{"title":"Topic","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHot Topic Exclusive Retailer is a leading music label that specializes in distributing exclusive releases and color variants. With a strong presence in both retail stores and online, Hot Topic offers music enthusiasts the opportunity to own unique and limited edition albums from their favorite artists.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs an *exclusive retailer*, Hot Topic works closely with renowned musicians and bands to bring fans something truly special. Whether it's a limited edition vinyl pressing or an exclusive variant of a popular album, Hot Topic ensures that their customers have access to rare and collectible music items.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith its extensive network of retail stores across the country and an easy-to-navigate website, Hot Topic makes it convenient for music lovers to discover and purchase these exclusive releases. By partnering with *artists* who are at the forefront of their genres, Hot Topic continues to offer a diverse range of musical styles for every taste.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-sorrow-songs-folk-songs-of-black-british-experience","title":"The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience\u003c\/i\u003e is the new album by Cornwall-based folk singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Angeline Morrison, her first record for the historic Topic Records label.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eProduced by Eliza Carthy and featuring some of her beautiful, soaring string arrangements, The Sorrow Songs was recorded in Cornwall at Cube Studio and is a work of what she calls 're-storying.'\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"The traditional songs of the UK are rich with storytelling, and you can find songs with examples of almost any kind of situation or person you can think of. But whilst people of the African diaspora have been present in these islands since at least Roman Times, their histories are little known - and they don't tend to appear in the folk songs of these islands.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAngeline Morrison began to wonder if she could discover more about the lives of these ordinary and extraordinary Black ancestors and create an album of songs in the sonic style of UK folk and traditional music, in the hope that this silent space could then begin to be filled with stories. With the help of Arts Council National Lottery funding, Angeline began what became a year of research into this neglected area of Black British history. \u003ci\u003eThe Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience\u003c\/i\u003e is the result.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReleased to commemorate Black History Month in October, this powerful record is intended to honour these Black ancestors who lived in these islands and to act as a gift to the folk community.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe musicians on the album are: Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne (anglo concertina, melodeon, vocals), Clarke Camilleri (guitar, banjo, vocals), Hamilton Gross (violin, vocals), Rosie Crow (piano, vocals), Alex Neilson (drums, vocals), Eliza Carthy (violin, fiddlesticks, vocals), Martin Carthy (guitar) and Angeline Morrison (vocals, autoharp, double bass).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topic","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50389289435467,"sku":"1163783","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50389289140555,"sku":"1163782","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50389290058059,"sku":"2178330","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/579603d3-2520-4eb4-8e10-77de52534031_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726356982"},{"product_id":"martin-carthy","title":"Martin Carthy","description":"\u003cp\u003eRe-pressing of Martin Carthy's debut album, originally released on Fontana in 1965 and re-issued by Topic in 1977. In the early 1960s, the approach Martin Carthy took to folk music was nothing short of revolutionary, albeit a relatively quiet revolution befitting of his humble nature.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYou wouldn't find Carthy's music clambering up the singles charts; his was not a face adorning the teen magazines. Instead, his influence was felt at a grass-roots level. He plied his trade in the folk clubs, which is where the likes of Bob Dylan and Paul Simon sought him out, enamoured of his traditional repertoire and keen to learn songs like 'Scarborough Fair' and 'Lord Franklin' directly from him before adapting them for their own purposes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis debut eponymous album, re-released here, on vinyl by Topic Records as part of their ongoing Topic Treasures series, is a snapshot of the work he was doing at the time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOriginally finding its way into the world in 1965, courtesy of Fontana Records, Martin Carthy pulled together 14 songs from his burgeoning repertoire. Produced by Terry at the Philips Recording Studios in Marble Arch, the album was a must-learn checklist for budding guitarists and folk club orgas, and, to this day, remains an essential listen for anyone attempting to find their way into traditional English folk music. Most people turn up for 'Scarborough Fair', very few leave without getting hooked on 'High Germany', 'Sovay' and 'Ye Mariners All'.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe album also introduces Carthy's earliest collaborations with Dave Swarbrick, an enduring and much-copied partnership that lasted, off and on, until Swarbs death in 2016, and became a blueprint for how guitar and fiddle duos ought to sound. While Carthy had been building up his solo repertoire over the previous five or six years, several of the duo arrangements on this album ('Lovely Joan', 'A Begging I Will Go', 'Broomfield Hill') were thrown together in the studio, adding a fizz and freshness to the recordings. This became the pair's standard way of working. \"We used to rehearse on stage, in front of the audience,\" he explains today.