by Brett HartenbachSince the mid-60s, Norma Waterson, along with brother Mike, sister Lal and others, have performed together as the Watersons to make some of the most beautiful records in British traditional music. While performing one evening with her family at McCabes in Santa Monica, California, club booker and producer John Chelew inquired if Waterson had ever considered recording a solo album. The subsequent record, entitled Norma Waterson, was recorded in Los Angeles in late 1995 with the help of friends and family. The recording, which was produced by Chelew, featured a veritable whos-who of the British folk world, with husband Martin Carthy (Steeleye Span, the Watersons) and Richard Thompson (Fairport Convention) on guitars, Danny Thompson (Pentangle) on double bass, Roger Swallow (Albion Country Band) on drums, and daughter Eliza Carthy (the Watersons) on vocals and violin. The final product, which was recorded in a mere five days, was released by Hannibal Records in 1996. Bright Shiny Morning followed five years later.