MYKE REMEMBERED

THE MUSIC PLAYERS

A RARE - IF NOT THE ONLY VIDEO OF MYKE AND PHOEBE PLAYING TOGETHER, AND A CLASSIC IT IS “STORMY WEATHER”

MYKE DOING HIS THING AROUND THE CLUBS AND SESSIONS

MYKE (MASHER) BARRITT

27th July 1949 - 16th May 2010

A Good Gig

DICKIE MASHER’S TRIBUTE TO HIS GREAT FRIEND

Myke left us to play in the master session beyond this life, the” happiest man in the World”. His words, not mine.

After a life time of searching Myke had at last found, if belatedly, his perfect soul mate, the love of his life Phoebe.

He was to become a man of property and was so excited, planning where the music room would be, where his model train layout would dominate where his workshop would be.

And yes, as Myke Masher he was having a great time Gigging around the North and taking his natural flair to entertain out to wider public.

What’s more, just recently he had got his more rocking band Earthtales a couple of “proper” Gigs and was enjoying the practice and rehearsals and even the fun of putting new material into the mix.

Myke was happy.

Ironically, The Mashers should have been in Germany this week on a mini tour, but it was my Doctor who said no because of my various ailments which had not settled back down. It would have been yet another tick on Myke’s list of ambitions achieved.

Myke’s life was dedicated to music. He would tell me stories of how as a boy his parents would buy records, watch Top of The Pops, and how he widened his music knowledge and discovered bands and genre of music.

He was a self-taught guitarist. Myke told of how he would send other occupants in his Sixth Form Common Room mad has he worked out bar chords, learnt new riffs or sang out lyrics.

The range of his musical knowledge was all compassing, anything from heavy rock to the rarest of Traditional sea shanty were all well within his range. I’ve seen head banging one moment and singing along to a Harvesting song the next. Music was music to Myke, a good song was a good song, and so long as it was not The Mountains of Mourn he was the happiest person in the World.

I never did find out why he hated the Mountains of Mourn quite so much.

Just go and listen to the programme we did for Bishop FM Folk Up Front withTerry Ferdinand, and the music that Myke selected to be played. It’s well worth a listen. HERE

His entire life was just one long Session. Wherever he lived, wherever the location, if it was in reach of a bus, Myke would be there, sitting in a corner, pint in hand, quiet and unassuming, then bursting into life and working away at his guitar the moment a song he could play, or a tune he knew was played.

As his collaboration with The Mashers proved, Myke would play along with anyone. More. He would encourage anyone with their music. It didn’t matter that your performance was lacking, it didn’t matter that the songs were weak, it didn’t matter that you were not a master of the guitar, as long as you were enjoying your music and progressing skills he was there to help.

And in the low times when I wondered if the Masher project was worthwhile or that Acoustic Rotherham was not achieving what I wanted, Myke was there offering encouragement, boosting ego and just generally pushing me on.

I know he did the same for Phoebe with their Wyrd Wych and The Mad Frog project.

But this applied to anyone who sought out his advice.

One of the notable features of touring with Myke was his fame. Wherever we went, even the remotest parts of Norfolk, someone would recognise him. Often from his days with Rhiannon, a band that “terrorised” Folk venues, he said, in the way The Mashers have done in more recent times. Whenever I would get frustrated with the musical snobbery that exists around certain Folk Clubs or venues, Myke would tell of when Rhiannon played to the same reaction from those who dictate as to what is good and what is bad “folk”. As he would say, as long as the audience enjoyed it, which invariably they did, “f*** them”. An ethos now firmly built into my own attitude.

I remember one drive, I think it was from a “Hiring Faire” at The Station in Loftus, where we stopped off at a Motorway Station for a freshen up. Myke was busy attending to his business when a total stranger standing down the line said “I know you mate, you were in that band Rhiannon!”. Myke modestly bowed his head and said “in another life my friend, but you’re right.”

We had our moments too though. My guitar playing could be all over the place, and frequently is, but he was a stickler for getting the lyrics on the right beat, and they “have to rhyme”. Which is why in the song “Sunny Day In Dublin” the last verse was often cut – or if sung, we would chuckle as we sang:

“On Walking home I met a friend

We went to have a drink

We took our pints we sat outside

And laughed and had a……………….. joke”

It was always an “oh dear” moment.

We had many discussions about similar lines.

