A SEPTAGENARIAIN songwriter has released a single he wrote nearly 40 years ago after looking for something to do during lockdown.
David McColl Carter, 73, who was born and brought up in Barnard Castle but now lives in Cleasby, near Darlington, has been writing songs for decades.
He has now released a locally inspired tune, The Weathervane, which has been played twice on BBC Radio Tees. He originally wrote the song, about how Barnard Castle’s Market Cross weather vane came to have its iconic two bullet holes, in the mid-80s.
Following the furore over senior Government aide Dominic Cummings’ visit to Barney Mr Carter decided to tweak the lyrics and get it released as a CD.
He said: “I wrote quite a few songs back then. It’s not like these days where you can go along to a recording studios and get a CD made. Back then you would write songs and send them off to recording artists and they would take a look and either record them or not.”
He asked friend and music aficionado Graeme Robinson, who runs GDR Studios, in Hurworth, for help and within a matter of weeks the recording was done and the tune is now available for download on Apple Music.
He added: “The Market Cross for me is the centre of the town and is really recognisable for the town and the song really is about the history of that.
“When all this stuff about Dominic Cummings in the news around Barney came out, I thought why not and it gave me something to do.”
It’s not the first recording Mr Carter has had produced. He released an instrumental album, titled Harmonicelt two years ago of all his favourite Scottish tunes which he played the harmonica.
In the same year he released Legend of the Heart, a song he wrote following the death of his brother.
As well as being available for download Mr Carter hopes the limited edition CDs, complete with lyric cards, will be available for sale in selected shops in town soon.
He is also donating ten CDs to the Barney Does It Best campaign and hopes they will help raise cash for the cause.
“If one or two people enjoy it then that’s great,” he said.
