PROFILES

All My Trials

All My Trials is a collaboration led by Joe Hillman (vocals & guitar) and Michael Matthews (bass).  Their 14-year musical relationship has spawned indie-folk songs and gentle ballads telling tall tales about rivers and seas, horses and butterflies, smuggling and poorly-designed civil engineering projects… 

Bill Pipe

Singer-songwriter and photographer. Originally from South Essex, came to Suffolk via Derbyshire and North Essex. Came back to guitar in his 40s and plays a set containing thoughtful, tongue in cheek originals and eclectic covers, not quite blues, not quite folk and not quite pop

Cambridge and Walker

The folk duo Cambridge and Walker came together in the summer of 2016 after sharing the stage and numerous discussions about music at the Blackfen Folk Club, Cambridge. Since then, Cambridge and Walker have become a familiar name in folk clubs and events in the East of England.

Chris Bullen

Chris began his career as a recording engineer and went on to compose and produce soundtracks for video and film. He continues to write music and perform in rock and folk bands.

Chris Fox

A genre defying Folk troubadour Chris made rapid progress through the UK folk and roots scene with his song writing, utilising a variety of styles across the roots lexicon of traditional & contemporary folk, Americana, Country and Blues. 

Chris Hart

Well known lead guitarist with local folk rockers “The Bounty Hounds” who perform “rocked up” versions of folk classics , and traditional songs .

Chris Hoddy

Chris's songs tell a story - a time, a place, a person or an event. If you can add a bit of melody maybe it can stick in the mind!

Claudia Myatt

Claudia Myatt is an illustrator, writer and sketchbook traveller with a passion for all things maritime. She plays autoharp and took up the Celtic harp as a lockdown project.

Dave Mason

For almost four decades now, Dave has written and performed his songs – telling stories of places he has lived and visited, venues where he has sung, people he has met and people he has lost, love and hate, hope and sorrow, the seasons, life and death.

Dave Smith

I am a singer / songwriter based in South Lincolnshire in England.

I’ve played guitars and sung since I was fifteen years old and I’ve played in pop bands , rock bands , folk bands , country bands .

Eamonn Harvey

Eamonn Harvey is a semi-retired gardener domiciled in rural Suffolk.  He started his song writing journey while working as a laboured at an Agrotourism centre in Tuscany in Italy during the 90’s .

Gary Woolley

Gary has been playing the guitar and song writing since the age of 14. Early years were predominantly spent playing in bands in Leicester and Cardiff, but after moving to Salisbury he rekindled his teenage love of the American, Canadian and British singer songwriters.

Gerd Wagner

Gerd writes songs and poetry about observations and objects, and to capture what did and did not happen in his life. 

Helen Woodbridge

Bringing passion and flair to music you can dance, listen, laugh and cry to, Helen Woodbridge, otherwise known as EllY Tree, sings original, intelligent and irresistible folk songs performed with a driving rhythm and a voice that seems to “summon up the gods”.

Holly Green

Holly Green is known on the folk scene as a captivating performer and a singer of stories.   She is a songwriter and storyteller who morphs between live music, storytelling and poetry. Holly’s heartfelt lyrics woven together in memorable tunes are sung with a voice that is warm, ethereal and passionate.

Jim Tipler

I’ve been involved with music and bands from a teenager. Up until about 6 years ago, was in the Cajun Dawgs - a band with my brother, with whom I shared songwriting duties.

Les Ray

Les is the songwriter for Red Velvet, the band that he formed with Deirdre Murphy back in 2011.

Lizzy Hardingham

Lizzy won the competition in 2019.  Indomitable folk musician and ornate songstress, Lizzy Hardingham, is paving her way as a powerhouse performer with "beautifully delivered songs that sing straight to the heart".

Mark Ashworth

Mark sings songs both traditional and contemporary, including some of his own compositions, accompanying himself on guitar and bouzouki/octave mandolin, in a folk/roots-based style.  He is a regular performer at Maidenhead Folk Club and occasionally further afield.

Mark Watkin Price

Described as a chansonnier, Mark's act is not just ‘singer/songwriter’ but also humourist and entertainer.