And of course the famous late night driving back from his beloved Play On Club on Kelham Island, when in the dark and tipping rain it took an hour an half of touring The Manor in Sheffield to find his beloved Phoebe’s house, first because he didn’t have a clue as where the house was, secondly because I was reading the A-Z upside down!

Many a word exchanged that night.

In a nutshell though within the musical community Myke touched so many lives.

But Myke was also a skilled model engineer. Not many people appreciate that his passion for model trains led him to launching a business. MB Trains. “MB Trains Made in Sheffield”, his labels proudly boast.

This business manufactured hand built and painted model electric trains. I have one proudly displayed in my cabinet in the colours of Southern Railways. Typical of Myke, even the boxes and label were all “hand made”, the label precisely placed on the lid with the typical perfection he sought from whatever he did in life.

Sadly the business itself was not a raving success, yet like his music, his trains have a cult following amongst the serious and knowledgeable collectors.

When someone passes on it’s the norm for all and sundry to creep from undergrowth to express their good wishes etc and say what a great person they were. In our Myke's case it’s all true though. A nicer, sweeter personality, a more unassuming generous, loving man, one could not wish to meet.

I count myself privileged and extremely lucky to have worked alongside him for so long. He will never know the joy he brought into my life personally, nor how much I treasured his friendship.

But the music must go on.

Myke would not want the tears, he would not want the long faces. I’m sure he saw it as his personal mission in life to bring happiness to everyone’s lives. Which is why one way or another The Mashers will continue to play. Which is why we must all celebrate this fantastic man’s life. Which is why we must fill that empty seat with music.

Above all he has achieved at least one of his life’s main aims “leave them wanting more”. Indeed, if only.

MORE TRIBUTES HERE

BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE

MUSICIANS AND FRIENDS COMMENT

ON THE LIFE OF MYKE

HERE

The Rhiannon Years

I have only sketchy knowledge of Myke’s early years on the South Yorkshire music scene. Here Craig Booker tells more.

I first met Myke at that frenetic cauldron of musical activity ‘The Grapes’, on Trippett Lane in Sheffield, back in around 1981. There was a jam session underway, and Myke being Myke he expressed an interest in my acoustic guitar playing. My band (the esoterically named ‘Slidin’ Frog’, oddly enough – I still have a badge somewhere to prove it) had just folded, and I was desperate for a new musical opportunity. Myke told me about a band he was in – Rhiannon – and said that the female lead singer (Karen, I think) was leaving, and he was looking to maybe rock things up a bit by recruiting not one but two new members, and working the arcane art of electrickery into the band. When I left for home that teatime he’d fired my imagination, but I never really thought the call would come...

But come it did – after a few gigs with another outfit I’m sure you’re all aware of, Earth Tales.

Rhiannon, 1982-86. One album (‘The Birds of Rhiannon’ on Fellside), a few tapes, several festivals, big gigs, small gigs, gigs with (literally in one case) one man and his dog. And at its heart was Myke – bassist, guitarist and mandolin artiste extraordinaire. His gentle wit and humour, his ability to reconcile band disagreements so easily, his free-flowing conversation and his ability to drink like a fish without ever clapping an ounce of weight on were all sources of inspiration.

There are many stories I could relate about this musically fecund and exciting time with him, but I don’t think it right to include them in all their glory here. Myke may have told you some of them anyway – our abortive hitch-hiking attempt to Bromyard Festival with box upon box of his wonderful handmade trains, and the amazing gig for Sir John Brighte’s Regiment of Foote (a local civil war Parliamentarian re-enactment Society) in the backyard of Jodrell Bank being just two.

Whale of a Time, too – when Rhiannon lost their singers we decided to continue as a 3 piece, playing mainly Scots, Irish and old English instrumentals. I still remember Myke, Stella and I in the recording studio. The first session included a version of the Irish slip-jig, ‘Kid on the Mountain’ – all very traditional, until Myke thundered in with his earth-shattering electric guitar rhythm, and later a screaming, very untraditional and irreverent, electric guitar solo such as might have been squeezed out by one of the late ‘60s American west-coast bands. The best of times! He later applied the same skills and vision to a souped-up recording of Christmas carols we did in 1991, the release of which was delayed because the roof of the recording studio was leaking and unsafe.

