to London, John Martyn and Bridget had a mutual friend – the poet, Pete Roche. Bridget and Pete started dating. It was Pete who then introduced her to John Peel.
Immediately taken with Bridget’s alluring sound, Peel swiftly arranged for her to record six songs for his Night Ride show and then four tracks for a BBC demos compilation album. For the latter, she chose a John Martyn song, The River, her own composition Song To Keep You Company, Joni Mitchell’s Night In The City and the traditional folk tune Lazarus.
Through Dandelion Records, Peel, the most enthusiastic of supporters, was able to share more of Bridget’s work with the world. After the debut Ask Me No Questions, she went on to record a further two albums for Dandelion – Songs For The Gentle Man in 1971 and Thank You For a year later. But it didn’t last as long as Peel had hoped. The label folded in 1972. He later acknowledged the entire project was something of an indulgence and never made much commercial sense. But that was John all over, of course – he cared far more about music than money.
Even the launch ad for Dandelion, appearing in the International Times in 1969, made his ethos clear from the outset:
Bridget St John recorded a well-received fourth album, Jumble Queen, for Chrysalis in 1974 and then promptly moved to New York. Since then she has recorded two more solo albums of new material and worked on a bunch of collaborations. She still performs on a sporadic basis too, but she remains best-known for her time with Peel and the triple-album run on Dandelion.
Bridget has a peculiar, enchanting take on the folk formula. It’s introspective, yet quite boldly so. A number of younger female songwriters have taken a similar approach. Tracy Thorn and Beth Orton are confirmed fans and you can see why. And looking more recently, you can trace references through to Marissa Nadler, Merce Lemon and Beth Gibbons.
Peel stood by his claim that Bridget St John was “the best lady singer-songwriter in the country”. Despite his ardent belief in her abilities, the music landscape at the time didn’t lend itself to any significant, prolonged commercial success.
During that 1971 interview for Melody Maker, Peel also, somewhat prophetically, expounded the commercialisation of the pop scene. “People are basically more hung up on images than they are on music,” he said. “They’d much rather go and see somebody famous than hear somebody good.”
Forever the oracle, forever the flag-bearer. Peel knew his onions.
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Words: Stephen Desmond
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