The Ballad of Shirley Collins looks at the story of one of the 20th century’s most important traditional folk singers amidst what has been an active year for her touring her 2016 comeback album Lodestar, which was her first in four decades.
As a press release for the documentary reveals, "Shirley stood at the epicentre of the folk music revival during the 1960s and 1970s." In 1980 however, she developed dysphonia, a disorder of the vocal chords, which affected her unique voice and forced her into early retirement, which continued until last year.
The film’s directors, Rob Curry and Tim Plester, were granted access to the recording sessions for Lodestar, and the film features talking head contributions from Stewart Lee and Current 93’s David Tibet.
The Ballad of Shirley Collins will be screened at London’s Genesis Cinema on October 24 with a unique live performance from Grumbling Fur, who put together a song for the film’s fundraising tribute album, as well as a Q&A featuring John Robb of The Membranes. You can find out more information about the screening, and film, here, while you can purchase tickets for the night here.
