Sam Sweeney

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other people named Sam Sweeney, see Sam Sweeney (disambiguation).
Sam Sweeney
Sam Sweeney performing at the Warwick Folk Festival, July 2011
Sam Sweeney performing at the Warwick Folk Festival, July 2011
Background information
Birth nameSam Sweeney
Born (1989-02-27) 27 February 1989 (age 32)
Nottingham, England
GenresFolk
Occupation(s)Musician
Years active2001–present
Associated actsHannah James and Sam Sweeney, Kerfuffle, Bellowhead, Fay Hield, , Eliza Carthy
Websitewww.samsweeneymusic.com Edit this at Wikidata

Sam Sweeney (born 27 February 1989 in Nottingham) is a multi-instrumental English folk musician.

Career[]

Sweeney started playing the fiddle at age six, and first performed as a soloist at folk festivals in 2001.[1] From 2002 to 2010 Sweeney was part of the East Midlands-based folk band Kerfuffle, playing fiddle, viola, and cajon, and singing.[2] When Kerfuffle disbanded, Sam continued playing with accordion player and singer Hannah James as the duo Hannah James and Sam Sweeney.

From 2008 to 2016, Sweeney became a member of the award-winning eleven-piece folk band Bellowhead, playing fiddle and English bagpipes, he replaced former member Giles Lewin. Sam played with Bellowhead until their final gig in May 2016 at Oxford Town Hall.[3]

He has toured with Jon Boden and the Remnant Kings, playing both drums and fiddle, sometimes simultaneously.[4] He is also a member of Fay Hield's band, originally named the Fay Hield Trio but as of 2012 called Fay Hield & The Hurricane Party,[2] and took part in The Full English album and tour in 2013.

Together with Andy Cutting and Rob Harbron, he formed English folk supergroup in 2015.[5]

In 2018, he started his solo career with the album The Unfinished Violin.[6][7] Two years later in 2020, he followed it with his second album Unearth Repeat.[8]

Awards[]

Sam Sweeney with curved bow

Sweeney has won a number of awards including the 'In The Tradition' award and the 'Wiltshire Folk Association Young Folk Award', which he won for two years in succession. He was also a nominated in the 2004 BBC Young Folk Awards.[9] In 2007 he won one of five BBC Performing Arts Fund bursaries to help him start his musical career.[2] Sweeney was nominated for the 'Musician of the Year' award at the 2013 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and won this award at the 2015 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.[10] His album Unearth Repeat was voted "Album of the Year" for 2020 by Bright Young Folk readers with almost the 36% of the votes.

Discography[]

Hannah James and Sam Sweeney[]

With Kerfuffle[]

With Bellowhead[]

With Fay Hield[]

  • Looking Glass (2010)[11]
  • Orfeo (2012)[11]
  • Old Adam (2016)[11]

With Circus Envy[]

With Sam Carter[]

  • Keepsakes (2009)[11]
  • The No Testament (2012)[11]
  • How the City Sings (2016)[11]

With Rachael McShane[]

  • No Man's Fool (2010)[11]

With Louise Jordan[]

  • Born to Wander (2010)[11]

With Charlie Barker[]

  • Sleeping at the Station (2005)[11]

With Leveret[]

  • New Anything (2015)[5]
  • In the Round (2016)[5]
  • Inventions (2017)[5]
  • Diversions (2019)[5]
  • Variations Live (2020)[5]

With Eliza Carthy and the Wayward Band[]

  • Big Machine (2017)[5]

Solo[]

  • Made in the Great War (2014)
  • The Unfinished Violin (2018)[7]
  • Unearth Repeat (2020) [8]

References[]

  1. ^ Powlson, Nigel (13 February 2016). "Derbyshire folk musician and former Bellowhead member Sam Sweeney". Derbyshire Life and Countryside. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Biog". Sam Sweeney. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Band". Bellowhead. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Jon Boden and The Remnant Kings: BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2010 Folk Singer of the Year". Towersey Village Festival. Archived from the original on 22 July 2010. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Zierke, Reinhard. "Sam Sweeney". Mainly Norfolk: English Folk and other good music. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  6. ^ "Sam Sweeney". Eventseeker. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  7. ^ a b Jackson, Aaron (26 September 2018). "Sam Sweeney – The Unfinished Violin". review. Folk Radio UK. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Sam Sweeney 'Unearth Repeat' Tour comes to Stoller Hall Manchester". Visit Manchester. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  9. ^ "Sam Sweeney: Intro". Bright Young Folk. Archived from the original on 30 July 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  10. ^ "Award-winning fiddle player Sam Sweeney is back on home turf". Buxton Advertiser. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Discography". Sam Sweeney. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2021.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""