Kate Rusby
Encyclopedia
Kate Anna Rusby is an English
folk singer and songwriter from Penistone
, South Yorkshire
. Sometimes known as The Barnsley Nightingale, she has headlined various British
national folk festivals, and is regarded as one of the most famous English folk singers of contemporary times. In 2001 The Guardian
described her as "a superstar of the British acoustic scene." In 2007 the BBC website described her as "The first lady of young folkies". She is one of the few folk singers to have been nominated for the Mercury Prize
.
, England
. After learning to play the guitar, the fiddle, and the piano, as well as to sing, she played in many local folk festivals as a child and adolescent, before joining (and becoming the lead vocalist of) the all-female Celtic folk band The Poozies
. Her break-through album came in 1995. A collaboration with her friend and fellow Barnsley folk singer Kathryn Roberts
was simply titled Kate Rusby & Kathryn Roberts. In 1997, with the help of her family, she recorded and released her first solo album, Hourglass. Since then she has gone on to receive acclaim in her home country and abroad, and her family continues to help her with all aspects of her professional career.
Rusby was also a member of the folk group Equation, later to be replaced by Cara Dillon
. The early line-up also featured Rusby's erstwhile performing partner Kathryn Roberts
and Mercury-nominated artist Seth Lakeman
. Their demo CD, In Session, had a small commercial release.
The previously unreleased song "Wandering Soul" was Rusby's contribution to the soundtrack for Billy Connolly's World Tour of New Zealand
, an eight-part BBC television documentary series originally broadcast in November 2004.
A collaboration with Ronan Keating
saw Rusby riding high in the UK Singles Chart
; their duet "All Over Again" peaked at #6 in June 2006. She also made a vocal contribution to the successful debut solo album of Roddy Woomble
, the lead singer of Idlewild
. In the same year her cover
of The Kinks
' "The Village Green Preservation Society" was used as the theme tune to the BBC One
television sitcom Jam & Jerusalem. Rusby has written several new songs for the latest series of Jam & Jerusalem, and is credited as responsible for the show's music.
Launched at the 2007 Cambridge Folk Festival
, the album Awkward Annie
was released on 3 September 2007. "The Village Green Preservation Society" is included as a bonus track.
2008 saw the release of Sweet Bells, an album of traditional Christmas songs interpreted by Rusby.
(formerly of the Battlefield Band
), who produced most of her recordings up to The Girl Who Couldn't Fly
. They have since divorced.
Rusby lives with her husband Damien O'Kane
and her dog Doris, herself a mainstay feature of Rusby's banter during gigs and appearing on her merchandise. Their first child, a daughter, was born on 15 September 2009.
Kate and Damien were married on 12 June 2010.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
folk singer and songwriter from Penistone
Penistone
Penistone is a small town market town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, in South Yorkshire, England, with a population of 10,101 at the 2001 census. It lies west of the town of Barnsley and north east of Glossop, in the foothills of the Pennines...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
. Sometimes known as The Barnsley Nightingale, she has headlined various British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
national folk festivals, and is regarded as one of the most famous English folk singers of contemporary times. In 2001 The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
described her as "a superstar of the British acoustic scene." In 2007 the BBC website described her as "The first lady of young folkies". She is one of the few folk singers to have been nominated for the Mercury Prize
Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British...
.
Career
Rusby was born into a family of musicians in 1973 in SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. After learning to play the guitar, the fiddle, and the piano, as well as to sing, she played in many local folk festivals as a child and adolescent, before joining (and becoming the lead vocalist of) the all-female Celtic folk band The Poozies
The Poozies
The Poozies are an all-women band that produce folk music from the English and Scottish traditions. The band perform traditional and self-composed material. Contemporary songs written by Sally Barker also feature heavily in the current live set...
. Her break-through album came in 1995. A collaboration with her friend and fellow Barnsley folk singer Kathryn Roberts
Kathryn Roberts
Kathryn Roberts is an English folk singer, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire.Her first released recordings were on the album Intuition, a collection of songs by various South Yorkshire folk artists which also included her friend Kate Rusby...
was simply titled Kate Rusby & Kathryn Roberts. In 1997, with the help of her family, she recorded and released her first solo album, Hourglass. Since then she has gone on to receive acclaim in her home country and abroad, and her family continues to help her with all aspects of her professional career.
