The High Level Ranters are a Northumbrian traditional musical group founded in 1964, best known for being one of the first bands in the revival of the

Northumbrian smallpipes The Northumbrian smallpipes (also known as the Northumbrian pipes) are bellows-blown bagpipes from Northeastern England, where they have been an important factor in the local musical culture for more than 250 years. The family of the Duke of ...

Name and history

The name was chosen as a combination of the location of the Bridge Folk Club at the north end of the High Level Bridge in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

, where they all played, and from the Cheviot Ranters, a famous Northumberland dance band operating in the

Alnwick Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116. The town is south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish border, inland from the North Sea ...

area from about 1953 to 1996. The High Level Ranters have been playing traditional music and song from

North East England North East England, commonly referred to simply as the North East within England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of County DurhamNorthumberland, , Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and part of northern North Yorkshire. ...

for nearly 40 years, becoming one of the most influential groups of the

British folk revival The British folk revival incorporates a number of movements for the collection, preservation and performance of folk music in the United Kingdom and related territories and countries, which had origins as early as the 18th century. It is particu ...

. For many years they were the only group featuring the Northumbrian smallpipes in their performances, and are thus responsible for introducing many of today's pipers to this unique instrument. They have also introduced many of today's musicians to the distinctive traditional music in the North East, and have done so with a unique enthusiasm of performance. Performers such as The High Level Ranters brought Northumbrian folk to national and international audiences. The band were featured twice, live in session, by

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

- first on 18 October 1972, recorded at the

Playhouse Theatre The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt in ...

, Northumberland Avenue in London and later, on 3 July 1974, recorded at the BBC Newcastle studio."PEEL SESSIONS - High Level Ranters"
Bbc.co.uk The band continues to tour and may be booked through their official website.

Band members

Between 1969 and 1979 the band consisted of Alistair Anderson, Tommy Gilfellon, Johnny Handle and Colin Ross. Since 1980 the line-up has been Jim Hall, Johnny Handle and Colin Ross. At various times and for various recordings Forster Charlton, John Doonan, Pete Wood and

Lou Killen Louisa "Lou" Jo Killen (born Louis Killen; 10 January 1934 – 9 August 2013) was an English folk singer from Gateshead, Tyneside, who also played the English concertina. Killen formed one of Britain's first folk clubs in 1958 in Newcastle upo ...

have also been band members.

Discography

High Level Ranters (1966-1979)

*''Northumberland for Ever'', 1968 ( Topic 12TS186) *''The Lads of Northumbria'', 1969 (Trailer LER 2007) *''Keep Your Feet Still Geordie Hinnie'', 1970 (Trailer LER 2020) *''High Level'', 1971 (Trailer LER 2030) *''A Mile to Ride'', 1973 (Trailer LER 2037) *''The Bonny Pit Laddie'', 1975 (Topic 2-12TS271/2) (With Harry Boardman and Dick Gaughan) *''Ranting Lads'', 1976 (Topic 12TS297) *''English Sporting Ballads'', 1976 (Broadside BRO 128) (with Martyn Wyndham-Read) *''Four in a Bar'', 1979 (Topic 12TS388)

"New" High Level Ranters (1980-2004)

*''The New High Level Ranters'', 1982 (Topic 12TS425) *''Border Spirit'', 1983 (Topic 12TS434) *''Gateshead Revisited'', 1987 (Common Ground CGR 005)

Compilation albums with tracks from the High Level Ranters

*'' The Iron Muse'', 1993 CD Compilation (Topic TSCD465) *''

Three Score and Ten ''Three Score and Ten: A Voice to the People'' is a multi-CD box set album issued by Topic Records in 2009 to celebrate 70 years as an independent British record label. The album consists of a hardback book containing the seven CDs and a pa ...

'', 2009

Topic Records Topic Records is a British folk music label, which played a major role in the second British folk revival. It began as an offshoot of the Workers' Music Association in 1939, making it the oldest independent record label in the world.M. Brocken ...

70 year anniversary boxed set includes ''Aa’m Glad The Strike’s Done'' from ''The Bonny Pit Laddie'' as track sixteen on the sixth CD.

References

External links

Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:High Level Ranters, The English Celtic music groups English folk musical groups Musical groups established in 1964 Music of Northumbria Topic Records artists