Noted folk singer to entertain in Chch

Press, 4 July 1985, Page 13

Noted folk singer to entertain in Chch

One of Australia’s bestknown folk singers, Danny Spooner, will entertain at the Peterborough Centre in Christchurch on Sunday. The British-born singer is the guest in Christchurch of the Banks Peninsula Folk Club, during his New Zealand tour. Danny Spooner’s repertoire includes about 6000 folk songs spanning almost every part of the British folk tradition as well as a

large portion of Australian folk heritage. He has sung at folk festivals in Australia, New Zealand, and Britain. Born into a working-class family in the East End of London, Danny Spooner grew up with the traditions and folk-lore of Cockney life. He left school at 13 and worked as a barge boy on the River Thames. For 20 years he held many jobs,

including working as skipper of a salvage tug and serving with The Parachute Regiment. In 1961 he headed for Australia, where he started singing regularly at folk clubs in Melbourne. In the last 10 years Danny Spooner has taught history and literature at Melbourne University and at Deakin University in Geelong.

He is now a freelance lecturer and folk singer.