Those ten years were peppered with special projects (such as ‘A Musical Inferno’, which portrayed the story of music from ancient Greece to the modern day and featured many local ‘folkies’), folk club appearances and, indeed, special folk days at the various pubs where we practiced. Myke was always the focus of my gigging in those days, and I’m proud to have been a part of it all. As the backroom boys, we often exchanged wild solos and wilder grins during our gigs, looning about which often went unnoticed by the others in the bands, although not necessarily by the audiences...

And that’s the memory I’ll always carry with me – Myke, long hair flying, his mad but somehow gentle grin animating his long, spare frame as he dashed off yet another irreverent solo.

Many comments have been posted already on this site about how much Myke will be missed. I agree with all of them, many times over. With knobs on. I lost touch with him after Whale of a Time folded, and only got back in touch a couple of years ago. Instead of calling me or emailing me, he sent me handwritten letters. I still prize a handwritten version of one of his songs, ‘Emma’, which he sent me so I could learn it when we next met up somewhere to play – possibly at the Commercial in Chapeltown, as the 2009 August Bank Holiday do there was the last time I played music with him, and I thought there might be a repeat this year. Sadly, it was not to be.

Myke, you were a one off, and you’ll be missed more than words can say. I’ll cherish the memories we shared always. Now tell the angels to put their ruddy harps away and strap on their Strats and Les Pauls, plug them into their Marshall stacks via their Boss Hyper-Metal pedals, and blow the bloody gates of Heaven off.

Rhiannon were, Craig Booker, Stella Davies, Linda Hurcombe, Michael Thorpe and of course the mighty Myke.

Wherever Myke and I toured his association with Rhiannon would be remembered a tribute to the respect amongst the folk community and beyond the Band had and Myke’s own larger than life stage personality.

Here is a track from their Album “The Birds of Rhiannon”. It happens to be the first track and I’ve chosen it because it so typically Myke. It’s a song many of you will have heard him performing recently with Phoebe as The Wyrd Wych and The Mad Frog. “Twa Corbies”.

Why is it so typically Myke? First the intro which is thumping, second a bass line that bares all his hallmarks. Listen for yourself (don’t forget to switch off The Masher noise by clicking the stop button on the player you’ll find on the top left of this page.) HERE

RHIANNON - TWA CORBIES (Linda - Vocals; Michael - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar; Craig - String ensemble, Acoustic Guitar; Stella - Whistle,Marching snare; Myke - Bass Guitar)

THE FULL CD CAN BE BOUGHT IN MP3 FORMAT HERE

READ MORE ABOUT MYKE’S EARLY YEARS HERE

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ANDY BOWDIN PAYS A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO MYKE - WITH A FULL DISCOGRAPHY

Myke Barritt 27th July 1949 - 16th May 2010

Michael Peter John Barritt – or should that be Michael John Peter Barritt? Well, that depends on whether you believe Myke or his birth certificate – and his parents always said the registrar got it wrong anyway, so let’s go along with Myke’s version …

Myke was born in Chester, only child of Mary Elizabeth nee Aspinall and Arthur Lloyd Barritt. His parents were both keen gardeners and environmentalists, and Myke’s father was a railway enthusiast, collector of model trains and model maker. So we can see where his got his love of nature, model railways and his incredible model making skills.

What is less clear is where his musical talents came from. Mary and Arthur liked listening to music, but were apparently not otherwise musical themselves.

Myke's childhood is evoked by a complete set of Meccano magazines, several illustrated books of fairy stories and some ancient atlases that he still had with him, having moved them from one flat to another during his lifetime. Meccano is reflected in the meticulous numbering and labelling of the tin-plate models he produced, the illustrated fairy stories in the pre-raphaelite style of fair maids that adorned posters for band appearances – all edged with a celtic border. One such poster displaying an unconcealed breast later appears with a more modest low-cut dress. He also loved to draw detailed maps.

Myke made tin-plate trains, carriages and wagons from tin cans, developing variously the brand names MB trains and MPJB trains, bearing the labels, Made in Sheffield, and latterly, Made in Rotherham, on his own delightful home-made boxes He discovered that beer brewing kits provided him with the largest area of tin for making carriages. When ribbed tins were introduced it became progressively more difficult to find suitable material and he sent out a plea to his friends to save straight cans for him. Also it became more difficult to obtain the clockwork motors, so he produced a series of push-along floor toys. Trains and carriages were often reproductions of manufacturers such as Bing, painted in fine detail.