Rusby was also a member of the folk group Equation, later to be replaced by Cara Dillon
Cara Dillon
Cara Dillon is an Irish folk singer. In 2001, she launched her career as a solo artist in the UK with the eponymous Cara Dillon album...
. The early line-up also featured Rusby's erstwhile performing partner Kathryn Roberts
Kathryn Roberts
Kathryn Roberts is an English folk singer, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire.Her first released recordings were on the album Intuition, a collection of songs by various South Yorkshire folk artists which also included her friend Kate Rusby...
and Mercury-nominated artist Seth Lakeman
Seth Lakeman
Seth Bernard Lakeman is an English folk singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, who is most often associated with the fiddle and tenor guitar, but has also mastered the viola and banjo...
. Their demo CD, In Session, had a small commercial release.
The previously unreleased song "Wandering Soul" was Rusby's contribution to the soundtrack for Billy Connolly's World Tour of New Zealand
Billy Connolly's World Tour of New Zealand
Billy Connolly's World Tour of New Zealand is the fourth, and currently last, of Billy Connolly's decade-spanning ‘world tours’ that follow the comedian on his various travels across the globe...
, an eight-part BBC television documentary series originally broadcast in November 2004.
Ronan Keating
Ronan Patrick John Keating is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and...
saw Rusby riding high in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
; their duet "All Over Again" peaked at #6 in June 2006. She also made a vocal contribution to the successful debut solo album of Roddy Woomble
Roddy Woomble
Roderick "Roddy" Woomble is the lead singer of Scottish rock band, Idlewild and a solo contemporary folk musician. To date, Woomble has released six full-length studio albums with Idlewild, and two solo albums, My Secret is My Silence and The Impossible Song & Other Songs...
, the lead singer of Idlewild
Idlewild (band)
Idlewild are a Scottish rock band, formed in Edinburgh, in 1995, comprising Roddy Woomble , Rod Jones , Colin Newton , Allan Stewart and Gareth Russell...
. In the same year her cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
' "The Village Green Preservation Society" was used as the theme tune to the BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
television sitcom Jam & Jerusalem. Rusby has written several new songs for the latest series of Jam & Jerusalem, and is credited as responsible for the show's music.
Launched at the 2007 Cambridge Folk Festival
Cambridge Folk Festival
The Cambridge Folk Festival is an annual music festival held on the site of Cherry Hinton Hall in Cherry Hinton, one of the villages subsumed by the city of Cambridge, England. The festival is renowned for its eclectic mix of music and a wide definition of what might be considered folk. It occurs...
, the album Awkward Annie
Awkward Annie
Awkward Annie is the seventh studio album by English contemporary folk musician Kate Rusby, released on 3 September 2007 on Pure Records. The album is the first to be produced by Rusby herself, following her split with husband and producer John McCusker....
was released on 3 September 2007. "The Village Green Preservation Society" is included as a bonus track.
2008 saw the release of Sweet Bells, an album of traditional Christmas songs interpreted by Rusby.
Personal life
In August 2001, Rusby married Scottish fiddler and fellow band member John McCuskerJohn McCusker
John McCusker is a Scottish folk musician, record producer and composer. An accomplished fiddle player, he had a long association as a member of the Battlefield Band beginning in the 1990s and was later a band member and producer for folk singer Kate Rusby...
(formerly of the Battlefield Band
Battlefield Band
Battlefield Band is a Scottish traditional music group. Founded in Glasgow in 1969, they have released over 30 albums and undergone many changes of lineup. As of 2010, there are no founder members in the band....
), who produced most of her recordings up to The Girl Who Couldn't Fly
The Girl Who Couldn't Fly
The Girl Who Couldn't Fly is an album by British folk musician Kate Rusby, released in 2005. The title refers to Rusby's fear of flying.The album cover features a painting by former Blur guitarist Graham Coxon.-Track listing:...
. They have since divorced.
Rusby lives with her husband Damien O'Kane
Damien O'Kane
Damien O'Kane was born in Coleraine, Northern Ireland on 9 January 1978.He currently lives in Yorkshire with his wife Kate Rusby and their daughter Daisy Delia.-Career:...
and her dog Doris, herself a mainstay feature of Rusby's banter during gigs and appearing on her merchandise. Their first child, a daughter, was born on 15 September 2009.
Kate and Damien were married on 12 June 2010.
