Sam Lee (folk musician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sam Lee
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Lee at Rhythms of The World 2011
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| Background information | |
| Born | 6 July 1980 |
| Genres | Folk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Years active | 2012–present |
Sam Lee (born on July 6, 1980) is a British folk singer and expert in traditional music. He is known for finding, saving, and sharing old songs from Britain and Ireland. His first album, Ground of its Own, was nominated for the important Mercury Music Prize in 2012. Sam Lee performs with his group, Sam Lee and Friends.
Sam Lee became famous for his work with traditional music. He has spent a lot of time collecting songs, especially from Romany Gypsy and Irish Traveller communities. People have said his first album was the result of six years of deep study into traditional British folk music. His music often takes these old songs and gives them new sounds and arrangements.
Sam Lee also created and manages The Nest Collective. This group helps promote folk music by holding many events in London and other places. He often works with the English Folk Dance and Song Society. Together, they help keep traditional music safe and teach people about it through writings and classes.
Contents
Sam Lee's Story
Sam Lee grew up in North West London. He later studied art at Chelsea College of Art. In 2008, Sam met Stanley Robertson, a famous Scottish Traveller ballad singer. Stanley taught Sam many songs and became his teacher before he passed away in 2009.
Singing with Nightingales
Sam Lee became even more well-known for a special performance on BBC Radio 4. On May 19, 2014, he sang "The Tan Yard Side" while real nightingales sang along. This broadcast marked 90 years since the first time someone sang with nightingales on the radio in 1924. That first broadcast was by cellist Beatrice Harrison. It was the BBC's first live wildlife broadcast from outside a studio.
Sam's radio work continued in 2019 with two shows called "The Song Hunters" on BBC Radio 4. He also helped create "Let Nature Sing" for the RSPB. This was a collection of bird songs that even reached number 18 on the UK singles chart!
From Wilderness to Folk Music
Before becoming a folk singer, Sam Lee was an expert in wilderness survival. He even studied with famous survival expert Ray Mears. Sam explained his change in career by saying he found a different kind of "wilderness" in Britain. He saw it in places like Gypsy camps and believed that Gypsy folk songs were like "cultural nettles" that fit into any landscape. Today, Sam Lee lives and works in Dalston, London. However, he spends a lot of his time traveling around the UK to promote folk music events and collect more songs.
Sam Lee's Band
The music Sam Lee and his band play mixes old traditions with new sounds. They call this their "roots and wings" idea. It means traditional music needs new life to keep going strong. The band uses a mix of instruments to create their unique sound.
Band Instruments
Sam Lee sings and plays the Shruti box and Jew's harp. Other instruments in the band include the cello, tabla, Japanese koto, ukulele, violins, trumpet, cornet, and percussion. This mix creates a modern and interesting sound for their traditional songs.
Awards and Recognition
Sam Lee and his music have received many awards and honors.
- In 2010, his folk music club-night, The Magpies Nest, won Best Folk Club at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.
- In 2011, Sam Lee won the Arts Foundation Award. This was the first time folk music was honored in this way.
- In 2012, his first album, Ground of its Own, was nominated for the Mercury Prize Album of the Year. It also won the Album of the Year award in the 2012 fRoots Critics Poll.
- In 2013, Sam Lee was nominated for Folk Singer of the Year and Best Album for Ground of its Own at the BBC Folk Awards.
- In 2016, his album The Fade in Time won the Songlines Music Award in the Europe category.
Sam Lee and Friends were also sent by the British Arts Council to Sudan. They performed at the Khartoum International Music Festival, which was happening for the first time in 13 years. Sam not only performed his own songs but also worked with two Sudanese musicians, Omer Ihsas and Dr. Alfateh Hussain.
Music Albums
- Ground of its Own (2012)
- More For to Rise (EP, 2014)
- The Fade in Time (2015)
- Old Wow (2020)
- Songdreaming (2024)
