Jones is widely recognised as one of the most enduring artists to come out of the 70s English folk revival. Although he originally styled himself as a folk singer, his fame rests largely on his skill as a guitarist and in composing memorable arrangements for traditional songs.
His early musical interests included acts like Ray Charles and The Shadows. He first learned to play guitar while at school. His interest in folk music was aroused in 1964 by some old school friends who had formed into a folk band called the Halliard. When the members of the Halliard decided to turn professional, one of them left to pursue a different career and Nic was invited to take his place. Whilst playing with the Halliard, Nic learned how to play the fiddle, and also how to research and arrange traditional material.
The Halliard split up in 1968 as the members decided to pursue individual interests. For Nic, after a period at home with his family, this meant forging a career as a solo artist. At first finding work as a session musician, his solo career eventually took off and he recorded five solo albums, plus contributions to another album with the folk act Bandoggs.
In February of 1982, he was involved in a serious car accident while driving home after perfoming at Glossop Folk Club. He broke a large number of bones and suffered some brain damage and was hospitalised for eight months. Although he survived, he still suffers co-ordination problems and feels he is unable to play the guitar well enough to perform and record. He can no longer play the fiddle at all.
Nic now lives in York and continues to play guitar and write songs for his own pleasure. He has also developed a passion for chess. His wife, Julia, set up the record label Mollie Music which has issued two albums of re-mastered live recordings from Nic's early career. In 2006 Topic released a third compilation of live recordings, Game Set Match.
Nic's guitar style was unique in its day and has often been imitated since. He played with a plastic thumb pick but not his fingernails. Instead he opted to grasp and pluck the strings of the guitar which led to the slapping down onto the fingerboard with no small force, a technique similar to that employed when plucking the lute. This created the percussive effect which became his signature sound.
Nic's first four albums were originally released on vinyl and have never been reissued, making them rather sought after. The label that now owns them, Celtic Music, has stated it will not release CD versions until all the existing vinyl versions are sold. However, in spite of repeated enquiries by fans, no-one has yet managed to buy one of the 'existing' vinyl copies.
With the Halliard:
* It's The Irish In Me - The Halliard (1967)
* The Halliard and Jon Raven (1967)
As a member of Bandoggs (Pete and Chris Coe and Tony Rose)
* Bandoggs (1978)
As a session musician with Maddy Prior and June Tabor
* Silly Sisters (1976)
Solo, now Unavailable:
* Ballads and Songs (1970)
* Nic Jones (1971)
* The Noah's Ark Trap (1977)
* From the Devil to a Stranger (1978)
Solo, still available:
* Penguin Eggs (1980)
* In Search of Nic Jones (1998) (remastered live material)
* Unearthed (2001) (remastered live material)
* Game Set Match (2006) (remastered live material)
In 1999, John Wesley Harding released a tribute album entitled Trad Arr Jones.
In 2001, Penguin Eggs was voted the 2nd best folk album of all time by listeners of the Mike Harding show on BBC Radio 2. The opening track on this album, Canadee-I-O, besides being an excellent example of Nic's guitar style is notable because it was recorded by Bob Dylan and included on his 1992 album Good as I Been to You. Whilst Canadee-I-O is a traditional folk song, some critics have accused Dylan of stealing Nic's arrangements for this song without credit or the offer of royalties. Others disagree, and believe the arrangements to be different. Another school of thought is that the arranger's copyright on recordings of traditional songs is little more than a legal fiction, allowing artists to receive "mechanical royalty payments" that would otherwise be kept by their recording labels. See the links below for further discussion on this issue.
Not having sung in public since the car crash some 28 years ago, Jones made a surprise appearance at the Sidmouth Folk Festival in August 2010. During a programme dedicated to performances of his work, he took to the stage to perform three songs with one of his past line ups, Bandoggs. It was an emotional event for audience and performers alike and Jones, having been rehearsing for the show at his home in north Devon, has now declared that he is considering performing again.
In 2012 Nic was a featured vocalist on the Kate Rusby album, 20, singing compelling yet tasteful harmonies with Kate on her self-penned song "The Lark". If this teaser is anything to go by we may be in for another treat from Nic Jones.
Canadee-I-O
Nic Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She fell in love with a sailor boy and it's true that she loved him well
For to go off to sea with him, like she did not know how
She longed to see that seaport town, called Canadee-I-O.
So she bargained with a young sailor boy, it's all for a piece of gold
Straighway then he led her all down into the hold
Saying "I'll dress you up in sailor's clothes, your jacket shall be blue
Now, when the other sailors heard the news, they fell into a rage
And with all the whole ship's company, they were willing to engage
Saying "We'll tie her hands and feet me boys, overboard we'll throw her
And she'll never see that seaport town, called Canadee-I-O"
Now, when the captain he's heard the news, well he too fell into a rage
And with his whole ship's company, he was willing to engage
Saying "She'll stay all in sailor's clothes, her collar shall be blue
She'll see that seaport town, called Canadee-I-O"
Now when they came down to Canada, scarcely above half a year
She's married this bold captain, who called her his dear
She's dressed in silks and satins now, and she cuts a gallant show
She's the finest of the ladies down in Canadee-I-O
Come all you fair and tender girls, wheresoever you may be
I'd have you follow your own true love when he goes out on the sea
For if the sailors prove false to you, well the captain he might prove true
To see the honour that I have gained by the wearing of the blue
The Nic Jones song, Canadee-I-O, is the story of a young girl who falls in love with a sailor boy and dreams of sailing with him to the seaport town of Canadee-I-O. She convinces a young sailor boy to take her aboard the ship in exchange for a piece of gold, where he dresses her up in sailor's clothes to keep her identity hidden. When the rest of the sailors discover the girl's presence, they become angry and want to throw her overboard. The captain intervenes and agrees to let her stay onboard, dressed up in sailor's clothes. They eventually make it to the seaport town of Canadee-I-O, and the girl ends up marrying the captain who treats her like a queen.
