Tudor Lodge

Tudor Lodge is an English folk music ensemble, which was formed in 1968, featuring John Stannard and Roger Strevens. The group started playing at the White Horse in Reading, England, and later made appearances at other clubs on the folk circuit. In 1969 Lyndon Green replaced Strevens and within a year, they were joined by the American singer and flautist, Ann Steuart. This new line up of Tudor Lodge, Stannard, Green and Ann Stuart successfully gigged the south east English folk circuit for the next two years, playing at numerous venues, including the legendary Troubadour and Les Cousins clubs in London. This scene included artists including Ralph McTell, Al Stewart, Mike Cooper and John Martyn. Although there is no information to confirm that Tudor Lodge actually gigged with any of these major names. John Stannard and Tudor Lodge were making special folk music back in 70/71 that many beards were stroked to and daisy chains to be worn to. Some of the chronology details are below. They did an album for Vertigo records,part of the Philips empire.Vertigo put it out on a side label project-the Spiral label, (sometimes called the Swirl) and gave it an exceptional fold out six way sleeve. You can fold the sleeve into a six-part poster with two die-cut flaps Three magnificently drawn portraits fill three parts and the rest is lyrics. The cover is textured with a pattern that vaguely recalls gingko-leaves, very beautiful (see scan above). The lettering is as lovely as the rest: not just lettering, but an integral part of the design. But jump to 1996, and any visitor to the house of John Stannard is shown a beautifully hand drawn, black and white,complicated unfolding album and sleeve.. and told that it is one of the rarest albums in the world.......the Tudor Lodge album on Vertigo Spiral.... Vertigo – 6360 043 Album value Price then £1200 He was by then an unhappy accountant, strumming at family gatherings and growing his hair too long. John Stannard in retirement returned to what he loves. He quit his later career as a driving instructor and has reissued all the Tudor Lodge material and picked up the guitar and does the Reading Style Blues as John Cee Stannard. Teaming up with manager Karl Blore towards the end of 1970, Tudor Lodge signed by Vertigo Records and their first album released in 1971: Tudor Lodge on Vertigo Records., after which the band played at larger venues, including the Cambridge Folk Festival and the Weeley Festival in Clacton. Weeley attracted 150,000 people and including Mungo Jerry, Barclay James Harvest, Mott the Hoople, the Pink Fairies and Brinsley Schwarz in the line-up. Tired from constant touring and with little money, Ann left the band in November 1971. A six-week tour of the Netherlands had been scheduled for January and February 1972 and Linda Peters replaced Ann. On their return, Linda left to pursue a musical career with Richard Thompson. Linda's departure signaled a temporary end to Tudor Lodge. In the spring of 1972, Lyndon travelled to Berlin with Mike Silver, where he spent the next year playing gigs and recording album tracks with Mike as well as with the American John Vaughan. In 1981 Ann, Lyndon and John got together to play a reunion show and John and Lyndon decided to resurrect Tudor Lodge, recruiting Lynne Whiteland and performing regularly. In 1988, Lyndon moved to Japan and John and Lynne starting playing and recording as a duo. In 1999 Tudor Lodge played two successful gigs in Tokyo, where Whiteland and Stannard were joined on stage by Green and Japanese musicians Bice (keyboard and vocals) and Shimizu Hirotaka (bass). Tudor Lodge continue to play at folk clubs and festivals in the South of England. In 2013 John Stannard released his first solo album, under the name John Cee entitled 'The Doob Doo Album'