William Bealby-Wright

Without a doubt, one of the most unknown of the wonderful Charisma artists would have to be Doggerel Bank, a group featuring an eccentric poet with equally eccentric musical backing. The center of the group was William Bealby-Wright, a poet from the Isle of Man (i.e. a Manx) and former leader of The Barrow Poets, a music and poetry aggregation who made records from roughly the mid-60’s to the early 70’s, with albums on Fontana and Argo as well as privately pressed records. After two wonderful LP’s on Charisma, the only sighting of William Bealby-Wright was with another Charisma artist, Sir John Betjeman, on an Argo LP from 1976. Internet searches reveal that Mr. Bealby-Wright is still alive and engaged in the important work of limericks! Jim Parker, who is largely responsible for the music on the Doggerel Bank LPs, also did the musical backing on Betjeman’s four Charisma LPs. Producer Hugh Murphy, best known for his work with Gerry Rafferty, also produced a number of Charisma singles by a wide range of artists, and had earlier helmed some wonderful progressive rock with Gracious! for Vertigo.