Phil Colclough (11 January 1940 - 23 September 2019) was an English contemporary folk singer and songwriter. His best known works, co-written with his wife, June Colclough (1941 – 12 October 2004), are "Song for Ireland" and "The Call and the Answer". June and Phil Colclough both came from North Staffordshire, England, and both had careers in education. Phil had been a navigator in the Merchant Navy, which provided source material for some of his songs. The Colcloughs founded the first folk music club in

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...

in 1960.

In 1966, they moved to London, where they were members of the Critics Group led by

Ewan MacColl James Henry Miller (25 January 1915 – 22 October 1989), better known by his stage name Ewan MacColl, was a folk singer-songwriter, folk song collector, labour activist and actor. Born in England to Scottish parents, he is known as one of the ...

and Peggy Seeger; they eventually left the group due to bitter disputes stemming from MacColl's "authoritarian tendencies". In the 1970s, the Colcloughs returned to North Staffordshire, where they produced a folk music radio program for

BBC Radio Stoke BBC Radio Stoke is the BBC's local radio station serving Staffordshire and South Cheshire. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, Freeview and via BBC Sounds from studios in the Hanley area of Stoke-on-Trent. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekl ...

. "Song for Ireland" was inspired by a trip the Colcloughs took to the Dingle Peninsula. Described as a "modern classic",. it has been recorded by numerous artists, including Dick Gaughan, Luke Kelly, Mary Black, Ralph McTell,

Celtic Spirit Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia ** Celts (modern) *Celtic languages ** Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music * Celtic nations Sports ...

, The Dubliners, Brendan Hayes, Damien Leith, and

Scott Appel Scott T. Appel (August 3, 1954 – March 11, 2003) was a musician and a musicologist. Appel began playing the guitar at the age of eight. His early influences were the English "folkies" Davy Graham and Bert Jansch. In 1972 Appel gained admittanc ...

Discography

*''Players from a Drama'' (1991)

Notes

References

*. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Colclough, Phil 1940 births 2019 deaths Musicians from Staffordshire English folk singers English male songwriters