Jonathan Klein was MC on this warm July evening, and kicked off proceedings by commemorating the USA’s Independence Day by playing Paul Simon’s America, following this up with another Simon song, Under African Skies, and one of his own, Guy with a Guitar.  Then Jon Ellis, equipped with a mandolin, treated us to a couple of songs about the First World War:  Jez Lowe’s poignantly comic The Wrong Bus, and Ralph McTell’s wistful Maginot Waltz.

Apparently our two special guests for the evening first met when they shared the bill at the Club a couple of years ago.  We were delighted to bring them together for a second time.  Nick Hayward-Young took to the stage with a selection of his gentle and thoughtful songs:  Down South, The Analyst’s Song,The Most Perfect Day and Salterns Lake.  Our second guest, Jimmie Lee Morris, followed this up with an equally accomplished set of his own material:  Give Me All Your Love, Wilderness Wood, Campervan Song, Sleep in the Morning, Take Me Home and Mandolin Dreams.

After the break, Jonathan played Wonderful World (Lou Adler, Herb Alpert & Sam Cooke), after which it was time for a welcome return to the Club from occasional visitor Ian Halliday, who gave a spirited rendition of Dancing in the Dark(Bruce Springsteen), Lady Eleanor (Alan Hull), Me And Julio down by the Schoolyard (Paul Simon) and I’m Gonna Be (Charlie Reid & Craig Reid).

Time, then, for second sets from our guests.  This time Jimmie Lee Morris went on first, to play another selection of his beautifully crafted compositions:  Staying Forever, Let Me Lay, Open Your Eyes Now, Look at Me, and Atlantic Highway.  He finished his set with a delightful interpretation of Bob Dylan’s It Ain’t Me, Babe.  Nick Hayward-Young responded with another superb set:  I’ll Be Lying to You, I Don’t Want to be the One Who Says it’s Over, Will You Be My Girlfriend?,Let Me Kiss You, This is the Delta, and This is For You.  He finished the evening for us with Dream a Little Dream of Me (Fabian Andre, Wilbur Schwandt & Gus Khan).

Another great evening, featuring songs from two terrific singer-songwriters.  You can hear both Jimmie’s and Nick’s songs (and also Jonathan’s) on Spotify and iTunes.

Next time, 1^stAugust, is an ‘Open Floor’.