Bill Clifton Beatle Crazy (LP, Picture Disc)

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catalog number: BFP15121
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(Bear Family Records) 6 tracks 1963-1965 - Full Color Picture Disc, 20 years ago, a young... more

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Bill Clifton: Beatle Crazy (LP, Picture Disc)

(Bear Family Records) 6 tracks 1963-1965 - Full Color Picture Disc,

20 years ago, a young American Folk and Bluegrass musician came to Britain. The well established artist noticed with surprise the arriving of the BEATLES. Being fascinated and amused by this group of young Beat musicians and their success, he put his ideas into a song, and despite the fact that "Beatle Crazy" never arrived in the charts, it still sold about 300,000 units.

The name of the artist is BILL CLIFTON. He already had a string of singles and LPs recorded in the USA for a variety of labels. He also was the organizer of the first Bluegrass Music Festival in 1958, near Luray, Virginia and one of the directors of the famous Newport Folk Festival. He came as an ambassador of American Country Music to Europe. He successfully toured not only Britain, but Continental Europe, too.

He finally moved back to the states in 1978. These European years were only interrupted by a three-year stint in the Philipines. During these years he also went back and forth to the States. In July 1965 he tried an experiment to record British Folk Music with a group of American Bluegrass musicians, THE COUNTRY GENTLEMEN. All four titles from this session are also on this record.

I first met Bill Clifton in 1972, when I invited him to the Neusuedende Country Music Festival. During the following five years we had a friendly relationship, we helped each other along the way. He allowed the release of his recordings under the Bear Family logo, which made me proud. In turn I acted as his booking agent here in Germany. During these years we had a lot of fun in clubs, at festivals on TV and radio. Not long before he returned to the States, I had put the idea of this record to him as a matter of fact he did not like the idea very much, but eventually agreed after a lot of persuading from my side.

After Bill had left, we somewhat lost contact, and the project though started, got lost along the way, only creeping into my mind on and off over the years. When I recently saw the cover pianting by Robert Sgrai again, i felt that should really go ahead with the project. So here it is.

(Richard Weize, March 1983)

Article properties: Bill Clifton: Beatle Crazy (LP, Picture Disc)

Interpret: Bill Clifton
Album titlle: Beatle Crazy (LP, Picture Disc)
Genre Country
Label Bear Family Records
Geschwindigkeit 33 U/min
Vinyl record size LP (12 Inch)
Record Grading Mint (M)
Sleeve Grading Mint (M)
Artikelart LP
EAN: 4000127151216
weight in Kg 0.21

Clifton, Bill - Beatle Crazy (LP, Picture Disc) LP 1
01	Beatle Crazy	Bill Clifton
02	Little Girl Dressed In Blue	Bill Clifton
03	Keep That Wheel A Turning	Bill Clifton
04	Jug Of Punch	Bill Clifton
05	Baby Lie Easy	Bill Clifton
06	Green To Grey	Bill Clifton

Remembering Bill Clifton A Life Dedicated to the Old Songs With the passing of Bill Clifton,... more

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"Bill Clifton"

Remembering Bill Clifton

A Life Dedicated to the Old Songs

With the passing of Bill Clifton, traditional country and bluegrass music have lost a distinctive voice. Born William August Marburg, he died in his sleep on October 30, 2026, in Mendota, Virginia, at the age of 95. A singer, a keeper of old songs and a pioneer of bluegrass in Europe, he leaves a rich musical legacy.

Bill Clifton saw himself above all as a carrier of songs. He sought out forgotten lyrics, brought old melodies to the stage and introduced audiences to music he loved deeply. As a singer, guitarist and autoharp player, he devoted his life to keeping that repertoire alive and passing it on.

Born on April 5, 1931, he grew up in a wealthy Maryland family, far removed from the circumstances that shaped many musicians of his generation. He discovered the music of the rural South as a boy on his family’s farm. A gardener employed there listened to the WRVA Barn Dance every Saturday evening. For young Bill, those broadcasts opened a musical world that would stay with him throughout his life.

After first learning the accordion, he bought himself a guitar. The songs of the Carter Family became a lifelong source of inspiration. His clear, warm voice, storytelling approach and melodic guitar playing gave the old songs a distinctive character. During the 1950s and early 1960s, he built a bridge between traditional musical forms and new audiences, including listeners far beyond the American South.

For Clifton, preserving music also meant making it accessible. In 1951, he published a small songbook with a foreword by Woody Guthrie. An expanded collection followed in 1955. His “Bill Clifton Song Book” helped bring songs back into the shared repertoire when many people no longer knew their words. Recordings such as “Little White Washed Chimney,” “Mary Dear” and “Blue Ridge Mountain Blues” also left a lasting mark.

Bringing people together mattered just as much to him. On July 4, 1961, he organized an early bluegrass festival in Luray, Virginia, featuring Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brothers, the Country Gentlemen and other artists. He also hoped to bring together musicians who often regarded one another more as competitors than colleagues. In 1962, he became a founding member of the Newport Folk Foundation, taking responsibility for bluegrass and old-time music.

His move to England in 1963 opened a particularly influential chapter. Clifton found attentive audiences in British folk clubs and helped other American musicians reach them. He supported visiting artists, made introductions and organized tours. For many European listeners, his voice became their first introduction to bluegrass and traditional country music.

In 1978, he and his wife, Tineke, moved to Mendota, Virginia, settling in Poor Valley, where A. P. Carter had once lived. Making music together and sharing a personal connection remained central to his work—with Red Rector and Don Stover, and later with Jimmy Gaudreau. His love of songs reached across the boundaries between bluegrass, folk and old-time music.

Bill Clifton’s legacy lives in his recordings, in the songs he passed on and in the encounters he made possible. He wanted others to discover and love this music. Hearing musicians perform songs they had learned, directly or indirectly, through him gave him particular satisfaction. The old songs had found new voices.

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