Folk's
famous daughter scores a hat trick
Eliza
Carthy – daughter of folk legends Martin Carthy MBE and
Norma Waterson MBE – hit a treble at the 91Èȱ¬ Radio 2 Folk
Awards 2003 last night (Monday 10 February 2003) by scooping
three awards.
The
talented singer and songwriter won the prestigious Folk Singer Of
The Year award following what's now become a family tradition, with
Norma winning it in 2001 and Martin in 2002.
Author
Kazuo Ishiguro presented the award to her.
Eliza
was also presented with an award for Best Album (Anglicana) by Phill
Jupitus and picked up the Best Traditional Track award (Worcester
City) from Boff and Lou from Chumbawamba.
Linda
Thompson's successful comeback was recognised with an award for
Best Original Song for No Telling. The award was presented to her
by legendary actor Peter O'Toole.
Politician
Tony Benn and veteran folk singer Roy Bailey won Best Live Act for
their history of dissent in words and music The Writing's On The
Wall.
Christy
Moore - who has inspired the likes of U2, Sinead O'Connor and the
Pogues - was honoured with a special Lifetime Achievement Award.
Irish
Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said in a special message to the ceremony:
"He is a fantastic musician who has been one of the backbones
of our traditional music history in Ireland. His
contribution to the folklore and song has been immense.
"He
is an artist who has influenced various generations of musicians
and singers and as an activist has contributed in making this country
a better place to live."
The
fourth annual 91Èȱ¬ Radio 2 Folk Awards were introduced by Mike Harding
and took place at London's Marriott Hotel in Grosvenor Square.
They
will be broadcast on the Mike Harding Show and web cast in full
at
tomorrow (Wednesday 12 February) at 8.00pm.
Controller
of 91Èȱ¬ Radio 2, Jim Moir, said: "Radio 2 is proud to champion
folk and this special event enables the folk world to come together
to reward these talented artists and celebrate their work.
"I'm
delighted that through Radio 2 and the web cast we can share this
music with such a wide audience."
Notes
to Editors
Results of the 2003 91Èȱ¬ Radio 2 Folk Awards
Folk
Singer of the Year/Best Album/Best Traditional Track: Eliza Carthy
– awards presented by Kazuo Ishiguro, Phill Jupitus, and
Boff and Lou from Chumbawamba.
Eliza
Carthy grew up surrounded by folk music in Robin Hood's Bay in North
Yorkshire.
Her
ambitious 1998 double album Red Rice, which brought traditional
music into the realms of drum 'n' bass, was short listed for the
Mercury Music Prize.
Her
award-winning album Anglicana marks a return to her roots, and expresses
her Englishness themed around the sea.
Best
Duo: Nancy Kerr and James Fagan – award presented by Bernard
Wrigley. (Nancy's mother singer/musician Sandra Kerr picked up the
award on their behalf).
Successful
duo Nancy and James joined forces in 1995 with James' bouzouki perfectly
complementing Nancy's distinctive voice and fiddle accompaniments.
Prior
to that James sang in his family's group in his native Australia
and studied medicine.
Both
have a passion for English and Australian traditions and are also
keen composers.
Best
Group: Altan - award presented by Kate Rusby.
Named
after a lake in northwest Donegal, Altan is one of Ireland's hottest
bands with 10 acclaimed albums to their name.
Altan
began performing in pubs around Ulster in the early Eighties and
their repertoire of old Donegal fiddle music, unusual Northern flute
tunes and music from Scotland and Europe gave them a unique stamp.
Their
1990 album The Red Crow won album of the year from the National
Association Of Independent Record Producers.
Best
Original Song: Linda Thompson –
award presented by special guest Peter O'Toole.
Linda's
first album in 17 years, Fashionably Late, was co-written with her
guitarist son Teddy and marks her return to public performance.
In
1972 Linda teamed up with Fairport Convention guitarist and songwriter
Richard Thompson forming a partnership that lasted nearly ten years
resulting in six critically acclaimed albums.
