CLUB REVIEWS

Jim Clark then introduced Johnny Silvo, back by popular demand, as a man who goes out of his way to make each and everyone feel happy - and he did.

Starting with the well known Midnight Special'  and ending with the 'Wild Rover', Johnny, who now lives in Norway, captured the hearts and minds of his audience.

It is worth mentioning what a fine voice he has and what a fine guitar player he is.  It is also worth mentioning that the whole package is considerably more than the sum of the parts and he has the ability to simply make people happy by playing his guitar and singing and telling stories.

His first set covered everything from the humourous 'Willie the Pen', calypso's such as 'Judy Drownded' to songs by Kris Kristofferson and Tom Paxton.  And so the first half ended to ringing applause and a keen anticipation for the second half of the show. ....

Jim Clarke then called back Johnny Silvo for his final set to end the evening.  And what a set it was !  Johnny simply carried on from where he had finished previously - with humour, with the Blues, with a Bob Dylan medley, with impersonations of the legendary Louis 'Satchmo'  Armstrong and Ella FitzGerald, with the audience singing along. After such a wonderful evening's entertainment the encores started with 'What a Wonderful World' to be followed by the gospel song 'I'll Fly Away'  and finished with a simple 19th century poem 'The Pedlar's Caravan'.  Despite the thunderous applause - all evenings have to end, but not in the memories of the audience that night.

The Attic Folk Club - Chesterfield May 2003