Folk Singer Folk Singer - Baring-Gould

Mike Bosworth was born in Birmingham but was brought up just over the citys Northern boarder in Bearwood a town at the Southern edge of the Black Country. From an early age he was encouraged to sing at home, in school and the church choir. His first encounter with folk music was at junior school.

In the mid 60’s he became a regular visitor to folk clubs in Birmingham. He started to sing, doing floor spots in the clubs and became a regular singer at the Birmingham Arms Folk Song Club. When the Birmingham Arms pub changed hands the club found a new home in the pub across the road, 'The Drover's Arms'. With the change of venue, change of name of the club and Mike became a resident of the Drovers Arms folk song club.

Settling in Cornwall. In 1993 with fellow ex Drover's resident Mick Bramich now living in Devon they did research into the the Rev Sabine Baring-Gould's (BG) traditional folk song collection at Plymouth reference library. Songs from the collection were selected to be performed by the band they then formed which Mike called Parsons Pleasure. The band gigged for a couple of years, played the Sidmouth and Cornwall Folk Festivals and then disbanded.

In 2004, 16 songs collected by BG in Devon and Cornwall were recorded live at the Eden Project for Mikes Cd 'By Chance it Was'. With music accompaniment provided by the master of squeeze himself 'John Kirkpatrick'.

Since the release of the CD Mike in the years that have followed has continued gigging with further research into the song collection and the life of the Rev Sabine Baring-Gould who he refers to as a most exceptional Devon parson.