Myke also became very well-known on the Sheffield and Rotherham music scenes, turning his hand to many different styles of music with no apparent difficulty.

Myke was living in Redditch, playing in the band “Near Springs” with Rick Sanders, when he met Chris & Mary Humphries. Myke followed Chris to Sheffield in 1975 to live in a shared house in Brunswick Street. He was a strict vegetarian frequently having rows with his house-mates over the use of the fridge. Karl Ampofo was living around the corner in Havelock Square and they would meet at gigs discovering a mutual liking for Marvel & DC comics and various obscure bands over the following two years. The first Myke Birthday Bash occurred in 1977 featuring Karl's band Earthsea sharing a guitarist with Chris & Mary Humphries. Myke was in a band called the Heavy Fairies. In 1978 Karl & Myke first played together in the band Rampage at the Hallamshire pub with drummer Neil Kelly and keyboard player Gordon Goligher. The antics of Neil's dog brought an untimely end to the performance and some ill-feeling from the pub regulars. After a time appearing as Nosey, the band finally became Earthtales making their debut at The Wapentake. Gordon, then Neil left the band at which time Andy Prescott joined (from Flying Lessons) and roadie Wolfie recommended a drummer he had met at the Grapes – Prof Parsons. Myke and Karl shared the songwriting. Earthtales appeared regularly at The Broadfield and then at a new venue called The Leadmill along with Malc Douglas's band Long Lankin. Craig Booker joined the band in 1981. They also played benefits for The Brick Rabbit vegetarian restaturant.

While moving between Rock bands, Myke had been performing folk music with Chris & Mary and also with John 'Macca' Macdonald as The Counties.

Meanwhile, Stella Davies had also come to Sheffield from Birmingham in 1975. Meeting Myke resulted in an alliance that resulted in performance of folk and especially Celtic music for around 25 years beginning with Rhiannon appearing regularly at The Amazing Grapes Vaudeville Folk Club (hosted by Macca) on Fridays and The New Grapes Folk Club on Saturdays . Landlady Lucy used to make Myke a “vegetarian sausage” sandwich for breakfast consisting of a pile of fried onions and lots of mustard in a breadcake and Myke loved it. The band quickly developed a considerable repertoire of songs and tunes which Myke began recording as cassette albums. “Electric At Last”, coinciding with the introduction of Craig's keyboards to the band and electric mandolin, guitar and bass for Myke, probably reveals the fulfilment of Mykes ambition to add some electrical wizardry to traditional music, along the lines of Fairport Convention perhaps. A demo tape “Une Soirée Chez Frack” then “Three Wrens To The Ounce”, a compilation of the bands work from 1982-84, led the band into the Fellside studios to record “The Birds of Rhiannon” in 1985, though “Lovely Joan” had alreay appeared on the Sheffield compilation album “Flightpath One” (Vulcan 1984).

Myke also produced the cassette “Return of the Deaf Duck” - a compilation of Earthtales recordings, some from The Saddle in 1979. Here appears a track “Bassists Piss” - frequently performed live as the rest of the band jammed Green Onions while Myke sought relief.

For several years Myke went around in plastic sandals – summer and winter. Stella says “Once we climbed up Mam Tor in the snow. I was cross because the sandals prevented Myke from reaching the top and he was decidedly unsure of foot for the descent. In the end we just sat down and slid. I didn't stay cross long – it was amazing, but we had wet bums all the way home on the bus”.

The departure of singers Michael Thorpe and Linda Hurcombe from Rhiannon resulted in the purely instrumental band Whale of a Time. During this period many English tunes, particularly from the North East, joined the Celtic repertoire. Myke developed a skill for inventing “bridges” - changes in tempo and key change sequences - to stitch two or more often three tunes into a seamless set. Posters for gigs began to be branded with “Dogstar Endeavours” as the band produced projects such as “A Musical Inferno” (scripted by Raymond Greenoaken) and “Samhain : A Blaze On Every Hill”. The band took up residence in the attics of The Hare and Hounds and various pubs around Kelham Island until they reached The Harlequin (the former pub on Johnson Street!) in 1993.

