Why I Sing!
	Why I sing Pete Morton's songs... ...by Damien Barber.    Whenever I’ve done interviews I’ve often been asked why and how I choose my material. It’s not an easy question to answer as there can be many reasons, but the bottom line is that the songs I sing need to mean something to me. Pete and I have been friends for a good few years now and I have been an admirer of his music and performances for much longer. The only song of his that I’ve actually recorded is ‘One Thing Better Than Sex’, which The Demon Barbers put down on their debut album ‘Uncut’. Pete sang it at Whitby festival in 2000 in the same concert as The Demon Barbers’ maiden voyage and luckily I recorded it and was able to get the lyrics (I don’t think he’s recorded it himself). The beauty of Pete’s songs is the speed at which you identify with them - emotionally. As soon as I heard the chorus to ‘One Thing Better Than Sex’ I started thinking of all the possible answers, which in turn brought back memories that hadn’t surfaced for years. When you listen to 'The Battle of Trafalgar' you instantly know the pub he’s talking about, while at the same time making the undesirable characters loveable. This is Pete’s forté, and his ability to put his thoughts and emotions across in an honest and accessible way is what sets him apart from far too many songwriters. The only gripe I have with Pete is that his songs are often so suited to his own style and he delivers them so well that it’s sometimes difficult to know how to approach them. Nevertheless, they are certainly worth the effort and I am currently battling with 'St. George Slew the Dragon'! ...by Sally Barker.    It's quite a few years ago now but Pete and I were both surprised to bump into each other at a folk club in Loughborough on a singers night where we realized we had both gone with the intention of previewing some new songs we each had written. I sang a song called 'Money's Talking' of which I was immensely proud and which subsequently was played more than several times on Radio 1. However, the song that stole the show on that night was Pete's 'Another Train' and from the moment I first heard it I knew that it was a great song because it enshrined the simple but universal message that however dark life may seem it can and does get better. I recorded the song on the album 'This Rhythm is Mine' alongside 'Money's Talking'. I've had letters and emails from people who mistakenly thought I'd written 'Another Train' saying how much the song has helped them through difficult times.  It is the one song I wish I had written, but singing it means I am able to repeat and spread the message the song holds and that is pretty special too! ...by Alan Hassall.   So who’s heard of me?  NOT THE POINT!  The point is that I enjoy playing and singing songs that mean something.  I also enjoy bringing such songs to others.  I have performed “The Two Brothers” and “Maybe Nothing's Spoken” in a number of settings e.g. sing-around sessions, fringe events and even three different church events in Lincoln, Sheffield and Staffs Moorlands.  I have always been asked where these two songs come from and even in the provocative surroundings of the church concerts people have been led to consider the issues under the light Pete sheds on them.  Pete has a way of distilling loads of stuff into verse. Although I believe that “The Two Brothers” has caused him to get some very unsavoury mail from protagonists on both sides, what he says puts these ideas in a way almost all of us can understand and reflect on.  There are many Pete Morton songs that have caused me to think and I am reluctant to give my thoughts because you may well get something very different from them.  As I’m not a “critic” I don’t even want to list some of the more important ones but I do urge you to get deep down and personal in your own way with this singer songwriter who really does have a lot to say.  The inspiring thing for me is that he says these things within very listenable tunes.  If I didn’t like his stuff so much I could easily be miffed with him for making it all sound so simple when I know it isn’t.  Pete is a really inspiring maker of songs. I’ll keep singing his songs and listening out for all those others who sing and record his songs, looking forward to each new release.  Keep doing what you do, Pete, and thanks for the inspiration. ...by Ailsa & John Booth.  Our set lists frequently include Another Train and One Truth and we often get requests for these. As a songwriter, I have a certain amount of envy of those two and many more of Pete's songs, i.e. I wish I'd written them! In fact, I took it as a great compliment when singing one of my own songs and someone asked "Was that a Pete Morton song?" The magic of Pete's songs, for us, is that they are always worth listening to, every word, from start to finish, and every time we get chance to hear him, there's a sweet anticipation of a new song because you never know where that next idea will have come from. See you soon, Pete. If you are a performer of Pete's songs and would like to be included on this page, please email me here.