Radio 2 Folk Awards 2016 nominees announced

Accolades will be awarded in the following categories: Folk Singer of the Year, Best Duo, Best Group, Best Album, Horizon Award, Musician of the Year, Best Original Track, Best Traditional Track and BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award. The awards show will also include the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Awards - the recipients of these will be announced at a later date.

The winners will be announced at the Folk Awards ceremony on Wednesday 27 April at the Royal Albert Hall, London. The ceremony will be hosted by Mark Radcliffe and singer Julie Fowlis and tickets are available now from bbc.co.uk/radio2.

Making the announcement, Mark Radcliffe says: “‘I’m absolutely thrilled to be back at the Royal Albert Hall, which promises a huge sense of occasion for the Folk Awards.

"There will be many highlights but I can’t wait to hear The Unthanks singing in there. The nominees are a real mix of well established artists and some sparky newcomers – so the winners are very hard to predict this year, which always adds to the excitement. The album category in particular is probably the strongest for many years. Can’t wait!”

Al Booth, Editor of Specialist Music for BBC Radio 2, adds: “The Radio 2 Folk Awards is always a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the amazing talent and musicianship that exists in the folk world. The nominations really show how vibrant and exciting Folk music has been over the last 12 months. Not only does this event give us the chance to showcase some amazing acts in front of loyal folk fans, but it also allows us to introduce the music to a wider Radio 2 audience - an audience it richly deserves.”

In their 17th year, the Awards will see some of the biggest stars in music come together under one roof to celebrate the UK’s thriving folk scene.

The event will see a host of star guests and will see live performances from British singer-songwriter and multi-award-winning Joan Armatrading, Mercury Award-nominated Sam Lee, and acclaimed Northumbrian folk act The Unthanks. Other acts on the line-up will be announced at a later date.

The Awards will feature the Radio 2 Folk Awards Hall of Fame for the third year running. The Hall of Fame exists to recognise the special contribution of an individual to the world of folk music - someone whose impact and influence has had a lasting impression. This year’s inductee will be Sandy Denny - considered to be a founder of the British folk rock movement and perhaps its most important female singer, songwriter and personality.

Drivetime presenter Simon Mayo will be broadcasting a special programme live from the Royal Albert Hall (5pm-7.30pm) on the day of the awards. The interval will feature performances from the nominees for the Young Folk Award 2016.

The Folk Awards will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 2 between 7.30pm and 10pm. It will also be available to watch on BBC iPlayer and the Red Button. For more details head to bbc.co.uk/radio2.

Those in the running include:

Folk Singer of the Year
Eliza Carthy
Rhiannon Giddens
Sam Lee
Emily Portman

Best Duo
Gilmore & Roberts
Phillip Henry & Hannah Martin
Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman
Marry Waterson & David A Jaycock

Best Group
Leveret
Lynched
Stick In The Wheel
The Young’uns

Best Album
Areas of High Traffic – Damien O’Kane
Cold Old Fire – Lynched
Mount The Air – The Unthanks
Salvor – False Lights
The Long Way Home – Show of Hands

Horizon Award
Rosie Hood
Sam Kelly
Lynched
The Rheingans Sisters

Musician of the Year
Ross Ainslie
Andy Cutting
Richard Thompson
Dan Walsh

Best Original Track
Mackerel by The Rheingans Sisters
Sing Me Into Your Tune by Marry Waterson & David A Jaycock
Sweet Thames Flow Softly by Rufus & Martha Wainwright
The Vapourer by Spiro

Best Traditional Track
Lovely Molly by Sam Lee
Moliannwn by Ghazalaw
Seven Gypsies by Stick In The Wheel
The Unquiet Grave by The Furrow Collective

BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award
Causeway Trio
Brighde Chaimbeul
Jack Cookson
Benammi Swift 

AF2

Related Media Centre Links

• Radio 2 Folk Awards 2016 to be held at the Royal Albert Hall in London