There began a regular Friday Night folk club, hosted by Whale of a Time, where any kind of performance was welcomed (influenced by the two Grapes clubs and the welcoming and enthusiatic style of Ted Earnshaw at The Booit Straps). Although no one came before 8.30, Myke would be there much earlier to single-handedly carry all the amps, speakers and keyboards down from the attic, set them up, and place a candle in a wine bottle on each table. The room was frequently packed despite the alternative and equally packed song session in the room downstairs. Craig departed to form Tyburn and Anne Naylor and Andy Bowdin joined Myke and Stella in “Jig for a Kiss”, named after a favourite tune by Nottingham band Patti O' Doors. As new songs came into the repertoire, old tunes would be brought back to start or finish the song. Myke would often clear up the glasses in the early hours of the day, taking advantage of forgotten pints left behind and sleeping on the benches to finish clearing up later in the morning. Myke produced many leaflets in celtic borders featuring Harlequin drawn by Raymond and Myke and Stella began “Columbine”, a free fringe folk magazine with a feature column by “Frog” (ie Myke) which survived for only two issues. Anne left and Stella brought in a colleaugue from Greek classes – Glynis Llewelyn - adding welsh-language songs to performances. Stella and Myke instituted an annual Maritime Festival, which in it's final year of 2000 was held in the rear yard under a huge construction of plastic sheeting. Myke entered the Harlequin song competition, reaching the semi-finals with “Losing The Way”, which he asked Prof to sing – it is only in recent years that he gained the confidence to sing his own songs with “Emma”. A photograph appeared in the Harlequin of Myke aged perhaps 27. In his fifties there was little discernable difference – same hair, same slight build, perhaps slightly stronger glasses.

Stella says “Myke was more always and totally himself than anyone I have ever known. I think some people envied him for this and some loved him for it; some of us did both! Now, thinking of Sheffield as my past life in a way, it’s all Myke everywhere I look. If I hadn’t met him I might have had quite a normal life, but I’m so glad I did and didn’t!”.

When the Harlequin closed in 2000, the folk club moved to The Shakespeare nearby, with a new name - “Play On”, moving to The Fat Cat in 2002 . Stella had always been the MC, but when she returned to Cardiff, Myke was determined that the folk club would always take place on the first Friday of every month whether it was a bank holiday or whatever. Unfortunately the flood of June 2007 resulted in the July club not being possible but otherwise he maintained that vow. Even though he moved to Rotherham becoming immersed in the Folk scene there and making many more friends, he maintained his allegiance to the Play On club.

Myke had periods of infatuation with Joan Jet of The Runaways, Kate Bush, Gaye Advert and Maire Brennan. In fact he was besotted with Clannad by 1978, four years before they became famous with Theme from Harry's Game. He was also a great fan of Blowzabella.

Myke played music in many other line-ups including The Frain Family, alongside Theresa, as duo the Rawmarsh Mashers and most recently with Phoebe as The Wyrd Wych & The Mad Frog, making one of their first appearances at his 60th birthday party last year.

In Rotherham he worked voluntarily for the Oxfam shop, enjoying it so much and spending so much time there that he was chastised by the benefit office. He became unpaid manager for a while and hoped to be able to continue working in the shop - he developed a talent for creating appealing window displays - but the shop converted to be solely a bookshop.

When he began to receive pension credit, he felt so wealthy that he splashed out on arranging two proper gigs for Earthtales. Following the death of his mother in 2008 he had been planning to buy a house where he could set up a proper workshop for model making, a permanent layout for one of his vast collection of train sets and a music room with the intention of making a studio recording of Earthtales.

Phoebe says “When helping me & Sylvia clearing and decorating mum’s house in Brinsworth, we would often laugh and make jokes based on the play on words – Myke being especially fond of the English language. Also, he would burst into song, prompted by something one of us had said, and we now regret not having written down what we called the ‘Brinsworth Opera’”.

Thanks to Phoebe Taylor-Thorpe, Sylvia May, Stella Davies, Karl Ampofo, Craig Booker and Prof Parsons for their memories of a most unassuming yet wonderfully talented musician and tin-plate modeller.

Discography.

