Police called to row in Norfolk's country music scene

A row in Norfolk's country music scene has seen two of its leading figures fall out, with police called in to try to ease relations.

The discord involves June Wilson, a dance instructor and huge fan of the genre, and Mike Delph, lead singer of a local country music band, the Mustangs.

The pair had tried to co-operate on organising shows where Mrs Wilson, a former Miss Norwich, could teach aficionados some dance moves.

But they fell out following a misunderstanding about who was giving who a lift to one of the events.

Mrs Wilson, 73, began writing letters to Mr Delph, 56, criticising his running of gigs, the performance of his band and his knowledge of country music.

Mr Delph has filed and numbered the letters Mrs Wilson has sent him for police record (Image: Bruno Brown)

She ended up sending him more than 65 correspondence in the space of six months, sometimes more than twice a day, prompting Mr Delph, from Drayton, to contact police.

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Officers then visited Mrs Wilson's home, near Norwich city centre, to urge her to stop writing the letters or face the possibility of a restraining order.

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

The pair first met at the Cafe on the Corner, in Anglia Square, Norwich, in June 2023 after Mrs Wilson had a letter published in the EDP about setting up an event in Norfolk for country music fans.

She encouraged anyone interested to get in touch.

Mr Delph, a retired accountant, already organised country music shows across the county so suggested they meet up to see if they could cooperate.

Mr Delph's band, The Mustangs (Image: The Mustangs Country Band)

At the meeting, Mrs Wilson offered to teach dancing to people at an evening he was running at the Hellesdon Community Centre so she went along to the next one, in November, to see how it was operated.

They agreed that she would return at the next one and teach dance techniques, such as the Western Waltz, the Texas Twostep and Country Swing.

However, she did not turn up at the event. She claimed Mr Delph had offered to give her a lift.

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He denies this, pointing out his car was already going to be full of musical equipment for his band.

THE LETTERS START

It was at this point, that Mrs Wilson began writing to Mr Delph, personally criticising him and his events.

Among the letters were country music quizzes which Mrs Wilson wanted Mr Delph to use at his events. She considered the one he had used at his November show "too easy".

Mike Delph sifting through the folder he has made to file Mrs Wilson's letters (Image: Bruno Brown)

One letter she sent contained 50 questions.

Mr Delph considered the letters increasingly abusive towards him and his wife and eventually called the police.

"I am just an ordinary person, with a family," he said. "I'm very busy despite being retired and music is one of my hobbies and lifelong passions.

"Who is Mrs Wilson to tell me how to run my events? If she doesn't like them, why is she so desperate to come along and interfere with how we do it?"

He said her non-appearance at the event she had been due to attend had "let me down".

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He added: "Her letters are abusive, nasty and we've had enough."

Mrs Wilson pictured when she was living in South Carolina (Image: Bruno Brown)

THE LAW STEPS IN

Police officers went to Mrs Wilson's Norwich home on January 20, after Mr Delph reported her for 'unwanted contact'.

Mrs Wilson said she was warned that if she did not stop, she could have a restraining order placed on her.

Mrs Wilson is pictured next to her CD player which blares country and Western music all day long (Image: Bruno Brown)

Mrs Wilson claims she started writing to Mr Delph to clarify the arrangements for the events and that in her criticism she was merely "being honest" and trying to "help" Mr Delph improve his band and his shows.

She says she learned how "authentic" and "proper" country events were held while living in South Carolina with her second husband.

"Yes, I have sent him letters, but in them I was just telling him the truth," she added.

"I wanted to help him make his band and club itself better.

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"I also wanted to have the opportunity to teach there too, because everyone there was just jigging about and not dancing in traditional style."

Mrs Wilson in her youth when she first began listening to country music (Image: Bruno Brown)

Mrs Wilson added: "I think he is jealous of my knowledge of country music."

A police spokeswoman said: "A member of the public contacted us on January 12, 2024, to report unwanted contact from another person.

"The report was investigated, all parties spoken to by officers, and it was established no criminal offence had been committed."

A flyer for the Mustangs next event on Saturday, November 4 (Image: The Mustangs Country Band)