Nancy Kerr
Encyclopedia
Nancy Kerr is an English folk musician, specialising in the fiddle
and singing
. She is the daughter of London-born singer-songwriter Sandra Kerr
and Northumbrian piper Ron Elliott.
Kerr came to prominence in the early 1990s via a musical partnership with fellow fiddle player Eliza Carthy
. The duo produced two albums - Eliza Carthy & Nancy Kerr (1993) and Shape of Scrape (1995) - before ceasing to work together. A retrospective collection of their work (plus three previously unreleased tracks) - On Reflection - was released in 2002.
Kerr and her mother released an album together - Neat and Complete - in 1996.
Since 1995 Kerr has mostly worked in a duo with Australian bouzouki
player and singer James Fagan
, whom she married in 2007. The duo won the Horizon Award at the inaugural BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards
in 2000, and Best Duo at the same awards in both 2003 and 2011
Between 1997 and 2008 they released six albums on the Fellside label - "Starry Gazy Pie" (1997), "Scalene" (with Sandra Kerr) (1998), "Steely Water" (1999), "Between The Dark and Light" (2002), "Strands of Gold" (2006)and "Station House" (with Robert Harbron) (2008). 2010 saw the production their first completely original collection of songs - "Twice Reflected Sun", released 9 August 2010 on Navigator Records (NAV0041). First track of the album, Queen of Waters, was nominated for the Best Original Song category at the BBC Folk Awards in 2011.
In 2008 the duo joined forces with concertina player Robert Harbron to form the trio Kerr Fagan Harbron, recording and touring the album Station House (Fellside CD 211).
Kerr has also worked with folk/pop group Epona, Australian folk family band The Fagans and the Tim van Eyken
band, amongst others.
)
1994: Waterson:Carthy (with Waterson:Carthy
)
1995: Shape of Scrape (with Eliza Carthy)
1995: Evolving Tradition 1 (with Kings of Calicut)
1996: Neat and Complete (with Sandra Kerr
)
1996: Shine Again (with Epona)
1996: Evolving Tradition 2 (with Kings of Calicut)
1997: Starry Gazy Pie (with James Fagan
)
1998: Scalene (with Sandra Kerr)
1999: Steely Water (with James Fagan)
2000: Five Little Frogs (with Sandra Kerr, Leon Rosselson
, and Kevin Graal)
2000: Five Little Owls (with Sandra Kerr, Leon Rosselson, and Kevin Graal)
2002: Between The Dark and Light (with James Fagan)
2002: On Reflection (with Eliza Carthy)
2004: Evolving Tradition 4: Generations (with Sandra Kerr)
2004: Turning Fine (with The Fagans)
2005: Kind Letters (with Martin Simpson
)
2006: Strands of Gold (with James Fagan)
2006: Stiffs, Lovers, Holymen, Thieves (with Tim van Eyken
band)
2008: Station House (with James Fagan and Robert Harbron
2009: Milk and Honey Land (with The Fagans)
2010: Twice Reflected Sun (with James Fagan)
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
and singing
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
. She is the daughter of London-born singer-songwriter Sandra Kerr
Sandra Kerr
Sandra Kerr is an English folk singer.Sandra Kerr was born in Plaistow, Newham, London. She was a member of The Critics Group from 1963 to 1972.She sings and plays English concertina, guitar, appalachian dulcimer and autoharp....
and Northumbrian piper Ron Elliott.
Kerr came to prominence in the early 1990s via a musical partnership with fellow fiddle player Eliza Carthy
Eliza Carthy
Eliza Carthy is an English folk musician known for both singing and playing fiddle. She is the daughter of English folk musicians singer/guitarist Martin Carthy and singer Norma Waterson.-Life and career:...
. The duo produced two albums - Eliza Carthy & Nancy Kerr (1993) and Shape of Scrape (1995) - before ceasing to work together. A retrospective collection of their work (plus three previously unreleased tracks) - On Reflection - was released in 2002.
Kerr and her mother released an album together - Neat and Complete - in 1996.
Since 1995 Kerr has mostly worked in a duo with Australian bouzouki
Bouzouki
The bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
player and singer James Fagan
James Fagan
James Fagan is a folk musician from Sydney, Australia. He in a singer and multi-instrumentalist specialising in the Irish bouzouki....