Home-produced tapes …

Rhiannon - Electric At Last / Une Soirée Chez Frack (Demo Tape)

Will Ye Go To Flanders Follow Me Up To Carlow

Up & Down Again Donnybrook Fair / Munster Buttermilk

The Maid Of Coolmore Moving On Song (McColl)

Bonsoir Maître De Maison Planxty Burke (Carolan)

The Leaboy's Lassie Star Of Munster / Humours Of Tulla

Lady Gray's Waltz (Booker, Thorpe) King Of The Fairies

Morrison's Jig / The Ash Plant Morpeth Fair

Moving On Song (McColl) O'Connors Polka / Maggie In The Wood (1)

Lovely Joan (2) (Recorded Live At The Grapes) (Recorded & Produced by Rhiannon / Yan Frack except (1) recorded at Radio Hallam

1. live at Booit Straps

Rhiannon - Three Wrens To The Ounce (1984)

Lovely Joan (a)

O'Connors Polka / Maggie In The Wood (b)

Planxty Burke (Carolan) (b)

Will Ye Go To Flanders (c)

Maids Of Mitchelstown (c)

Bonsoir Maître De Maison (c)

Morning Star ©

Up & Down Again (c)

Rince Briotanach (c)

Reverend Brother (c)

The Twa Corbies (d)

Rattlin'Roarin' Willie (c)

Follow Me Up To Carlow (c)

Donnybrook Fair (e)

King Of The Fairies (e)

The Maid Of Coolmore (e)

Lady Gray's Waltz (Booker, Thorpe) (e)

(a) From Light Metals CUS0001

(b) Recorded On-Air Radio Hallam Folk Show

(d) Recorded live at Hurlfield Campus

(e) From Electrric At Last RHS001

Earthtales - Return of the Deaf Duck

No Respect (Prescott) Draggin' Me In (Barritt)

Spaceways / Step By Step (Ampofo) Mistakes

Laser Lady (Barritt) Lobster (Caroll)

Canterbury Tale (Barritt) 3 Seasons (Gladwyn)

For Your Love (Townsend) Nuclear School Girl

Little Lady (Prescott) Working Day (Prescott)

Child Of The P.U.B. (Caroll) More Knackered (Earthtales)

Cease To Exist (Ampofo) Spaceways (Ampofo)

Just For You (Ampofo) Nast Little Lonely (Perry)

Ugly Clouds (Ampofo) Gotcha Believing (Prescott)

Are You Ready (Ampofo) Broken String (Earthtales)

Stalemate (Prescott) Bassist's Piss (Earthtales)

Notes You Drop (Ampofo) Gordon's Jam (Goligher)

Farthings and Phlogiston (a memorable title but the tape has not been found)

Whale Of A Time with Beryl Graham – Like Silver Lamps (Carols)

Live at The Riverside Sheffield The Rawmarsh Mashers 2010

Various Video clips from the Loftus Hiring Fair. 2008 and 2009. The Rawmarsh Mashers

Vinyl/cassette ...

Rhiannon - Light Metals – 12 S. Yorks. Bands a.k.a. Flightpath One (1984) Vulcan Records CUS 0001

features Lovely Joan. Sleeve by MB. (Vinyl 12”)

Rhiannon - The Birds of Rhiannon (1985) Fellside (Vinyl 12” and cassette)

The Rawmarsh Mashers 2008 Deliberate Mistake

Radio …

Rhiannon - recorded live on the Radio Hallam show Folkus

As Rawmarsh Mashers

Bishop Fm Interview Recording (2009)

Bishop FM Folk Programme (2009)

Chorley FM Two one hour Live programmes (2009) (2010)

Song Compositions

A Canterbury Tale

Draggin' Me In

Laser Lady

Courtyard

Wrecked On Love

Skies On Fire (together with Andy Prescott & Karl Ampofo (and using a theme previously written by Gordon Goligher)

Nixy

Losing The Way

Don't Leave

Downside

Emma

Wolf

A Folk Opera (work in progress)

If You Leave Me (never performed)

For the most part they are bouncy - almost pop songs dealing with love and lust. Laser Lady is an exception being rowdy and punk style. Emma, written after reading a book about the passionate and scandalous affair between Lord Nelson and Lady Emma Hamilton, is different again, a slow heavy tempo, sounding dark and vindictive, though again on the topic of lust.

TRIBUTES IN SONG AND VERSE

Nellie Folk on the 24th May - a good friend of The Mashers, Sue Sutherland sang a song she had written herself in tribute to Myke - I have to say that for Phoebe and I it was a very moving interlude in the evening. We both thought we were doing quite well until Sue performed this number.

The Words are all Sue’s and the tune is Trad. “Danny Farrell”

LISTEN TO THE SONG HERE

I knew Myke Barritt saw him just the other day

Walking down by Rhino’s to Nellies for to play

He never could quite see you

Hey Myke! How are you?

