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The Heppelbaums

Peggy Welsh - Guitar, vocals
Barry Klein - Guitar, vocals
Dietmar Heppelbaum - Bass, vocals
Bobby Christiansand - Drums, vocals

Hunt for the White Nightingale
Side A

1. Down to Quetico (with a suitcase in my hand)
2. Up for Grabs
3. This Old Skin
4. Ladybird Sky
5. The Orphans of Ontario

Side B

6. The Narrowest of Margins (I love you by)
7. Discrepency Deutsch
8. The Day Betty Died
9. Angel Uncle
10. The Herring Song

Tracks 1,5,9 - written by Welsh
Tracks 3,4,8 - Klein / Christiansand
Track 2 - Klein
Tracks 7, 10 - Heppelbaum / Christiansand
Track 6 - Waldorf

A SHORT INTERVIEW WITH DIETMAR HEPPELBAUM

Who produced the bands album ?

A guy from Boston Mass called Gerry 'Shrimp' Waldorf. He was a friend of friends. WE only found out 5 years later that it was his first time producing, He was a nice enough guy but we weren't really the studio dwelling kinds, so that made it difficult for him .

Why only one album ?

What you've got to understand is Barry and Bobby were basically 'Field Musicians'. They were used to playing Jams, Impromptus and Fold parties, and Peggy too. So when it came to recording , I was the only one familiar to playing electrically. This lead to a whole lot of confusion ( in the studio) and also led to Bobby demanding we record the songs outside! Which of course we eventually did. After we finished the recording, Bobby, Barry and Peggy came to me and said they wanted to concentrate on the live stuff, which I took as a vote of no confidence in 'Hunt'. So we let the record sleep for a while and went back to the Farms, Barns and Yarns circuit. It was only when we started gigging again that we began selling any copies. Also a certain 'Shrimp' Waldorf had contacts at a radio station in Boston so we started getting airplay with 'Ladybird Sky' and that helped.

What was your favourite song off the album ?

'Down to Quetico' has to be one of the strongest fold songs of the period. Peggy was Canadian and kind of kooky. Sometimes it worked with her, sometimes it didn't. This one worked and was a great live song. Those lyrics are so Peggy and so 1974 but you had to see the way she sung the 'my compass is burning' line to really appreciate it. I think the song I'm most proud of myself is 'Discrepancy Deutsch'. You had to know how it felt to be half German/ half American at the time. But me and bobby just sat down and it flowed right out.

How did the name come about ?

Apart from Peggy who was obviously Canadian, we were all really proud of our German ancestry so I think we pitched Heppelbaum 'cause it was the most German sounding name. Bobby always felt his name sounded too Danish and Barry always loved my name. He said it sounded almost mythical, like it has been made up.

How did you all meet up ?

I think Bobby and Barry would like you to think that we all met up in a tree somewhere but in fact, we were all regulars on the local Jazz/ Blues circuit. Apart from Peggy that is, I'm convinced to this day she just wandered into town on a late night train, dusted down her jeans and played the blues.

And how did you part ?

I guess we never did. In the summer of '76 Peggy went back to Canada to be with her mother, who was ill at the time. We kind of waited around for her to call but the call never came. So Barry, Bobby and I just sort of drifted. We found out later that her mother had died in January '77 and Peggy had followed her in the spring of 1980.

Biggest regrets ?

I suppose, that no-one went up to Canada with Peggy. At the time it felt a long way away and that she'd be back in a couple of weeks. Also that I'll never hear her sing 'Down to Quetico' again

Formed in 1974
Disbanded in 1976

PHOTOS

Peggy Welsh

Peggy Plays The Blues