Fred Wedlock

Fred Wedlock
Wedlock performing at Allerford Folk Festival in 2003
Background information
Birth name	Peter Frederick Wedlock
Born	(1942-05-23)23 May 1942 Bristol
Origin	Bristol, England
Died	4 March 2010(2010-03-04) (aged 67)
Genres	Comedy, folk, Scrumpy and Western
Occupation(s)	Humorist, guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor
Years active	1960s–2010
Labels	Various, see Discography
Associated acts	Pigsty Hill Light Orchestra
Website	www.fredwedlock.com/

Fred Wedlock (23 May 1942 – 4 March 2010) was a folk singer best known for his UK hit single "The Oldest Swinger In Town". He performed at many venues in Britain and Europe, presented programmes for West Country TV and acted with the Bristol Old Vic and the Ministry of Entertainment, as well as undertaking after-dinner speaking engagements.

Fred Wedlock was born in the old Bristol Maternity Hospital in Southwell Street, Kingsdown, Bristol. He was brought up in Redcliffe, where his father ran the York House pub. He sang in the church choir at St Mary Redcliffe. Wedlock was educated at Bristol Grammar School in the 1950s. He represented the school and the Old Bristolians playing hockey.

After attending Swansea University, he taught in the East End of London during the 1960s and then at South Bristol College, before taking up music full-time in the 1970s. Wedlock was a regular performer at the Bristol Troubadour Club and he played the folk circuit, both prior to, and in the wake of, his single chart success, with performances at clubs and festivals all over the world. He also presented many programmes on West Country TV. In 1997 Wedlock took a leading role in Bristol Old Vic's production of Up the Feeder, Down the Mouth, a theatrical history of Bristol Docks, written by A. C. H. Smith. In 2001 the production was restaged on the waterfront. He also appeared in several productions for Bristol theatre company, The Ministry of Entertainment, most recently in December 2009.