The lyrics explore the idea of risks and rewards when it comes to following one's heart. The girl takes a huge risk by disguising herself as a sailor and boarding the ship with a man she barely knows. But her risk pays off when she meets the captain and is treated well. The song also looks at the idea of social class and how societal expectations can be limiting. The girl is able to break free from her lower-class roots by marrying the wealthy captain.
Overall, the song teaches a message of perseverance and staying true to oneself despite opposition. It also highlights the idea that sometimes love can lead to unexpected and rewarding outcomes.
Line by Line Meaning
It's of a fair and handsome girl, she's all in her tender years
The song tells about a young and attractive girl looking for love.
She fell in love with a sailor boy and it's true that she loved him well
The girl fell in love with a sailor boy and cared for him deeply.
For to go off to sea with him, like she did not know how
She decided to go to the sea with the sailor boy, despite her lack of experience.
She longed to see that seaport town, called Canadee-I-O.
The girl had a desire to visit the Canadee-I-O seaport town.
So she bargained with a young sailor boy, it's all for a piece of gold
The girl offered a young sailor boy a piece of gold in exchange for help to reach the Canadee-I-O town.
Straighway then he led her all down into the hold
The sailor boy took the girl below deck to hide her from the other sailors.
Saying "I'll dress you up in sailor's clothes, your jacket shall be blue
The sailor boy offered to disguise the girl as a sailor with a blue jacket to help her reach the Canadee-I-O port.
You'll see that seaport town, called Canadee-I-O"
With the sailor boy's support, the girl would finally reach the Canadee-I-O port town.
Now, when the other sailors heard the news, they fell into a rage
The other sailors got angry when they found out about the girl's presence.
And with all the whole ship's company, they were willing to engage
All the ship's crew members were ready to take action against the girl.
Saying "We'll tie her hands and feet me boys, overboard we'll throw her
The crew decided to throw the girl overboard after tying her up.
And she'll never see that seaport town, called Canadee-I-O"
The girl would not be able to reach the Canadee-I-O town if the crew members had their way.
Now, when the captain he's heard the news, well he too fell into a rage
When the captain learned about the situation, he also became angry.
And with his whole ship's company, he was willing to engage
The captain and his crew members were ready to confront the other sailors.
Saying "She'll stay all in sailor's clothes, her collar shall be blue
Instead of throwing the girl overboard, the captain decided to keep her disguised as a sailor.
She'll see that seaport town, called Canadee-I-O"
The girl would finally get to see the Canadee-I-O port town thanks to the captain's decision.
Now when they came down to Canada, scarcely above half a year
After arriving in Canada, it had only been six months.
She's married this bold captain, who called her his dear
The girl fell in love with and married the captain.
She's dressed in silks and satins now, and she cuts a gallant show
The girl is now living a life of luxury and looks elegant.
She's the finest of the ladies down in Canadee-I-O"
The girl has become one of the most admired ladies in Canadee-I-O town.
Come all you fair and tender girls, wheresoever you may be
The song's speaker addresses all young and gentle girls everywhere.
I'd have you follow your own true love when he goes out on the sea
The song's speaker advises girls to follow their heart and accompany their true love.
For if the sailors prove false to you, well the captain he might prove true
If sailors betray a girl, a captain may turn out to be her true lover and protector.
To see the honour that I have gained by the wearing of the blue
The song's speaker takes pride in the girl's story of finding love and success by wearing a blue sailor's jacket.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: NIC JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
kololikate
Heartbreaking to see Nic Jones at The Village Pump. What courage! He sang this and his son played guitar. He got a standing ovation and did three encores. So glad I went and saw him.
John Ravenhill
Yes indeed. Thanks for attending. My eyes felt dangerously damp watching Nic.
Ci gh
@John Ravenhill That's what she said
Bob Green
First you think the guitar on its own is godlike enough, then that wonderful voice comes in. Masterful.
yaisum
Spot on. I guess he's famous for his guitar (which is sublime) but I REALLY love his voice. It's so rich an mellifluous. Just beautiful.
Peter Byrne
agree completely...wonderful
Barbara Kononchuk
I almost memorized Penguin Eggs; my favorites were the Little Pot Stove and Canadee-i-o.
ilovemypiano
I've just discovered this man and God, am I happy! Now I'm going to listen to the whole album.
PJ Perdue
Me too.
Cristina Jerry
I have been so fortunate to have been to a couple of his concert where I live in the Isle of Man. I was so sad about his accident. but so delighted that he survived and performed with his son.