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topic","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50389307031883,"sku":"2170703","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/0714822940054.jpg_0229537d_thumbnail_4096.webp?v=1726357317"},{"product_id":"nothing-but-green-willow-the-songs-of-mary-sands-and-jane-gentry-2","title":"Nothing But Green Willow: The Songs of Mary Sands and Jane Gentry","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe English-born folk song collector, musician and composer, Cecil\nSharp, collected songs in Appalachia between 1916-1918\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmong several locations, he collected in Madison County, North Carolina, a\nremote county right on the Tennessee state line, that had a horrible history of\nviolence in the Civil War and was known to be clannish, remote.There, Sharp met\nsingers Jane Gentry and Mary Sands. They both contributed a significant and\nunusually high number of songs to his collection. Gentry contributed eighty and\nSands about twenty-five. Their versions are available through Sharp's books. The\nhouse where Gentry sang for Sharp is still there ('Sunnybank' in the town of Hot\nSprings). Some of ballads they contributed are among the best- know ones –\n'Pretty Saro,' 'Lord Franklin,' etc. Two women who nobody ever heard sing,\nunknowingly changed the course of folk music history.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDuring 2022, Martin Simpson and Thomm Jutz handpicked a selection of the\nGentry and Sands songs and arranged them for their two guitars. They then\ninvited six great UK folk singers to each sing one song, recording them here in the\nUK and six great Appalachian folk singers to record in Nashville.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe album features special guests, from the UK, Cara Dillon, Fay Hield, Seth\nLakeman, Angeline Morrison and Emily Portman and from the States, Dale Ann\nBradley, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Tim O'Brien, Tammy Rogers and Odessa\nSettles.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMartin Simpson is a world-renowned, multi-award-winning English folk singer,\nguitarist, banjo player and songwriter based in Sheffield, UK. Thomm Jutz is a\nGerman- born American singer, songwriter, producer and guitarist based in\nNashville, USA. This album is released on Topic Records, which celebrates its\n85th anniversary in 2024.\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topic","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50393559990603,"sku":"2048574","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/714822046145_41ba5994_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726421305"},{"product_id":"skydancers","title":"Skydancers","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSkydancers\u003c\/em\u003e is the latest album by the prolific and world-renowned English guitarist and singer-songwriter, \u003cstrong\u003eMartin Simpson\u003c\/strong\u003e. This album brings together Americana and Folk originals, as well as inspirational songs from the likes of Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, and Joni Mitchell.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eKnown for his innovative and eclectic approach to traditional music, \u003cstrong\u003eMartin Simpson\u003c\/strong\u003e is one of the hardest-touring musicians on the UK folk and roots circuit. \u003cem\u003eSkydancers\u003c\/em\u003e is his 12th full-length solo record for Topic Records since 1992, and 15th if you count collaborations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRecorded in Simpson's hometown of Sheffield, \u003cem\u003eSkydancers\u003c\/em\u003e features new original songs penned by Simpson, along with 18th-century broadside ballads and reworkings from the songbooks of artists such as Nancy Kerr, June Tabor, and Craig Johnson.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe title track of \u003cem\u003eSkydancers\u003c\/em\u003e, commissioned by TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham, highlights the plight of the endangered Hen Harrier, reflecting Simpson's keen interest in ornithology. The album also includes personal narratives, such as the story of Billy Waters, a famous busker in 19th-century London.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMartin Simpson\u003c\/strong\u003e is joined by Grammy-winning musician\/producer Greg Leisz on pedal steel, Andy Cutting on diatonic accordion, and a host of other talented musicians on \u003cem\u003eSkydancers\u003c\/em\u003e. The double CD includes renditions of Bob Dylan's \"Buckets Of Rain\" and Joni Mitchell's \"Cactus Tree,\" among other live favorites.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition to his musical achievements, \u003cstrong\u003eMartin Simpson\u003c\/strong\u003e has been nominated 23 times at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, winning Artist of The Year twice. His album \u003cem\u003eProdigal Son\u003c\/em\u003e was named album of the year in 2008, with the song \"Never Any Good\" winning best original song of the year.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topic","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50404943364427,"sku":"2181692","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50404942152011,"sku":"2181690","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Skydancers_Deluxe_Version_7b361dab_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726572436"},{"product_id":"anne-briggs-rsd-2024","title":"Anne Briggs - RSD 2024","description":"\u003cp\u003e\n                            This product is a Record Store Day exclusive title and is not available to pre-order.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n                            To buy in-store: 8am, 20\/04\/2024 (Record Store Day).\u003cbr\u003e\n                            To buy online: 8pm, 22\/04\/2024. (Subject to availability).\u003cbr\u003e\n                            Don’t forget: Click 'Notify Me' to be the first to know about its availability online. It also helps us to place accurate orders so that we can please as many of you as possible on the day.