Fred Jordan

When the venerable Fred Jordan died of a heart attack in 2002 at the age of 80, it was said he was the last true English traditional singer. With Bob Copper still alive at the time, this clearly wasn't true, but a profound sense of loss was felt throughout the British folk music scene that had long adored the rugged Shropshire farmworker with the pure, gentle voice who'd helped keep alive a singing tradition through many dark years of indifference. Ruddy-cheeked, he played up to his image as a farm laborer straight off the fields, turning up for gigs and festival appearances i...