He had much experience of performing to an audience, setting him apart from better known folk song scholars and anthologists who collected material but were less concerned with singing it.
[5] He met the BBC producer Charles Parker whilst organising informal folk song evenings for CND in Birmingham during the 1960s.
[1] He took early retirement, making time to explore his deep passion in all aspects of folk culture - its lore, dialect, crafts, arts, plays and above all, its songs and music.
From 1970 to 2007 he produced a steady stream of books, articles and reviews, exploring social history through the medium of folk song and street ballads.
[4] In 2003 was awarded a gold badge, the highest honour bestowed by the English Folk Dance and Song Society,[1] and in 2004 he received an honorary MA from the Open University.