\u003cbr\u003e\n                            \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOriginally released on Topic Records in 1971, the eponymous debut album by Anne Briggs has become a must-have in any respectable folk collection. Though re-issued several times since, this new RSD 2024 version has been remastered from the original reel-to-reel tapes by Calum Malcolm (one of the UK's top audio professionals\/producer) and includes a 7\" of 4 previously unreleased tracks from the album's recording sessions (never heard before). The 7\" is designed by the album's original designer, Humphrey Weightman and includes exclusive new sleeve notes by Anne Briggs herself.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topic","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50413880312139,"sku":"2181148","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Anne_Briggs_-_Tropic_1dcd250b_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726679262"},{"product_id":"watch-the-stars","title":"Watch The Stars","description":"\u003cp\u003eFirst released in 1967, \u003ci\u003eWatch the Stars\u003c\/i\u003e is a remarkable long-lost gem from the mid-'sixties British folk revival. A beautiful collection of folk, blues and haikus, the album melds a folk-boom topicality with a fine 'beat' sensibility; uniting the afro-american west coast with suburban London. Long out-of-print, the record is an early milestone in the careers of Dorris Henderson and John Renbourn. contains two songs written by Anne Briggs and an early cover of Arthur Lee's \u003ci\u003eMessage to Pretty\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLP - 50th Anniversary edition - 180 Gram Vinyl.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topic","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50438688211275,"sku":"263869","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/4366447d-c4f2-478e-9dfa-0a312b048ade_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726946635"},{"product_id":"vagrant-stanzas-1","title":"Vagrant Stanzas","description":"\u003cp\u003eWith 'Vagrant Stanzas' Martin Simpson makes a career defining statement - fourteen splendid solo, intimate performances captured in jewel-like recordings. A splendid intimate new recording from a world class finger-style guitar maestro. In collaborate with some of the best producers and engineers in the business, including multi-Grammy Award winning mastering engineer, Silas Brown. The CD has been co-produced by Martin alongside American producer Peter Denenberg and, our own, Richard Hawley, who has produced the UK part of the CD in Sheffield, at the legendary Yellow Arch Studios. 'Vagrant Stanzas' is made up of a mixture of Martin's original compositions, including a song commissioned by BBC Radio 2 for their award winning Radio Ballads series, alongside classic songs by Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Chris Wood, Leon Rosselson and, of course, the ubiquitous 'Anon' of Folk ballad fame. Includes an 8 page booklet with extensive track notes by Martin Simpson.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topic","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50439292649803,"sku":"364789","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/02ebbdb1-21cf-419b-94bf-926d8daf9d82_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726952713"},{"product_id":"rooted","title":"Rooted","description":"\u003cp\u003eSinger, songwriter and guitar virtuoso Martin Simpson releases his brand new studio album Rooted on August 30. Produced by Andy Bell and recorded in Sheffield and Oxfordshire.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSumming up the themes of his new album, Martin says: “The music and songs embrace nature and travel, mental health, real life stories, loss, politics and history… and the threads that bind all this together can be followed back a long way, to 1965 when I got my first guitar and started to soak up material and ideas at a very rapid rate.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRooted features an array of stellar guest musicians, including Nancy Kerr (fiddle and viola), Andy Cutting (melodeon and diatonic accordion), Liz Hanks (cello), John Smith (electric guitar and vocals), Ben Nicholls (string bass and electric bass guitar), Julie Matthews (vocals), Alan Barnes (clarinet), Max Simpson (vocals), Amy Smith (vocals), Chris While (vocals) and Tom A Wright (drums and percussion). Richard Hawley and Dom Flemons contribute backing vocals and bones respectively to first single \u003ci\u003eNeo\u003c\/i\u003e. As well as vocals, Martin himself plays banjola, 5-string banjo, 6-string fretless banjo, electric bass guitar and electric and resonator guitars!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topic","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50439298089291,"sku":"1070759","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50439298679115,"sku":"1070760","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/c0a93ead-0d93-47de-98c1-5cf665145f13_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726952766"},{"product_id":"an-introduction-to-martin-simpson","title":"An Introduction To Martin Simpson","description":"\u003cp\u003eA personally selected and sequenced compilation by Martin Simpson. This new addition to Topic's series of introductory overviews of the label's most renowned artists includes an exclusively recorded track by Martin, a wonderful solo acoustic version of Leon Rosselson's 'Palaces of Gold' from his classic 1968 album A Laugh, A Song and a Hand Grenade.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt's remarkable to think that Martin Simpson is now celebrating some 45 years as a professional musician since, unlike so many of the Topic greats, Simpson was not part of the 50s folk revival or the more expansive contemporary folk scene of the 60s. Effectively, Martin Simpson has spearheaded the generation of folk musicians who only began recording in the mid-70s and is now readily acknowledged as one of the most original and skillful folk guitarists currently playing on the British and American folk scene.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was as a defining instrumentalist and interpreter of predominantly traditional British and American folk material that Simpson first established himself. Yet, as this new selection amply testifies, he has become a highly gifted songwriter. He first made a significant mark as a songwriter on 2003's Righteousness \u0026amp; Humidity with a handful of songs that included the evocative truck stop epic 'Love Never Dies'. Since then he has continued to deliver powerful compositions, none more poignant than the remarkable 'Banjo Bill' (from 2011's Purpose \u0026amp; Grace), based upon the words of Banjo Bill Cornett of Hindman, Kentucky, which testifies to the breadth and scope of Simpson's writing.