In this BBC radio programme, Jools Holland will talk about Rory McEwen, the father-in-law he never knew. Although I know about Rory McEwen for his extraordinary botanical artistry skills, Rory was also quite a musician. With his brother Alec, Rory McEwen was a powerful voice in the folk music revival of the late 50s and early 60s. Apparently he was the host of the network TV music show 'Hullabaloo', a frequent performer on 'Tonight with Cliff Michelmore' and a prolific recording artist. He introduced George Harrison to Ravi Shankar and was the catalyst for, and hub of, much of what came to be known as Swinging London.
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| Rosa species by Rory McEwen |
He did all of this before he decided to concentrate on his painting, a field where his contemporaries included David Hockney, R.B. Kitaj and Peter Blake.
Sadly Rory died in 1982, 25 years before Jools married his daughter Christabel.
In this special programme some of the people Rory influenced discuss his life, shedding light on the career of this shadowy figure.
The painting is extraordinary - I love his work so much and thank you Jess for giving us more to look at and hear about with his body of work.
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