Belatedly I wish to pay my respects to Louisa Jo Killen who sadly passed away on 9th August.
With a Celtic heritage, Louis was born and raised on the banks of the River Tyne in the north east of England. Absorbing the musical traditions of that region as well as Scotland and Ireland, he began singing in folk clubs and was instrumental in establishing the long running club at The Bridge Hotel in Newcastle where he played with the likes of Ewan MacColl and The High Level Ranters (The Bridge Hotel stands at the end of the High Level Bridge).
I first became aware of Killen through the LP record, 'The Iron Muse' on which he sang several traditional songs, most notably 'The Blackleg Miners' which makes mention of a couple of villages close to where I live - Seaton Delaval and Seghill. This song has since been covered by a number of artists including Steeleye Span and Richard Thompson.
As a singer and concertina player, Killen's career spanned over 40 years during which time he released over 40 LP's and CD's.
In recent years, Louis Killen achieved a lifelong desire and went through a gender change, becoming Louisa Jo Killen.
Her passing is being mourned in the folk world and I now find myself compelled to dig out my Topic Records anthology, 'Three Score and Ten' and play the powerful song, 'The Blackleg Miners'.
RIP Lou (10 January 1934 - 9 August 2013).
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