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topic","offers":[{"title":"LP | x2","offer_id":50439312441675,"sku":"1037990","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50439308509515,"sku":"1037989","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/9a31cb67-2ab2-44b7-b91e-c8b81d85d5c6_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726952838"},{"product_id":"the-moral-of-the-elephant","title":"The Moral of the Elephant","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe first album as a duo by the father and daughter of folk's most celebrated family, performing a wide selection of sublime songs. Produced by Eliza, Martin and Oliver Knight, this wonderful album captures the essence of a continuing singing and performing tradition that weaves a thread through the Waterson\/Carthy dynasty. Eliza and Martin constantly shape and interpret words and tunes into something fresh, yet recognizable as the product of two lives bonded not only by family ties, but by the music that lives with them and through them. The songs here range from reworkings of the traditional - 'Her Servant Man', the majestic 'Grand Conversation On Napoleon', 'Bonny Moorhen' - through interpretations of the more modern - 'Happiness' and Michael Marra's 'Monkey Hair' to a new Eliza Carthy tune set to the poetry of John Godfrey Saxe - 'The Elephant'.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topic","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50439321518411,"sku":"376233","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/429b5988-105c-462c-adcf-91dbb1070699_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726952908"},{"product_id":"ragged-kingdom-1","title":"Ragged Kingdom","description":"\u003cp\u003eBringing together the immense, individual talents of the sublime English folk\nsinger Tabor and the raucous roots rebels Oysterband, it produced something\nquite not only new but enduring. When they reunited to perform at fRoots\nMagazine's 30th birthday party at The Roundhouse in 2010, they felt the\nchemistry spark again. And so, twenty-one years on, they went reconvened to\nrecord the magnificent 'Ragged Kingdom,' a brilliant, belated follow-up that mixes\nthe traditional with the contemporary in startling fashion.\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topic","offers":[{"title":"Red LP","offer_id":50447959261515,"sku":"2217344","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50447958901067,"sku":"343789","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Ragged_Kingdom_3d4a3a9a_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727084578"},{"product_id":"an-introduction-to-anne-briggs","title":"An Introduction to Anne Briggs","description":"\u003cp\u003eAnne Briggs was born in Nottinghamshire in 1944 and began singing in local folk clubs in her teens. Her break came through the Centre 42 tour of 1962. This was a distinctly leftist group of artists, writers, actors and musicians whose lofty aim was to make arts and culture accessible to the masses. Local artists were invited to audition where Ewan MacColl first heard Briggs' remarkable voice and persuaded her to join the tour. There Briggs met MacColl's broader minded comrade A.L. 'Bert' Lloyd who became her mentor. Briggs debut EP, \u003ci\u003eThe Hazards Of Love\u003c\/i\u003e, was produced by Lloyd although Briggs never enjoyed recording and it was only though Lloyd's coaxing that she contributed to his pioneering conceptual albums \u003ci\u003eThe Iron Muse\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Bird In The Bush\u003c\/i\u003e. The first six, traditional, unaccompanied songs presented here are taken from these outstanding recordings made between 1963 and 1966 which display all the hallmarks of Anne Briggs artistry - pure, fluid and with flawless timing. It wasn't until 1971 that Briggs eventually recorded her debut album for Topic. In between, she was either touring in company with the Watersons, or travelling across Ireland with boyfriend Johnny Moynihan, the traditional singer and founder of folk group Sweeney's Men. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBriggs uninhibited behaviour represented the spirit of folk's new age. She was a bridge between the stuffy revivalist world and the contemporary set. She had a relationship with Bert Jansch rapidly becoming the poster boy for the alternative crowd. \"Annie just came and went as she pleased,\" said Jansch. \"She was pretty wild and carefree. I taught her to play guitar. Very few of the other girls played guitar; it wasn't the done thing in her circle. \"Famously, Briggs taught Jansch \u003ci\u003eBlackwater Side,\u003c\/i\u003e which he then made his own on his classic 1965 debut album; the next year his pivotal traditional album Jack Orion largely comprised songs he learnt from Briggs who helped him understand the structure of folk song. Briggs and Jansch also wrote a handful of songs together. One of these, \u003ci\u003eGo Your Way (My Love),\u003c\/i\u003e was eventually recorded for her Topic album, as was her definitive treatment of \u003ci\u003eBlackwater Side\u003c\/i\u003e. Anne Briggs has since been discovered by the present folk generation, male and female alike. Eliza Carthy, Kate Rusby, Alasdair Roberts and Riley Walker, are among many who recognise Anne Briggs as an extraordinary, inspirational voice. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ehttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8HkQ3Ss5gLM\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topic","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50461295051083,"sku":"1027404","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50461296230731,"sku":"1027403","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/ea09c3c9-00d2-44e3-9f3a-06489f5355bf_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727246640"},{"product_id":"jim-ghedi-and-toby-hay","title":"Jim Ghedi and Toby Hay","description":"\u003cp\u003eEponymous collaboration between Jim Ghedi and Toby Hay - their first since 2018's \u003ci\u003eThe Hawksworth Grove Sessions\u003c\/i\u003e and their debut for Topic Records.