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Constant Billy

[trad. arr. John Kirkpatrick]

John Kirkpatrick and chums (including Martin Carthy) played this Morris dance tune in three versions from Longborough, Sherborne and Adderbury in 1976 on the album Plain Capers. It was included in 2001 on Martin Carthy’s Free Reed anthology The Carthy Chronicles.

John Kirkpatrick commented in the Plain Capers sleeve notes:

One of the commonest tunes in the Cotswold Morris and one that carries just about every kind of dance.

Lady Maisery sang the Morris dance tune Constant Billy together with Andy Letcher’s The Lay of the Land on their 2013 CD Mayday.