Biography
The Famous Potatoes characterize their musical approach as ‘Soil Music’. The lineup features Keith Baxter on banjo, trombone, washboard and zobstick, Richard Baxter handling vocals, melodeon, saxophone and harmonica, Nigel Blackaby on bass and vocals, Paul Collier on drums and vocals, Melanie Johnson contributing recorder, clarinet and vocals, Paul ‘Prof’ McDowell on accordion and vocals, Tony ‘Please Sir’ Littman on guitar, and Charlie Skelton on fiddle. Littman and Skelton stepped in after the departures of Nick Pynn, whose instruments included fiddle, mandolin, mandocello, banjo and viola, and Richard ‘Rikki’ Reynolds on guitar; Pynn later became part of the re-formed Cockney Rebel alongside Steve Harley.
Their sound draws from Cajun, skiffle, hillbilly, gospel and western swing traditions. Beyond standard concerts the group performs at barn dances and maintains a recurring presence at the Greenbelt Christian Arts festivals. Originally assembled in 1979 under the name Folk Pistols specifically to provide music for barn dances, the band has retained Johnson, McDowell and the Baxter brothers as core members ever since, while Blackaby and Collier came aboard in 1982. During their Folk Pistols period they issued two cassette releases, Get Your Skates On in 1981 and Twist With Ken in 1982, before adopting their present identity. The album It Was Good For My Old Mother generated considerable attention upon release, particularly within their native Essex. The Sound Of The Ground featured the Hank Williams classic ‘I Saw The Light’.
Their sound draws from Cajun, skiffle, hillbilly, gospel and western swing traditions. Beyond standard concerts the group performs at barn dances and maintains a recurring presence at the Greenbelt Christian Arts festivals. Originally assembled in 1979 under the name Folk Pistols specifically to provide music for barn dances, the band has retained Johnson, McDowell and the Baxter brothers as core members ever since, while Blackaby and Collier came aboard in 1982. During their Folk Pistols period they issued two cassette releases, Get Your Skates On in 1981 and Twist With Ken in 1982, before adopting their present identity. The album It Was Good For My Old Mother generated considerable attention upon release, particularly within their native Essex. The Sound Of The Ground featured the Hank Williams classic ‘I Saw The Light’.
Singles