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePostponed for two years due to the small matter of a global pandemic, finally, as some semblance of normality took shape, in February 2022, the duo headed into Giant Wafer Studios, mid-Wales, with very little rehearsal time and recorded the entire album live, with no edits or overdubs over three days.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJim Ghedi and Toby Hay are both prolific, praised and established artists in their own right. Hailing from South Yorkshire, Ghedi's previous work has often been instrumental, exploring the natural world and his relationship to it, as seen on 2018's A Hymn For Ancient Land but also developing into using his voice, songwriting and traditional material on his more recent album, \u003ci\u003eIn The Furrows Of\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eCommon Place\u003c\/i\u003e. Toby Hay, hailing from the Cambrian mountains, professes likewise, that the landscape serves as eternal muse and the spiritual groundwork of his entrancing guitar playing which has dazzled critics and listeners alike throughout his career. All of this makes their collaboration with the world's oldest independent label and custodians of UK folk music, Topic Records, a natural home for this exceptional record.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe album artwork includes beautiful liner notes by Andrew Male, senior associate editor of Mojo magazine; film, radio and TV writer for Sight and Sound and Sunday Times Culture.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topic","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50469525946699,"sku":"2014980","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50469525782859,"sku":"2014979","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Jim_Ghedi__Toby_Hay_7fb6f1dd_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727362132"},{"product_id":"big-machine","title":"Big Machine","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Pioneering English traditional folk powerhouse, Eliza Carthy, first assembled the Wayward Band in 2013 in order to explore and celebrate her long and varied career in folk music; 'the last truly underground music scene'. Since then, the band has become a festival favourite, and Eliza has been awarded the MBE for services to folk music. Eliza and the Wayward Band loved playing together so much it seemed natural and inevitable, as well as characteristically ambitious, that this 12-piece would set about recording an album. Early in 2016 they did just that. 'Big Machine' is the result and the renowned Real World and Rockfield Studios are where it all happened. 'Big Machine',is produced by Jim Sutherland. The material represents a healthy slice of everything good that is happening in traditional music now, across a sparkling spectrum of sound. The album features three contemporary songs; Eliza's own 'You Know Me' about the migrant crisis and notions of hospitality (featuring MC Dizraeli), a powerful cover of Ewan Maccoll's Radio Ballad 'The Fitter's Song' (at the behest of Peggy Seeger - and the song which inspired the album title) and an affectionate reworking of 'Hug You Like a Mountain' (Rory MacLeod), re-imagined here as a duet with Teddy Thompson.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topic","offers":[{"title":"LP | x2","offer_id":50471276183883,"sku":"1004575","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50471275987275,"sku":"1004574","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/8742b0c4-4a15-485e-904d-bc1fa6a312d0_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727398051"},{"product_id":"trails-and-tribulations","title":"Trails and Tribulations","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMartin Simpson\u003c\/strong\u003e, world-renowned guitarist, singer, and songwriter, is releasing his 20th solo album in 40 years, \u003cem\u003eTrails and Tribulations\u003c\/em\u003e, on Topic Records. 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Influential and inspired Martin Carthy is truly one of the true greats of Folk Music.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn December 1962, when Bob Dylan arrived in London for the first time, he hung out with Carthy, one of the few British folk revivalists to give him the time of day. Carthy's guitar playing and knowledge of traditional folk song impressed and inspired Dylan. He wrote 'Girl From the North Country' and 'Boots of Spanish Leather', both using melodies he learnt from Carthy's arrangement of 'Scarborough Fair' and his arrangement of 'Lord Franklin' was the foundation for 'Bob Dylan's Dream'. Both these songs - alongside the likes of 'Byker Hill', 'Sir Patrick Spens' and 'Sailor's Life' - are tantamount to Martin Carthy's 'Greatest Hits'. It was largely though being heard on Carthy's albums that they became folk club staples during the 1960s. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis latest compilation of Martin's solo work doesn't end in the 60's although since then his regular solo recordings, most of which are represented here, came side by side with a variety of other group projects. Martin has played in Steeleye Span, the Albion Band and Albion Country Band, The Watersons and Waterson: Carthy. This compilation does not include tracks from those bands but does include a couple of tracks from the remarkable 1980's quintet Brass Monkey, boasting a bizarre line-up combining trumpet and trombone, various squeezeboxes (courtesy of fellow stalwart John Kirkpatrick), guitar or mandolin and percussion. And although this is ostensibly a collection of traditional material, Carthy is equally gifted in interpreting contemporary songwriters. His version of David Ackles' doomy 'His Name is Andrew' is one of his finest vocal performances. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMartin Carthy has continued to record and collaborate on work into the 21st century, tracks like Walter Pardon's 'A Ship to Old England Came' is taken from his last solo album to date, 2004's Waiting For Angels, and is a fitting song to end this collection. