BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2017

Making the announcement live on the Radio 2 Drivetime show (weekdays, 5-7pm) presented by Simon Mayo, Mark also revealed some exclusive details about this year’s event.

The annual event, being presented by Mark Radcliffe and Julie Fowlis, is one of the year’s musical highlights, with some of the biggest names in folk music celebrating the UK’s thriving folk music scene.

Last year’s event saw performances by Grammy Award and BRIT Award nominee Joan Armatrading; British singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer and film score composer, Mark Knopfler; Mercury Award nominated Sam Lee; Dublin folk band Lynched; a special tribute to Sandy Denny by Rufus Wainwright and much more. Awards were presented by a host of famous folk fans, including actors Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, Sherlock, The Office) and Matt Berry (The IT Crowd, House of Fools); musicians Richard Hawley, and Graham Coxon from Blur; War Horse author Michael Morpurgo; and 1960s star Sandie Shaw.

Lifetime achievement award for Al Stewart

Singer-songwriter Al Stewart will receive a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to folk music.

Born in Glasgow and raised in Dorset, Al started his career on the 1960s London folk scene, where he performed alongside Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Roy Harper and Richard Thompson, and shared a flat with Paul Simon. He became known for a brand of folk-rock that combined folk-rock songs with delicately woven tales of characters and events from history. By the late 1970s, Al was a star of FM radio, enjoying two huge platinum-selling singles (and albums of the same titles): Year Of The Cat and Time Passages. Al’s most recent release was the 2010 live album Uncorked with folk musician Dave Nachmanoff. During his illustrious career, he has worked with Peter White, Alan Parsons, Jimmy Page, Richard Thompson, Rick Wakeman, Francis Monkman, Tori Amos and Tim Renwick.

Woody Guthrie to be inducted into Radio 2 Folk Awards Hall of Fame

Also announced today is Woody Guthrie being inducted into the Radio 2 Folk Awards Hall of Fame. This prestigious accolade was introduced to the awards in 2014 and 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 marks 50 years since his death in 1967. Woody is an icon of folk music, who wrote some of the most enduring standards in the genre. His life and work was dedicated to supporting and documenting the rights of workers and the downtrodden. Guthrie’s songs include This Land Is Your Land, Vigilante Man, I Ain’t Got No Home In This World Anymore, Do-Re-Mi and Talking Dust Bowl Blues. In New York City during the 1940s, he founded a group called the Almanac Singers alongside future members of The Weavers including Pete Seeger and Lee Hays. Guthrie’s songs have been recorded by countless singers, from Bob Dylan to Bruce Springsteen. He was a mentor to young Bob Dylan and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. Many of Guthrie’s songs are archived in the US Library of Congress. Born in 1912, Guthrie died in 1967, aged 55.

Performances and guests

The Radio 2 Folk Awards 2017 will welcome an array of star guests and will see legendary performer Billy Bragg headlining with a tribute to folk icon Woody Guthrie. Confirmed to perform live on the night are Afro Celt Sound System – the musical group which fuses modern electronic dance music with traditional Irish and West African music. Also set to perform are Isle of Orkney group Fara. Kristan Harvey, Jeana Leslie and Catriona Price’s dynamic fiddles combine with Jennifer Austin's driving piano to produce a fiery sound rooted strongly in their upbringing. Other acts set to perform at the event will be announced at a later date.

Billy Bragg has been a brilliant and distinctive voice in British music since he emerged on the scene during the punk era. His best-known songs include Between The Wars, Sexuality and A New England, the last of which was a chart hit for Kirsty MacColl in 1983. In 2016, Billy released a duo album with American singer Joe Henry. The album is called Shine A Light: Field Recordings From The Great American Railroad and was recorded at stations and hotels on a train journey from Chicago to Los Angeles. In 1998, Nora Guthrie, daughter of the late folk legend Woody, invited Billy to set a treasure trove of his unsung lyrics to music, which he did in collaboration with US alt-rock stars Wilco – resulting with the Grammy-nominated Mermaid Avenue album.

Nominees and categories

Nominees for the Folk Award categories will be announced by Mark Radcliffe in the Radio 2 Folk Show this Wednesday (February 8).

The categories include:

• Folk Singer of the Year
• Best Duo
• Best Group
• Best Album
• Horizon Award
• Musician of the Year
• Best Original Track
• Best Traditional Track
• BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award.

The awards show will also include the presentation of Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Lewis Carnie, Head of Radio 2, says: “We are very excited that the Radio 2 Folk Awards are making a return for 2017. The Folk Awards, now in their 18th year, are a wonderful occasion for us to celebrate the huge array of talent that exists in the thriving folk music industry. Specialist music is a key part of the Radio 2 schedule and folk continues to be very popular with our audience. We are very much looking forward to sharing the evening with everyone.”

Mark Radcliffe, presenter of the Radio 2 Folk Show, says: “I know people are always saying they’re thrilled about things in press quotes…but what can I tell you? Hosting the Folk Awards at The Royal Albert Hall is genuinely thrilling. Everyone and anyone in folk will be there and there is a real sense of a big night out and a gathering of the clans. So, predictable though this quote is, I’m thrilled to be doing it”.

Programme details and tickets

Drivetime presenter Simon Mayo will be broadcasting a special programme live from the Royal Albert Hall (5-7.30pm) on the day of the awards.

The interval show, hosted by Kathryn Tickell – an acclaimed performer of the songs and smallpipes of Northumberland – will feature performances from the nominees for the Young Folk Award 2017.

Listeners will be able to watch the ceremony live on the BBC Radio 2 website with highlights of the awards being broadcast on BBC iPlayer after the event and on Red Button.

The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards will be broadcast live from 7.30-10pm on Radio 2. The Radio 2 Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe broadcasts on Wednesdays at 7pm on BBC Radio2.

Tickets for this year’s event are available now from bbc.co.uk/radio2

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