SHEP WOOLEY

Usually when I go to a gig, I have a fair idea what to expect. The star of the show was Shep Woolley. I have to admit I had never heard of him apart from the ‘blurb’ that said he was ‘A not to be missed’ folk singing comedian.

 

If Shep has an identity problem, it’s because he doesn’t fit neatly into a single category. Yes - he sings folk songs, but he’s much more than a folk singer. He sang some country songs but with a great deal more panache and technique than your average ‘Cowboy Joe.’ He told jokes – good ones - with a timing and style that suggested he should be playing on a bigger pitch than the village hall circuit.

There were amusing ditties like the cheeky pastiche of Tom Paxton . He then went into a long comical collection of anecdotes about his early years living in the Midlands, rounding them off with a song dedicated to his Granddad ‘The ballad of the fanatical pruner Greenhouse Graham.’ On a more serious note, there were songs with a social conscience, songs of love, songs of life and songs of total stupidity.

 

So what/who is Shep Woolley? Is he a singer who tells jokes or a comedian who sings?

I came to the conclusion that he’s just a great all-round performer ‘That’s not to be missed.’

 

Great songs, Good clean fun that never gets any saucier than a seaside postcard. Which, on a last note proves you can get laughs and be a fresh comedian without resorting to a barrage of four letter words?

 

Shep Woolley – ‘Not To Be Missed’ 11 out of 10!  Phil Ellis