Hysterical
dysphonia forced Linda to retire from singing in the Eighties but
her song writing abilities came to the fore resulting in a Grammy
nomination in 1987 for Telling Me Lies (co-written with Betsy Cook)
and recorded by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris.
Horizon
Award: John Spiers and Jon Boden – award presented by Martin
Carthy.
The
energetic duo - John Spiers (melodeon) and Jon Boden (fiddle) –
come from Oxford and play a mix of folk songs and tunes mainly from
the English tradition.
John
Spiers started playing the melodeon while studying genetics at King's
College, Cambridge and Jon Boden's love of English folk song came
from his regular visits to the coalpits singing session while at
Durham University.
Their
debut album, Through And Through, made huge waves and their second,
Bellow, is eagerly awaited.
Musician
Of The Year Award: John McCusker - award presented by Simon
Fowler of Ocean Colour Scene.
Glaswegian
McCusker first picked up the fiddle at the age of seven.
One
of the top traditional musicians in the land he has guested on over
150 albums and recently recorded original music for the new film
Heartland and released an acclaimed solo album Goodnight Ginger.
Known
for his fiddle playing, he is a virtuoso on a range of instruments
including whistles, piano and cittern and is much in demand as a
producer, being involved in some of the best-selling and critically
acclaimed folk albums in recent years including albums by his wife
Kate Rusby.
Best
Live Act: Roy Bailey and Tony Benn – award presented by
Tom Robinson.
Distinguished
politician Tony Benn and hugely popular folk singer Roy Bailey have
collaborated for many years with their two-man show The Writing
On The Wall, an anthology of dissent in words and music based on
Benn's writings for his book of the same name.
The
work is related by Benn with his great warmth and humour and punctuated
musically by Bailey who, for 40 years, has been one of the folk
world's finest interpreters of both traditional and contemporary
song.
Lifetime
Achievement award for Song Writing: John Prine – award
presented by Johnnie Walker.
Born
in Maywood, Illinois in 1946, Prine began playing the guitar at
the age of 14.
His
work has covered everything from acoustic folk to electric rockabilly
and won great acclaim from fellow musicians.
His
1991 Grammy nominated album The Missing Years featured guest appearances
from Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt and Tom Petty.
After
making his film debut in 1992's John Mellencamp-directed Falling
From Grace, Prine has continued to make popular and successful albums.
Lifetime
Achievement Award: Christy Moore – award presented by Bob
Harris.
Christy
has been a giant through many different styles and eras, from his
early days as grass roots entertainer on the Sixties British folk
club circuit via lead vocalist and chief songwriter with the influential
Seventies band Planxty and the pioneering Moving Hearts in the Eighties.
As
a solo singer-songwriter, he has continued to add elements of rock
and popular music to his well-crafted, tradition-based tunes and
has been a major inspiration to many artists.
His
discography spans some 20-odd albums and his 2002 album Live At
Vicar Street shows no diminishment of musicality, songwriting or
passion.
Good
Tradition Award: the Oysterband – award presented by Cara
Dillon.
Emerging
from Canterbury University in 1975, the Whitstable Oyster Company
Ceilidh Band has undergone several incarnations from its original
huge dance band line-up to today's line-up consisting of original
members John Jones, Alan Prosser and Ian Telfer plus Chopper and
Lee.
Their
current project – the Big Session – celebrates traditional
music and brings on board young musicians.
Folk
Club Of The Year: The Edinburgh Folk Club – award presented
by Pete Wishart MP (SNP Culture Spokesman).
Thirty
years old this year, the club has provided a platform for the best
names in folk and traditional music.
Now
resident at the 150 seater Pleasance Cabaret Bar, the club is run
by Paddy Bort and has a stream of top names due to play there over
the coming months.
Results
of 91Èȱ¬ Radio 2 Folk Awards 2002 (12.02.02)
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