BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2007 - Best Duo

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Folk guitarist and singer Martin Carthy and virtuoso violin player Dave Swarbrick first became heroes of the British folk scene when they worked as an acoustic duo back in the 1960s, before Swarbrick went off to join the finest line-up of the hugely influential Fairport Convention. 

There followed a period of ill health for Swarbrick, with a celebrated moment in 1999 when the Daily Telegraph ran a very premature obituary while Dave was ill in the hospital. With his usual good humour, Dave retorted, "It's not the first time I have died in Coventry." 

In fact, he recovered, rekindled the relationship with Martin Carthy and, in 2007, they went on to win Best Duo in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. 

When Martin Carthy broke onto the emerging folk scene in the early 1960s, he influenced many like minded musicians including Bob Dylan and Paul Simon (who recorded Scarborough Fair after hearing Martin's version). After meeting Swarbrick, the pair went on to record albums that have become classics in the English folk genre. Over time, Carthy decided to 'go electric' too as he joined Steeleye Span - one of the most poplar bands in the English folk-rock category. Among other awards, he has twice won Folk Singer of the Year at the BBC awards. 

"The super-duo are back together after 14 years.” 
Robin Denselow, The Guardian

“For four decades, Martin Carthy's work has immeasurably enriched the British folk heritage. He is regarded as one of the finest singers and interpreters of traditional music of the British Isles, as well as a highly influential and much-imitated guitarist. Awarded the MBE for services to English folk music in 1998, his drive and enthusiasm are undiminished and he continues to be one of folk music's great innovators “ BBC website

“Tthe intensity of Swarb's fiddling ensures that sparks fly, its very occasional wheeziness only adding to the essence of spontaneity and conveying the total conviction in his music-making” NetRhythms

Special support for this show is provided by Lisa Knapp, whose album, The Blacksmith, was MOJO magazine's 2007 Folk album of the year. Her fresh approach to traditional music is building her a strong reputation on the UK folk scene; her modern re-workings of folk songs, alongside her own writing, appeal to both traditionalists and newcomers to folk.