Sue Malleson

Sue Malleson grew up in Stewkley after being born in St Albans, and her route into folk music began early: her aunt worked for the English Folk Dance and Song Society, her father was coaxed into drumming for folk bands, and holidays at Folk Camps exposed her to major figures like John Kirkpatrick. As a teenager she formed a trio called The Cedar Folk, performing locally. Moving to Bow Brickhill in her late teens, she accidentally ended up running the Black Horse Folk Club in Great Linford from 1970 until 1977, effectively becoming a central figure in the local network of musicians.

She recalls the early 1970s folk scene as lively but small, with performers often doing multiple sets at the very first Folk on the Green (FOTG). Her involvement began with a typical Rod Hall phone call asking her to “come down and do some spots” on The Green — no payment, just community spirit. She performed regularly, typically unaccompanied songs “of unrequited love in a minor key,” and later became a stage manager, keeping the programme running smoothly through constant changeovers.

Sue’s most vivid memory is singing unaccompanied in heavy rain when electrical equipment became unsafe — her voice apparently carried “to the other end of town.” She also recalls performing with her husband and daughters, with Alan Horton’s harmony group, with John Close, and as part of the Living Archive Band, including a tribute set after Brad Bradstock’s death.

She reflects on FOTG’s evolution: originally intimate, family-centred and very local; later growing too loud, too rocky, and too crowded for her taste; now, she feels, closer again to its acoustic, community roots. Sue strongly believes it should prioritise local performers.

She praises Stony Stratford’s extraordinary culture of community-run events — Stony Live, Stony Words, car festivals, lantern parades, open gardens — and thinks FOTG helped prove what the town could achieve. For her, performing across 50 years is a personal legacy, and she hopes future generations of her family will take their turn on (and behind) the stage.