, whom she married in 2007. The duo won the Horizon Award at the inaugural BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards
BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards
The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards celebrate outstanding achievement during the previous year within the field of folk music. The awards have been given annually since 2000 by British radio station BBC Radio 2....
in 2000, and Best Duo at the same awards in both 2003 and 2011
Between 1997 and 2008 they released six albums on the Fellside label - "Starry Gazy Pie" (1997), "Scalene" (with Sandra Kerr) (1998), "Steely Water" (1999), "Between The Dark and Light" (2002), "Strands of Gold" (2006)and "Station House" (with Robert Harbron) (2008). 2010 saw the production their first completely original collection of songs - "Twice Reflected Sun", released 9 August 2010 on Navigator Records (NAV0041). First track of the album, Queen of Waters, was nominated for the Best Original Song category at the BBC Folk Awards in 2011.
In 2008 the duo joined forces with concertina player Robert Harbron to form the trio Kerr Fagan Harbron, recording and touring the album Station House (Fellside CD 211).
Kerr has also worked with folk/pop group Epona, Australian folk family band The Fagans and the Tim van Eyken
Tim Van Eyken
Tim van Eyken is an English guitarist and melodeon player of Belgian descent.-Biography:Van Eyken first started playing penny whistle after seeing James Galway on television. He graduated to playing for his mother, then a member of the Beetlecrushers clog dance team. There was pressure from the...
band, amongst others.
Partial discography
1993: Eliza Carthy and Nancy Kerr (with Eliza CarthyEliza Carthy
Eliza Carthy is an English folk musician known for both singing and playing fiddle. She is the daughter of English folk musicians singer/guitarist Martin Carthy and singer Norma Waterson.-Life and career:...
)
1994: Waterson:Carthy (with Waterson:Carthy
Waterson:Carthy
Waterson:Carthy are an English folk group originally comprising Norma Waterson on vocals, her husband Martin Carthy on guitar and vocals and their daughter Eliza Carthy on fiddle and vocals....
)
1995: Shape of Scrape (with Eliza Carthy)
1995: Evolving Tradition 1 (with Kings of Calicut)
1996: Neat and Complete (with Sandra Kerr
Sandra Kerr
Sandra Kerr is an English folk singer.Sandra Kerr was born in Plaistow, Newham, London. She was a member of The Critics Group from 1963 to 1972.She sings and plays English concertina, guitar, appalachian dulcimer and autoharp....
)
1996: Shine Again (with Epona)
1996: Evolving Tradition 2 (with Kings of Calicut)
1997: Starry Gazy Pie (with James Fagan
James Fagan
James Fagan is a folk musician from Sydney, Australia. He in a singer and multi-instrumentalist specialising in the Irish bouzouki....
)
1998: Scalene (with Sandra Kerr)
1999: Steely Water (with James Fagan)
2000: Five Little Frogs (with Sandra Kerr, Leon Rosselson
Leon Rosselson
Leon Rosselson is an English songwriter and writer of children's books. After his early involvement in the folk music revival in Britain, he came to prominence, singing his own satirical songs, in the BBC's topical TV programme of the early 1960s, That Was The Week That Was...
, and Kevin Graal)
2000: Five Little Owls (with Sandra Kerr, Leon Rosselson, and Kevin Graal)
2002: Between The Dark and Light (with James Fagan)
2002: On Reflection (with Eliza Carthy)
2004: Evolving Tradition 4: Generations (with Sandra Kerr)
2004: Turning Fine (with The Fagans)
2005: Kind Letters (with Martin Simpson
Martin Simpson
Martin Simpson is an English folk singer, guitarist and songwriter. His music reflects a wide variety of influences and styles, rooted in the British Isles, America and beyond.-Biography:...
)
2006: Strands of Gold (with James Fagan)
2006: Stiffs, Lovers, Holymen, Thieves (with Tim van Eyken
Tim Van Eyken
Tim van Eyken is an English guitarist and melodeon player of Belgian descent.-Biography:Van Eyken first started playing penny whistle after seeing James Galway on television. He graduated to playing for his mother, then a member of the Beetlecrushers clog dance team. There was pressure from the...
band)
2008: Station House (with James Fagan and Robert Harbron
2009: Milk and Honey Land (with The Fagans)
2010: Twice Reflected Sun (with James Fagan)