Sally Barker | |
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.jpg) Sally Barker in October 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1959-09-19)19 September 1959 (age 65) Barrow upon Soar,Leicestershire, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1980–present |
| Labels | Various |
| Website | www |
Sally Barker (born 19 September 1959)[1] is a British singer and songwriter, known for her solo work and as a founding member ofthe Poozies.[2] In 2014, she was a finalist in theBBC One talent contestThe Voice, finishing in joint second place.
Barker was born inBarrow upon Soar,Leicestershire, England.[2] Between early 1980 and summer 1982, while studying in Loughborough, she joined or formed several rock bands with fellow students. Bands included 'Manitou', 'The Chapter', 'Sally Barker and the Undergraduates' and 'Runway 5'. Most gigs were played in the Students Union building atLoughborough University, but there were some in halls of residence and one at Loughborough Town Hall. Some of these gigs were recorded and The Chapter did one recording session at thePebble Mill Studios in Birmingham.
During Barker's early career, as a singer-songwriter, she supported acts includingFairport Convention,Taj Mahal,Richard Thompson,Wishbone Ash andRoy Harper.[3] Her second release,This Rhythm Is Mine,[2] which also received a US release on Ryko's Hannibal label, marked her maturity as a songwriter.
In 1990, Barker became a founding member ofthe Poozies, an all-women folk band.[4] The line-up featured harpistsMary Macmaster andPatsy Seddon from theharp duoSileas, andKaren Tweed (accordion) who Barker met at a folk festival in Hong Kong.[2] Barker played with the Poozies until 1995, when she left just before the birth of her first child.[2]
In 1992, she recorded the song "I Misunderstood" for the CDThe World Is a Wonderful Place: The Songs of Richard Thompson. Barker also appeared on theShow of Hands 1996 albumLive at the Royal Albert Hall. Barker also provided vocals for the 1997Pete Morton CD,Courage, Love and Grace, and the 1998 Janet Russell CD,Gathering the Fragments.
In the autumn of 2006, Barker reunited with the Poozies for a series of shows. She subsequently rejoined the group permanently, the first album with this line-up beingYellow Like Sunshine, released in autumn 2009.
Starting in November 2008, Barker presented "TheJoni Mitchell Project"[5] with piano and dulcimer player Glenn Hughes (and occasionally banjo player Debbie Cassell) in which they performed an evening of Mitchell's songs. An album,Conversation: The Joni Tapes (Vol. 1) was released in August 2010 with an album launch at theEdinburgh Fringe at the Acoustic Music Centre.
In January 2014, Barker became a contestant on theBBC One talent contestThe Voice, joiningTom Jones' team after a blind audition in which she sang "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood". In the battle round on 1 March she sang "Dear Darlin'" with Talia Smith and was put through by Jones. In the first of the knock-out rounds, on 15 March, she sang "Walk On By" and in the quarter-final, on 22 March, Barker was given a fast pass to the semi-final by Jones, after singing "To Love Somebody". In the semi-final, she sang "The Whole of the Moon" and was voted through to the final. Commenting on his tearful reaction to Barker's performance, Jones said: "Sally it’s lovely to hear you sing. You move me and that’s what happened at auditions. It was so beautiful I couldn’t help myself."[6]
In the final, on 5 April 2014, Barker sang Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides, Now" and duetted with Tom Jones on "Walking in Memphis". Having escaped elimination she reached the final three and sang "Dear Darlin'" again as her final song, but was a runner-up toJermain Jackman.
In September 2014, Barker announced a British tour between September and December 2014.[7]
In 2015, Barker joined the three surviving members of the folk-rock bandFotheringay for six tour dates in the UK and, in 2016, provided backing vocals on a new album byBrooks Williams entitledMy Turn Now. She also embarked on a solo tour, which concluded in November 2016.
In 2017, she supportedFairport Convention on their Win-tour 2017 tour.[8]
Barker has two sons, Ben and Dillon.[9] Her husband, Chris Wakeford, died in 2003.[10]
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