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMartin Carthy has won countless awards for his services to music including an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours in June 1998. He was named Folk Singer of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2002, and again in 2005 when he also won the award for Best Traditional Track. Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick who recorded their last album together in 2006, fittingly won Best Duo the following year. In 2014 he was inevitably given the Lifetime Achievement gong at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. A few years ago I asked Martin what more he would like to achieve? His typically modest response was \"Just to get better at what I do. This is wonderful music. The more you find out, the more there is to find out.\" He is without doubt, one of the greats and 'An Introduction to...\" offers a glimpse as to exactly why this is so. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topic","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50471522763083,"sku":"1040937","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/70fa4f0f-45c0-44f2-8b0a-9d88db9bf838_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727406099"},{"product_id":"an-introduction-to-2","title":"An Introduction To","description":"\u003cp\u003eJohn Tams is one of the most celebrated folk artists still recording and performing today, a 7-times winner at the BBC Folk Awards who has contributed to over 60 albums as singer, performer, arranger, writer, engineer and producer. In 2000 John Tams released Unity, and nobody in the folk world could quite believe it was his first solo album. Tams had, after all, established himself as a key member of The Albion Band - recording one of their finest albums, Rise Up Like the Sun. Then rising out of the ashes of The Albion Band came Home Service, an eight-piece band, precursors of the current big band trend, strong on politics and exhilarating performances highlighted by a trademark English brass sound and powerful guitarist Graeme Taylor that hinged around Tams' uplifting singing and insightful songs. Home Service was one of the seminal folk-rock bands of the 80's, breathing new life into a genre that had dimmed since its 70's heyday. An Introduction to opens with two tracks from the group's classic third album, Alright Jack, released in 1986. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis work is distinguished by a voice that always carries a strong emotional charge accentuated by his intelligent and imaginative song making and his obvious sympathy with the underdog, both past and present. 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After two collaborative recordings with Nancy Kerr, she released her first solo album Heat, Light \u0026amp; Sound, for Topic Records in 1996, a selection of traditional songs, two of which open this new selection of her work which is drawn entirely from her solo recordings for the label and closing with a track from 2017's Big Machine album. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo describe Eliza Carthy as prolific simply doesn't do justice to her tireless touring and recording which aside from her solo work includes recordings with parents Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson in Waterson:Carthy, and acclaimed albums with each of them (The Gift and The Moral of the Elephant), plus the Imagined Village and countless others, most recently teaming up Tim Ericksen and with fellow fiddlers Bella Hardy, Lucy Farrell and Kate Young. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn Introduction To Eliza Carthy may be a mere snapshot of Eliza Carthy's cram-packed career, focussing as it does on her individual recordings for Topic, but it certainly underlines the indelible impression she has made - not just on folk music - but on modern music per se. 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As a youngster he was surrounded by a huge repertoire of songs and stories his parents brought from Scotland when they moved, these along with their strong political views helped shape the then young Jimmie Miller.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEwan gained an interest in politics, then the theatre as he became an actor and playright with strong left-wing beliefs to his true calling as a singer, songwriter within the folk movement. The lateer change in direction came from being inspired by the work of Alan Lomax. Realising the importance of Folk music and the folk music club scene he was able to use this as a platform for his beliefs. In 1953 with Bert Lloyd, Alan Lomax and Seamus Ennis and a few others formed the Ballads and Blues Club in London which was later to become the famous Singers Club.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt was in 1956 that Ewan MacColl met Peggy Seeger and they embarked upon a life and musical partnership. 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Lal and Mike retired from the road ten years later although they continued to record individual projects and tracks like 'The Wealthy Squire' is from Lal and Norma's A True Hearted Girl LP featuring Lal's daughter Maria who also sings on Mike's self-titled debut album, represented here by the track 'The Light Dragoon'.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topic","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50471549501771,"sku":"1031215","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/7018f634-fef2-4a1d-b030-c790e246ba55_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727407172"},{"product_id":"an-introduction-to-dick-gaughan","title":"An Introduction To Dick Gaughan","description":"\u003cp\u003eDescribed by The Scotsman as \"One of the most powerful, passionate, accomplished and singular talents to have emerged from post-war Scotland,\" Dick Gaughan's work has been consistently innovative and challenging both in message and form. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA professional musician and singer since January 1970, Gaughan started out on the Edinburgh folk scene with a deep belief in the socialist commitment of traditional song and made the first of his two solo albums - No More Forever - for Bill Leader's Trailer label in 1971. He joined the Boys of the Lough (with Aly Bain) during 1972 and plays on their self-titled debut album. Bonnie Woodha on this selection features Gaughan singing with the group in 1975. By then he had formed the renowned Scottish electric folk band Five Hand Reel. