In 1996 Allen Maslen, the guitarist with Warwickshire-based folk band Meet On The Ledge, was loaned a copy of a book telling the story of the Mary Stanford lifeboat disaster in Rye Bay almost a century ago. Moved and inspired by Geoff Hutchinson’s book, Allen wrote a song – The Mary Stanford of Rye – which the band began playing around the theatres, festivals and folk clubs of middle England.
“It got an amazing response,” he said. “But we live as far from the sea as it’s possible to get, so we never thought for a moment the song would ever be heard by anyone connected with the lifeboat itself. It was pre-social media so news travelled slowly in those days!”
By a stroke of luck, the same friend who had loaned Allen the book, renowned boating author Keith Harris, was a regular customer at the annual Black Horse Music Festival at Telham, and was on first name terms with John Shotton, a popular journalist in the Hastings area. The band were subsequently invited to play at the Black Horse Festival and began building a strong local following.
They were booked three times for the festival between 1997 and 2000, and such was the reaction to Mary that they were also invited to play the song in the church in Rye Harbour at the annual memorial service for the crew of 17 lifeboatmen who tragically drowned on the night of 15 November 1928.
Fast forward 30 years and the band are about to revisit East Sussex with a concert to help raise funds for the restoration of the Mary Stanford Lifeboat House in Rye Harbour.
“When I stumbled across news on Facebook that the lifeboat house was in dire need of repair and restoration I knew we needed to do our bit to help if we possibly can – even though we are 150 miles away,” said Allen. They contacted Jacqui Stanford, chair of the Friends of the Mary Stanford Lifeboat House charity, and a fundraising concert was arranged at the White Rock Theatre for Saturday 4 July.
The concert will feature the song The Mary Stanford of Rye which has become an international folk standard having been performed and recorded by many artists worldwide including top American folk duo William Pint and Felicia Dale. Over the years Meet On The Ledge have donated all royalties received from sales and downloads of Mary to the lifeboats, and they have been made honorary Silver Patrons of the RNLI for their fundraising efforts.
Jacqui Stanford said, “How amazing that Meet on the Ledge are giving their time to come all the way to Hastings to do this one night concert in aid of the restoration of the Mary Stanford Lifeboat House. We all know their wonderfully evocative song about the Mary Stanford lifeboat disaster which they will be performing and the Friends group are totally blown away by their generosity in giving their time and talent to raise restoration funds.”
Founder members Ron Holmes and Allen Maslen still remain from when Meet on the Ledge began as a folk duo in 1992. Today they are a five-piece band, joined by keyboard player Steve Bird, drummer Bo Davies, and Craig Sunderland on bass.
Steve has an impressive CV, having played keys for 60s chart topper Eden Kane (Well I Ask You) and 70s musician Don Fardon (Indian Reservation) as well as being in the backing band for the legendary Marty Wilde. Drummer Bo was lead percussionist for Wasps Rugby Club at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry and was also a founder member of festival favourites Sambassadors of Groove. Bassist Craig has a growing reputation as one of the finest multi-instrumentalists on the UK folk circuit.
Tickets for the concert are available online or by calling the White Rock Theatre box office on 01424 462280
Image Credits: Meet on the ledge , James Stewart .