The Spinners

This popular folk group was formed in 1958 by Tony Davis (b. 24 August 1930, Blackburn, Lancashire, England; banjo, tin whistle, guitar, kazoo), Mick Groves (b. 29 September 1936, Salford, Lancashire, England; guitar), Hughie Jones (b. Hugh E. Jones, 21 July 1936, Liverpool, Lancashire, England; guitar, harmonica, banjo) and Cliff Hall (b. 11 September 1925, Oriente Pourice, Cuba; guitar/harmonica). Hall was born to Jamaican parents who returned to Jamaica in 1939. He came to England after joining… Show more the Royal Air Force in 1942. The group was often augmented in concert by ‘Count’ John McCormick (double bass), generally regarded as the fifth ‘Spinner’. Early performances and their 1962 long-playing debut Quayside Songs Old & New featured Jacqueline McDonald.

Occasionally rebuked by folk ‘purists’ as bland and middle-of-the-road, the Spinners nevertheless introduced many people to folk music (and did, in fact, record their debut EP, Songs Spun In Liverpool, for the famous Topic Records label). The regularly sold-out attendances at their concerts were a testimony to this, and songs that are now covered by other performers and often mistakenly referred to as ‘traditional’ are in fact Hughie Jones originals: ‘The Ellan Vannin Tragedy’, ‘The Marco Polo’ and ‘The Fairlie Duplex Engine’. After a 30-year career, the Spinners decided to call it a day with the release of the double album Final Fling in 1988.

After retiring, the group made a number of reunion tours in the early 90s, proving that the public’s enthusiasm for them had not waned. Davis and Jones continued to perform and record as solo artists. Groves held the position of Chair of Education on Wirral Borough Council from 1993 to 2002, following which he returned to music. Hall is now retired and lives in Australia. ~ Rovi

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