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBetween 1975 and 1978 Gaughan's working life was frenzied. As well as making three albums with Five Hand Reel, he recorded two of the three Topic albums featured here, the all-instrumental Coppers and Brass in 1975 and Gaughan in 1978. One of the songs here from Gaughan, Dominic Behan's Crooked Jack is a fine example of his innovative electric guitar playing. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGaughan's final album for Topic appeared in 1981 and was the first he recorded in Scotland; it's his most successful album in terms of both acclaim and sales. 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Between them, they have three prestigious Mercury Prize nominations, an MBE each for services to English music and have both been presented with BBC Folk Singer of the Year awards, as well as innumerable other accolades. Eliza recently embarked on her most ambitious project yet by recording and touring with the 12 piece Wayward Band, a 12-piece. The resulting album, \u003ci\u003eBig Machine,\u003c\/i\u003e garnered both acclaim and more Radio 2 Folk Awards nominatiions in 2018 (‘Best Group’ and ‘Best Album’). Although they have recorded independently and together on many occasions over the years, \u003ci\u003eGift\u003c\/i\u003e (2010) was Norma and Eliza's first duo release, produced by Eliza. The album went on to pick up Best Album and Best Traditional Track at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. The remarkable new album, \u003ci\u003eAnchor,\u003c\/i\u003e produced by Neill MacColl and Kate St. John, was recorded in their English home town of Robin Hood’s Bay and features an eclectic and beguiling collection of both traditional and contemporary songs. Amongst the 11 tracks we find Norma leading on Tom Waits’ \u003ci\u003eStrange Weather \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Beast in Me\u003c\/i\u003e by Nick Lowe. 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The band were first heard on record in 1964 on the Topic anthology New Voices, followed by the classic Frost and Fire LP, a calendar of Ritual and Magical songs in 1965. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis new Topic Records release, An Introduction to Norma Waterson draws entirely from her distinguished Topic career. It opens with 'Seven Virgins' from Frost \u0026amp; Fire, The Watersons' spellbinding debut album proper. The folk scene was largely underground in 1965 and the idea of preserving traditional song had become something of a mission for some performers but there was nothing academic about The Watersons approach to the forgotten songs they unearthed and revived. It was vibrant and fun and The Watersons sounded like nobody else. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe same might be said of any of the selections presented here, all essentially family affairs where the predominant voice is Norma's. 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Both gatefold double vinyl and double CD feature deluxe, silver foil blocked, debossed artwork.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIncludes newly recorded, never-before-released tracks by Martin Simpson, Richard Thompson, Lankum, Peggy Seeger, John Smith, Sam Lee, Martin Carthy, Olivia Chaney, Lisa O’Neill, Oysterband, Nancy Kerr, Chris Wood, Josienne Clarke \u0026amp; Ben Walker, Lisa Knapp, Kitty Macfarlane, Sam Kelly \u0026amp; The Lost Boys, Emily Portman \u0026amp; Rob Harbron, Rachael McShane \u0026amp; The Cartographers, Eliza Carthy \u0026amp; Olivia Chaney and The Oldham Tinkers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCD\/LP 1: Beaulampkin - Martin Simpson \/ Jack Frost - Peggy Seeger \/ She Moves Through The Fair - John Smith \/ The Banks Of Sweet Primeroses -Josienne Clark \u0026amp; Ben Walker \/ Seven Gypsies - Oysterband \/ Searching For Lambs - Nancy Kerr \/ The Deserter - Sam Lee \/ Go Your Way - Kitty Macfarlane\/ As I Roved Out - Lisa O’Neill \/ Fable Of The Wings - Chris Wood\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCD\/LP 2: Dirty Old Town - The Oldham Tinkers \/ Workers’ Song - Rachael McShane \u0026amp; The Cartographers \/ The Light Bob’s Lassie - Richard Thompson \/Polly Vaughan - Olivia Chaney \/ Napoleon’s Dream - Martin Carthy \/ I Wish MyLove Was A Cherry - Lisa Knapp \/ Shawnee Town - Sam Kelly \u0026amp; The Lost Boys \/ Bay Of Biscay - Emily Portman \u0026amp; Rob Harbron \/ Nancy Of Yarmouth - Eliza Carthy \u0026amp; Olivia Chaney \/ The Sea Captain - Lankum\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topic","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50472084209995,"sku":"1063996","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50472084373835,"sku":"1063995","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/882716a6-2cba-4be1-a27b-e9d5e0c45165_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727418486"},{"product_id":"an-introduction-to-nic-jones","title":"An Introduction To Nic Jones","description":"\u003cp\u003eDefinitive 12 track entry point to classic English folk singer, fingerstyle guitarist and fiddle player includes two exclusive, previously unreleased 2013 studio tracks; extensive sleeve notes by Colin Irwin (Folk Roots, The Guardian) and an introduction by Nic himself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot only is Nic Jones credited with a fine body of solo work and being the inspiration for countless bedroom guitarists to attempt his indefinable style, he’s also won awards galore and played alongside the likes of June Tabor,Martin Carthy, Richard and Linda Thompson, Peter Bellamy and Shirley Collins, to name but a few. 1980 saw the release of his classic Topic Records album, \u003ci\u003ePenguin Eggs\u003c\/i\u003e but less than two years later, a disastrous car crash left him with virtually every bone in his body broken. 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The passage of the years has done little to erode its magisterial strength and potency as a milestone within traditional music - one that quickly established Dick Gaughan as one of the most passionate and fiercely political British folk singers. Greatly inspired by the political turmoil in Scotland following the Conservative Party victory at the 1979 general election, the album was also Gaughan’s first after spending several years largely avoiding playing music while regaining his health following a mental breakdown in 1979. 