Stephen Fry's squeezebox guide

Stephen Fry is a musician born in Tynemouth who now lives in Tynedale, and who can trace his roots in folk music back several generations. He is a familiar face in Northumberland music circles through his solo performances, appearance at folk sessions and his membership of Hexham band The Cherrypickers.I asked Stephen to talk about the family of instruments known as squeezeboxes – the most familiar of which are the concertina, melodeon and accordion – and what follows is testament to his encyclopaedic knowledge of open reed instruments, illustrated by his masterful playing of several examples from his own collection.You can find some of Stephen’s music on Soundcloud, under the name Stephen W Fry or Highford, where recordings include several traditional tunes and music hall songs. You can find out about The Cherrypickers gigs by following the band on Instagram with the tag thecherrypickershexham.Stephen has been instrumental in recording some of the most familiar names in traditional Northumbrian folk music for The Tradition Lives On, a fascinating CD and DVD celebrating the music culture of North Tynedale and Redesdale. You can order them both online from Northern Heritage at https://www.northern-heritage.co.uk. Stephen has also recorded, with guitarist Peter Stenhouse, a collection of well known songs from the 19th and 20th centuries. The CD, called So Far, is not widely available but if you come across a copy you’ll find a reminder of the humour and warmth that is a feature of many popular songs. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com