Solo albums
- HourglassHourglass (Kate Rusby album)Hourglass is the debut studio album by English contermporary folk musician Kate Rusby, released on March 1, 1997, on Pure Records.-Track listing:#"Sir Eglamore" #"As I Roved Out" #"Jolly Ploughboys" #"Annan Waters"...
(1997) - SleeplessSleepless (Kate Rusby album)Sleepless is an album by English folk musician Kate Rusby, released in 1999. It was nominated for the Mercury Prize the same year.-Track listing:#"The Cobbler's Daughter"#"I Wonder What is keeping my True Love This Night"#"The Fairest of all Yarrow"...
(1999) - Little LightsLittle LightsLittle Lights is an album by British folk musician Kate Rusby, released in 2001.-Track listing:All songs by Kate Rusby unless otherwise stated.#"Playing of Ball" – 3:31#"I Courted a Sailor" – 3:58...
(2001) - 1010 (Kate Rusby album)-Personnel:*Kate Rusby *Lester Simpson, Davy Steele *Ian Carr, John Doyle, Malcolm Stitt *John McCusker *Alison Brown, Andy Seward *Jackie Wells...
(2002) - HeartlandsHeartlands (Kate Rusby album)Heartlands is an album by British folk musicians Kate Rusby and John McCusker, released in 2003. It was the soundtrack to the film Heartlands.-Track listing:#Colin's Farewell #Sweet Bride #Weeping Crisps...
(2003) - Underneath the StarsUnderneath the Stars (album)Underneath the Stars is the fourth studio album by English folk musician Kate Rusby, released on August 11, 2003 on Pure Records.In a 2007 interview, Rusby noted that "The Blind Harper", which appears on this album, is her favourite traditional song....
(2003) - The Girl Who Couldn't FlyThe Girl Who Couldn't FlyThe Girl Who Couldn't Fly is an album by British folk musician Kate Rusby, released in 2005. The title refers to Rusby's fear of flying.The album cover features a painting by former Blur guitarist Graham Coxon.-Track listing:...
(2005) - Awkward AnnieAwkward AnnieAwkward Annie is the seventh studio album by English contemporary folk musician Kate Rusby, released on 3 September 2007 on Pure Records. The album is the first to be produced by Rusby herself, following her split with husband and producer John McCusker....
(2007) #2 UK Indie - Sweet BellsSweet BellsSweet Bells is a Christmas album by English contemporary folk musician Kate Rusby, released on December 15, 2008 on Pure Records.The album was re-released on November 9, 2009 featuring new cover artwork by Marie Mills....
(2008) - Make the LightMake the Light-Track listing:All songs written by Kate Rusby.#"The Wishing Wife"#"The Mocking Bird"#"Let Them Fly"#"Only Hope"#"Lately"#"Shout to the Devil"#"Green Fields"#"Fair Weather Friend"#"Walk the Road"#"Not Me"#"Four Stars"-Musicians:...
(2010) - While Mortals Sleep (2011)
BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards
- 2000: Folk Singer of the Year – winner
- 2000: Best Album: SleeplessSleepless (Kate Rusby album)Sleepless is an album by English folk musician Kate Rusby, released in 1999. It was nominated for the Mercury Prize the same year.-Track listing:#"The Cobbler's Daughter"#"I Wonder What is keeping my True Love This Night"#"The Fairest of all Yarrow"...
– winner - 2002: Best Original Song: "Who Will Sing Me Lullabies" – winner
- 2006: Best Original Song: "No Names" (with Roddy WoombleRoddy WoombleRoderick "Roddy" Woomble is the lead singer of Scottish rock band, Idlewild and a solo contemporary folk musician. To date, Woomble has released six full-length studio albums with Idlewild, and two solo albums, My Secret is My Silence and The Impossible Song & Other Songs...
from IdlewildIdlewild (band)Idlewild are a Scottish rock band, formed in Edinburgh, in 1995, comprising Roddy Woomble , Rod Jones , Colin Newton , Allan Stewart and Gareth Russell...
) – nominated - 2006: Best Album: The Girl Who Couldn't FlyThe Girl Who Couldn't FlyThe Girl Who Couldn't Fly is an album by British folk musician Kate Rusby, released in 2005. The title refers to Rusby's fear of flying.The album cover features a painting by former Blur guitarist Graham Coxon.-Track listing:...
– nominated - 2006: Best Live Act – winner
Quotation
External links
- Artists: Kate Rusby PureRecords.net
- BBC Music Biography BBC.co.uk