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Between 1955 and 1978 she recorded for the Folkways, Argo, Harvest and Topic labels. After the release of ‘For As Many As Will’ in 1978 she withdrew from performing and the music world after developing dysphonia. 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The concept for \u003ci\u003eSea Song Sessions\u003c\/i\u003e came to them in 2021, when they were asked to prepare an evening of sea-related songs for the Folkestone Festival. Boden's celebrated work with Bellowhead (of course no strangers to sea-faring songs) and Ben Nicholls' band, Kings of The South Seas (who play exclusively maritime-influenced music), formed the natural foundation and inspiration for these acclaimed musicians to conceive the \u003ci\u003eSea Song Sessions\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRecorded live with seasoned veteran Ben Hillier (Blur, Depeche Mode, Elbow) over two days, they sought to harness the immediacy of the studio and utilise his experience across other genres to bring a deeper complexity to the production of these tracks. The performances were tracked at Agricultural Audio, Hillier's own studio in the Sussex Downs built inside a giant farm building using hay bales. 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Once described by Elvis Costello as “The great voice of English folk music,” Tabor has not only amassed some 13 solo albums since 1976 but numerous notable collaborations –including with Steeleye Span’s Maddy Prior (as the Silly Sisters) and more recently, Oysterband (their 2011 ‘Ragged Kingdom’ is one of Topic Records’ biggest selling albums).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Airs \u0026amp; Graces’ introduced one of the all-time great British singers with a predominantly traditional collection of songs ranging from Child Ballads (“Bonny May”, “Young Waters” , “Waly Waly”) to the classic ballads (“Reyandine” and “The Plains of Waterloo”) and Eric Bogle’s monumental anti - war song “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda”. The guitar accompaniments by another great folk performer of the time, Nic Jones, are intricate and whollysympathetic to the songs and June’s vocals. ‘Airs \u0026amp; Graces’ was greeted by rave reviews firmly establishing June Tabor as a force to be reckoned with. 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Rachael's first solo album 'No Man's Fool' was released on Navigator Records in 2009 though she has more recently been singing the role of Susannah Holmes in an acclaimed new adaptation of The Transports alongside The Young'uns, Faustus, Nancy Kerr, Greg Russell and Matthew Crampton. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRachael McShane \u0026amp; The Cartographers are a brand new signing to Topic Records, the oldest independent label in the world, on the eve of its 80th anniversary.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ehttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9hq3JgMbU7U\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Topic","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50860504351051,"sku":"1041670","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/d9ba3cd2-b48e-4be5-8e78-8bef87e32463_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1732022089"},{"product_id":"prodigal-son","title":"Prodigal Son","description":"\u003cp\u003eConsidered by many in the folk world as one of Martin Simpsons finest albums, Topic are proud to present here in their 80th year the first release on the Topic Treasures imprint, deluxe issues of classic Topic albums from the label. This release is the classic album in all its glory along with a bonus disc of live tracks hand-picked by Martin Simpson himself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOriginally released in 2007, Prodigal Son was hailed a classic, receiving 4- and 5-star reviews in such publications as The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Daily Express and Observer while Folk publications such as fRoots raved about its wonderment!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTracks like ‘Duncan \u0026amp; Brady’ an American ballad originally recorded by Lead Belly and ‘Good Morning Mr. Railroad Man clearly indicate Martin Simpson’s love for traditional American roots music and the wonderful Randy Newman track ‘Louisiana 1927’ delve into historical event territory.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne of the stand out tracks if there is such a thing on this album of quality is ‘Never Any Good’ a song about Father and Son relationship. 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In 1962, she became part of the Centre 42 tour, a leftist group of artists, writers, actors, and musicians aiming to make arts and culture accessible to the masses. Ewan MacColl first heard Briggs’ remarkable voice and persuaded her to join the group and tour. There, Briggs met MacColl’s comrade A.L. ‘Bert’ Lloyd, who became her mentor. The Hazards Of Love, Briggs' debut EP, was produced by Lloyd. Lloyd also recorded Briggs for Topic released albums The Iron Muse and The Bird In The Bush.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1971, \u003cstrong\u003eAnne Briggs\u003c\/strong\u003e recorded her debut full-length album simply named \u003cem\u003eAnne Briggs\u003c\/em\u003e with Johnny Moynihan of Sweeny’s Men. 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A multi-award winning singer, songwriter and musician from a formidable English musical dynasty - her mother, Norma was one of The Watersons, whose tight harmony arrangements of traditional songs became one of the defining sounds of the 1960s folk revival. Her father, Martin Carthy, is a hugely significant singer and guitarist, who influenced the likes of Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. Describing herself simply as a “modern English musician”, Eliza Carthy, herself, is one of the most recognisable faces of the English folk revival. Launching head-on into the scene in the early 90s, she quickly became one of its great innovators. 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