Cliff Aungier

British folk singer/songwriter and guitarist Cliff Aungier grew up in the Croyton area of South London. Influenced by American blues legends like Big Bill Broonzy and Blind Lemon Jefferson as well as fellow folk artists Ralph McTell and Bert Jansch, he became a notable performer amidst the burgeoning U.K. folk scene. In 1963 he began playing in London hot spots like the Marquee, the 100 Club, and the Half Moon — the latter saw him performing as a duo with harmonica player Royd Rivers. In 1965 Aungier and Rivers released the Jimmy Page-produced Wanderin' for Decca, and in 1966 he put out the single "Half a Picture" on EMI Columbia, which began to turn some important industry heads. In 1967 Aungier contributed a handful of tracks to the album Alex Campbell and His Friends, which featured Paul McNeill and a not yet famous Sandy Denny.

After releasing three more singles in 1968, including the almost-hit "My Love and I," RCA offered to fund his debut album. Featuring eight originals, two Bee Gees and Bob Dylan covers, and the album's namesake, the Tim Hardin-penned "The Lady from Baltimore," Aungier finally had a release of his own. The record was a regional success, but poor career choices — his management team talked him out of recording the then unknown Elton John's "Your Song" — and eventual industry disillusionment kept him out fame's elusive hands. He re-emerged in the mid-'80s, releasing Full Moon, a live performance featuring cameos from old friends McTell, Jansch, and Albert Lee, on his own Aries label. His most recent release is The Acoustic Blues. The long out of print The Lady from Baltimore was reissued by Castle in 2003.