Ramblings

(Photo: regmeuross.com)

Reg Meuross is a brilliant songwriter, who has written and performed some quite beautiful songs; songs in the tradition of Woody Guthrie, taking the side of the poor, the oppressed and the dispossessed. In 2023 he released a superb song cycle Stolen From God, concerning England’s part in the transatlantic slave trade.

I recently attended the launch of his latest album, Fire & Dust, at Bush Hall in London, which celebrated the life and music of the same Woody Guthrie – the latest flowering of a long and distinguished career. The album was produced by Pete Townshend of the Who.

Here are some of Reg’s best songs – click and listen, you won’t be disappointed.

Your Face Again – lively but poignant post-breakup song.

“No I don’t need a picture of Judas
And I don’t need a picture of Cain
To know how it feels to be out in the cold
Wishing I could try that again”

Good with his Hands – heart-breaking song about a father

“I saw him in the garden on the day she went away
He was watering the roses
And he hadn’t much to say”

The Goodbye Hat - bittersweet song about a departure

“Now it doesn’t necessarily follow 
That she’s been going out with somebody else 
But it’s starting to look 
Like she’s found a new book
While this one gathers dust on the shelf”

England Green & England Grey - what's bad, and what's good about England

“Take my hand and walk with me
Down the back roads to the sea
In spite of all we’ll both agree
There is none so sweet as England”

Shine On – the only lockdown song you’ll hear that is worth listening to

“Shine on, like a diamond in the mine
Shine on, like the spirit of mankind
Shine on, when the city lights are gone
Shine on, shine on!”

Good Morning Mr Colston – hard-hitting but very enjoyable, almost jaunty nautical styled takedown of the slave trader

“It’s a golden chain that binds you
To a poison legacy
No statue or memorial 
Can hide your history 
Good Morning Mr Colston
When will your soul be free?” 

Woody Guthrie’s Chains – hymn-like testament to the legendary folk singer

“I will raise my song to meet them
When they have no singing left”

The Gypsy Singer - atmospheric recreation of Bob Dylan’s meeting with Woody Guthrie

“These are your children 
And this is your wife
The breath of their love
Is the breath of your life”

Some artists write songs which are good to listen to. Others write songs with a powerful message. The overlap is very small: usually the message overwhelms the melody. Meuross writes songs at once beautiful and powerful.

How can anyone be so talented, and produce such marvellous music, and still be so little known? Sure, he is a hugely respected and popular figure on the folk scene. But it’s still the folk scene. I saw Reg play at the Chesham Folk Club a few years ago. The small room was packed with over a hundred people – he was a big attraction. Few members of the audience were under sixty.

A few months later, I let my brother know when I learned that an ex-school classmate of his was performing at the club. He couldn’t go, but he spread the news to three school friends who did attend. My email increased the audience by 33%. The days when Paul Simon had to be wrenched back to the US from touring folk clubs in England – because The Sound Of Silence had taken off – are a very long time ago. The folk clubs don’t breed stars any more.

You also need a bit of luck. In the 1990s Meuross was signed to a major record label. By the time his album came out, the executive who had signed him had moved on. The label put no effort into promoting the album, and the opportunity to promote a talented artist was lost.

Then there is the name. Meuross is a fine name, originating, it seems, from Melrose in Scotland. But lacking that pop star snap. And Reg? Well, Reginald Smith found success after changing his name to Marty Wilde. More famously, Reg Dwight changed his to Elton John. The only pop or rock star I can find who stuck with the name Reg was good old Reg Presley of the Troggs: he had been Reg Ball, until his manager changed his name to Presley in their publicity, without consulting or informing him.

But Meuross had already achieved a measure of fame in the 1980s as half of the Panic Brothers, a musical, political and comedy acoustic duo he had founded with Richard Morton. No doubt when he launched his solo career he was reluctant to surrender the hard-won goodwill attached to his name. And dammit, why should he have to change his name?

And, well…age. Reg is 72, and producing some of the best music of his career. How many songwriters Shine On so long? Perhaps the absence of major success has kept Reg hungry, and kept him at the top of his game. But unfortunately, precious few singer/songwriters break through to major success after the age of 30, let alone 70.

So I fear that Reg Meuross will remain a best kept secret, beloved and hugely respected by a few. I’d love to be proved wrong. Bush Hall is a charming venue. But really, this guy should be on the main stage at Glastonbury.