This week’s Album of the Week is Judy Dinnings’s ‘Best Kept Secrets’ double CD.  Judy Sadly passed away last year, but left us a wealth of music and song to remember her by. Liz Clark spoke to her partner and fellow musician Kenny Spears to find out more about this lovely lady, her career and her music.

The 34 tracs bring you Judy from the start of her career,  from her fledgling days at The Hexam Folk Club then in The Royal Hotel, her first partnership with Chip Chamberlain and Alan Lynch and form Passport, which made quite an impression in the folk scene .  Then in the early 1980’s Judy partnered up with Dave Smith joined by Stu Luckley in 1984 and toured widely throughout the UK with ‘Waiting For the Change’ album reaching No 3 in the UK Folk Charts.

Then in 1993 she teamed up with Liz Law, Julie-Anne Kayne and Zena Tubmen to form the very formidable, hugely  talented and very entertaining ‘The Lucky Bags’, releasing two very successful CDs and touring widely throughout the UK and Europe .

Then in 1997 Judy was invited to join Jez Lowe and The Bad Pennies  with whom she toured worldwide from Australia to the USA and Canada and all ports in between.

By 2002, Judy decided it was time to go out on her own and form a band.  At this time she had met Kenny Speirs, who became not only her partner on stage in  but partner in life,  where they form the hugely successful ‘Real Time’  along with other member in the band Tom Roseburgh and toured for 11 years and have six CD’s to their name.  One of the hardest working and most sought after bands on the folk scene, touring extensively in Europe and the UK and who in their new format, are still as much of demand as ever.

Judy was still performing till July 2013 and sadly passed away on 2 October 2013.  Kenny arranged a couple of concerts last year and again this year in Denhom, in her beloved Northumberland.  All artists and producers have dedicated their time and effort into this CD to make a lasting tribute to this wonderful lady and to keep her voice forever in our ears and hearts.

No one has taken any payment for the producing of the CD and with her family and Kenny they have decided that all proceeds from the CD will go  ‘We Are MacMillan Cancer Support’ and Tyndale Hospice and Home  in Judy’s name.

You can buy the double CD from www.judydinning.com – remember only 74 shopping days till Christmas.

Celtic Music Radio Album of the Week, Saturday 11 October 12 noon and 12 midnight and Monday 13 at 7.00pm and Catch Up anytime.