Sally Barker
b. 19 September 1959, Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, England. One of the newer generation of folk performers, Barker has a strong blues-based voice which she accompanies on guitar. Her influences are wide and varied, and include Bessie Smith, John Martyn and Aretha Franklin. She worked as half of a duo called Sally And Chris, with bass player Chris Watson performing folk-blues in pubs and clubs in the midlands. Later the duo went on to support Steeleye Span, Gordon Giltrap and Roy Harper. After a brief foray into radio and television, Barker moved to London in May 1986 and continued to work as a soloist. In 1987, she won the National Songsearch Competition and began touring in a support capacity to acts such as Fairport Convention, Taj Mahal and Roy Harper. Her first album was well received and contained cover versions of songs that had previously featured in her live act. The second release was an illustration of the on-going development of her maturing musical potential, and in 1990, she supported both Bob Dylan and Robert Plant in Germany. In December of the same year, she formed a group called the Poozies, playing a mixture of cajun, folk, blues and country. The line-up featured harpist Mary McMaster and Patsy Seddon from Sileas, Jenny Gardner (fiddle) and Karen Tweed (accordion). She continues to work both the folk clubs and festivals, but it is evident that her appeal actually goes far beyond the boundaries of folk music.