Songs and Stories - Keepers Lock Lock Music KLCD 001 (1997) 1 Introduction - 2 Inland Navigation - 3 One May Morning - 4 Alice White Alan Bell 5 The Vicar's Donkey (Story) Vickers 6 Poor Old Horse Trad 7 Tom Beachey David Blagrove 8 Rosie Cooper Lee 9 Push, Boys, Push Dudley Canal Tunnel Trust 10 The Tilbury Trad 11 The Toll Collector (poem) Vickers 12 Hard Working Boater David Blagrove 13 The Boatman (poem) Vickers 14 Shropshire Union Martin Graebe 15 Waterways Lament David Blagrove 16 Working on the Railway Trad Sleeve Notes : Keepers Lock perform songs and tell stories of the Grand Canal Era. From the vision of Bridgewater, the genius of Rennie and Telford, conspiring to create the greatest transport revolution of the age. From the earliest days of the navigators, that army of men, women and children who dug, scratched, clawed and burrowed their way up and down the country, sweating blood for a pittance. Building a network of inland waterways, through which England's life- blood of commerce and industry would flow. Through the heyday of horse drawn boats, the Number One's, the company men. And on to the wonder of the age ... steam! Keepers Lock with all the magic of their story telling wizardry and colourful traditional costume, will transport you through the hardship, pain and misery, the excitement, joy and happiness of the boatmen and their families, their strangely unique and totally separate community. Whose fates and fortunes were governed by the continually changing whims and fancies of the many carrying companies, industries, and Government policies, all of which were as fickle as the ever changing weather. Eventually seeing their entire way of life brought to an untimely end by the very same technology that heralded it's success." On this, their first recording, Keepers Lock were John Meleady, Ray Bradfield, Sue Lee and Barry Vickers. Most recently the members of Keepers Lock were Suzie Litton-Wood and John Meleady. They have kindly given permission for the song lyrics to be included on this site. My thanks to them. Though they stopped performing at the end of 2018, copies of their five CDs (which are highly recommended by this web-master) are available directly by contacting them via keeperslock@virginmedia.com. Suzie is also the author of ‘Our Josh’ which is a story of a canal family set at the outset of WWI.