Artist: Copper Family
Author: traditional
Label: Topic
Year: 1963

Family of shepherds. Real pastoral, 17th century broadside. Didn't survive the major broadside collections and would have disappeared if it wasn't for the Coppers.

The Copper Family is a fifth generation folk dynasty, descendents of James 'Brasser' Copper, born in 1845. In 1889 he started collecting songs of his father. The English Folk Song Society was established that same year. James' sons Jim and John Copper and their sons Bob and Ron sang these same songs for the BBC in the fifties, well in time with the British folk revival. Bob's children and grandchildren continue the tradition a century and a half after their great great grandfather.