Hello Sue my darling was all that he would say

CHORUS

He’s a Minstrel, a rover, he’s roamed the country over-A vegan, a pagan, a special Rawmarsh Masher

A musician, a best mate, a mean guitar player

Still now Myke Barritt will live on

I knew Myke Barritt when his hair was not so long

Unlike Dickie Masher who’s forgot where his has gone

Gigs at any venue, they could soon vacate the place

Music flying off the stand and Myke in a daze

Chorus

Myke loved his Phoebe. She was everything to him

He was always looking for her and he liked her close to him

He loved music and performers no matter what they did

He would giggle and dance or act just like a kid

Chorus

Now there is no more Myke Barritt to hug and kiss and say

Hey Myke How are you? As he walked along the way

Hello Sue my darling is what he used to say

We would cuddle and giggle only saw you yesterday

DON’T LET ME DIE UNDER FLUORESCENT LIGHTS

Al Taylor, better known as The Misk Hills Mountain Rambler sang one of his self written songs at the The Bridge Charity Festival on the 31st May 2010 which he dedicated to the memory of Myke.

In his introduction to the song Al said that it had remained unsung up to that day because he did not have an ending for it. Myke’s sudden parting had provided the inspiration for that ending.

For that reason we publish the song here.

LISTEN TO THE SONG HERE.

Don’t Let Me Die Under Fluorescent Lights – Taylorsongsmithery 2009 Sept

Don’t let me die under fluoresce

Don’t let me die under fluorescent lights

Don’t let me die under fluoresce lights

Don’t let me die at all

Don’t let me die in the company tie

In a shabby little office with no blue sky

Don’t give a toss if the profits ain’t high

Don’t let me die at all

Don’t let me die in the company shoes

That would just give me the blues

Don’t wanna die reading company NEWS

Don’t let me die at all

Don’t let me die in a company huddle

Gets my mind all in a muddle

Financial guy says we are all in

Don’t let me die at all

Don’t let me die in a pin-striped suit

Don’t let me die eating salad and fruit

Don’t let me die in an institute

Don’t let me die at all

Don’t let me die on an underground train

That would just drive me insane

Take me outside where I feel the rain

Don’t let me die at all

Don’t let me die watching Britain’s got tale

And don’t enter me ‘cos I know I haven’t

Don’t let me die watching foo

Don’t let me die at all

Guess I’d rather die on a narrow boat

With a wood burning stove and a nice waist coat

I’d go down the pub and play the flute

If I had to die at all

When the time comes for me to pass

Don’t have a wake, have a good DANCE

Throw my ashes on the soft green grass

Then I won’t die at all

When the time comes for me to die

I’ll go to that gig up in the sky

Open Myspace and turn me up high

And then I won’t die at all

Don’t let me die under fluorescent lights

Don’t let me die at all

24th May and I went to Nlllie Folk at The Bridge Inn for their tribute to Myke evening. Collecting my pint at the bar Ben the Land Lord passed me a piece of paper - “Terry asked me to give you this” he says.

Scribbled on the sheet was this poem - written by Terry a well known Rotherham character. The poem demonstrates Myke’s ability to touch people’s lives.

Myke Barritt will not know

But in our hearts he’ll be held with pride

Musician, singer, a comic wit

The blue print true firend

Myke was it

God Bless Myke

Don’t R.I.P.

A soul mate to play partner Richard

And I’m proud to say

A friend to me

A good friend of The Mashers and Myke, Ken The Hat Weeks wrote a song first performed at Myke’s Wake.

To the tune of MASSACHUSETTS

1. Lets talk about the life of mykey barritt.
His music it will live---- on and on.
For the lights they went out for mykey barritt,
The day he left us standing on 0ur own

2. A smile and a laugh was mykey barritt .
He always did the things he wanted to.
For the lights they went out for mykey barritt,
The day he left us standing on 0ur own

INSTRUMENTAL

3. He was a real good man was mykey barritt.
His seeds of music they have been sown.
But the lights they went out for mykey barritt,
The day he left us standing on 0ur own

I will remember mykey barritt
I will remember mykey barritt)
I will remember mykey barritt)....

LISTEN TO THE SONG HERE

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BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE : CRAIG BOOKER THE RHIANNON YEARS : ANDY BOWDIN : DISCOGRAPHY : TRIBUTES IN SONG AND VERSE : RARE MYKE VIDEO WITH PHOEBE

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