Michael Hoggarth

Michael has been songwriting and performing his own material since the early 1970's both in folk clubs and open mic nights.

At the grand old age of 74 this is his first attempt at entering a songwriting competition.

Pauline Vallance

Pauline came to songwriting relatively late in life - at the exact time she started learning the harp (about 16 years ago, if you're asking). She enjoys exploring issues and telling stories through her songs and varying the mood, from serious and thoughtful to frankly ridiculous! 

Pete Melhuish

After being in Bands at School and College in the 70’s around the London area, Pete returned to playing again in the 90’s in various Duo’s and Bands in Suffolk and Essex.

Ralph Barnett

A previous songwriting competition finalist Ralph started to compose and perform his own material about 10 years ago. His songs reflect his love of the natural environment and his interest in social history and human rights.

Robin Torbitt

Robin is a 22 year old singer/songwriter and music producer based just outside of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk.  He grew up playing in a young people’s folk group and singing in choirs so music has been a lifelong passion.

Ron Cholerton

Ron aka That Ken Skirza writes songs with Mike Hoggart in Norfolk. In 2022 he took his song 'The Beast  from Freswick Bay' to the Cromer Folk Club at Swafield for the 1st time  in 2022 for abit of fun, and has been using it ever since 'as most of the folkies seem to like it'.

Sally Ironmonger

Sally Ironmonger & Brian Carter have been writing, performing and bickering together for nearly 20 years.  They have produced 4 studio albums of songs about shipyards, prostitutes, trips to the seaside, self-deprecating amusing songs and protest anthems.

Samantha Penman

Retro Firefly is the music project of Lowestoft-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Samantha Penman. She began writing music in her early teens, frequently finding inspiration in nature and her upbringing along the Suffolk Coast.

Simon Tall

Simon is a tall, English musician and writer who has an enviable collection of admirable hats. He resides in the fair city of Norwich.

Soloman Smith

Soloman Smith writes and performs songs that are memorable and thought-provoking. His lyrics are laced with a wry intelligence and a sense of humour, and his subject matter is as broad as his musical influences.

Song Of The Folk

Songs of the Folk is a music duo formed by A.T. and Lauren Cason, originally based out of Western North Carolina, but recently relocated to Essex, England, who perform original music that incorporates folk revival and roots-based elements within an elevated art form that focuses on lyrical content, innovative harmony, and unique instrumental techniques.

Sound Tradition

Sound Tradition is an a cappella folk foursome (David, Linda, Catherine and Moose) singing in glorious harmony. Their varied repertoire ranges from lively chorus songs to lilting ballads, and from medieval times to the modern day, but always with an ear for the English folk tradition. 

Star Arkana

Star started writing songs when she was 3, and I hasn’t stopped since!! 

Steve & Julie Wigley

Julie Wigley is a prolific songwriter from Derby. Steve and Julie have recorded ten albums of her songs and they regularly perform at Folk Clubs around the country.

Steve McGrady

Steve wrote his first song aged 21 then spent many years occasionally singing and playing other people’s songs on guitar. He started to perform more frequently from 2017, but it was the 2020 lockdown that spurred his return to songwriting.

The Browns

Annie and Vernon Brown are singer-songwriters from Cromer who started singing together in 2018 after reconnecting in 2015.  They met as teenagers at a school dance but lost touch after arrangements for their first date went awry, but the intervening years have given them plenty of material for their songs.

The Gillies

Susan Turner sings and plays her tenor guitar from Half Way, Minnosta and very occasionally tenor banjo and has been co-writing with Mark (Gilly) Evans, J45 and Dobro for 10 years

The Larks

The Larks, Liz Miller and Chris Wilbraham, a duo based near Bury St Edmunds, use guitar and mandolin to compliment their voices, as they call on a wide range of influences and experiences to entertain their audiences. 

The Outsiders

Pete and Liz are a husband and wife duo who've been singing together since they first met and married in the mid 1980's. A love of song and harmony in diverse genres has always been their passion.

Tony Phillips

Tony won the competition in 2017 with ‘Rolling on’ which has gone on to become the theme tune for a national touring project looking at the state of sessions and singarounds all over the UK.