The Yetties

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The Yetties (Bonny Sartin, Pete Shutler and Mac McCulloch) are an English folk music group and take their name from the Dorset village of Yetminster which was near to their childhood home village of Ryme Intrinseca. In 2007 The Yetties will celebrate 40 years as a professional folk band.

[edit] History

There are two ex-members: Bob Common and Roger Trim. The former left during the 1970s to spend more time with his family. Trim introduced fiddle-playing to the group and their sound changed somewhat during his stay. Since the latter's departure, The Yetties have operated as a trio. Sartin is the lead singer and addresses the audience more than the other two. However, his colleagues both lead some songs and both joke with the audience. Shutler plays keyboard but in the main he is a very accomplished accordion player; McCulloch plays guitar and banjo.

Since turning professional in 1967 their music has taken them far beyond the villages of Dorset. They have travelled extensively in Europe and, under the auspices of the British Council, have performed successfully in many countries, including Thailand, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Pakistan, Sudan, India, Bangladesh, the Maldives, the Philippines, Ethiopia and Canada. One of the secrets of their success, and way of breaking down language barriers, has been their knack of audience participation.

Over the years they have recorded 45 albums for different companies. Most of these have been a mixture of songs and music but they have also been involved in some other projects. Thomas Hardy was also a musician and he and his family, over several generations, collected hundreds of folk tunes. The Yetties have done 2 recordings on Thomas Hardy's own fiddle and other Hardy family instruments. Another of their projects involved recording a collection of songs and stories about cricketers of the past with John Arlott.

They had a regular series on BBC Radio 2 called 'Cider & Song'. They also have numerous other radio and television appearances to their credit.

The Yetties now live in Sherborne (just a few miles from Yetminster) and they draw on their personal experiences of country life for their concert programme. Some of the songs they sing recall what life was like when they were kids helping the farmers at harvest time, scrumping when the farmers weren't looking, raiding the hedges, fields and woods for food and eating rabbit for practically every meal. They talk of village characters and village occasions and create the atmosphere of the village social.