Jez Lowe: September 2nd 2005
Jez Lowe: February 22nd 2008
By the time Jez Lowe recorded his first solo album in 1980, he᾿d already spent almost a decade playing and absorbing the traditional music of his native North East England, an area rich in working-class values, with a wealth of songs and music unique to that windswept corner of the British Isles. This was to be the substance from which he would create a body of work that would make him one of the hardest working, most popular and enduring of the many singer songwriters to emerge from Britain in the last twenty years
Among those who have recorded their own versions of Lowe᾿s songs, are Fairport Convention, The Dubliners, The Tannahill Weavers, Cherish The Ladies, Gordon Bok, The McCalmans, The Black Brothers, Liam Clancy and literally hundreds of artists from as far away as Australia, Canada, and the U.S. Songs like Back in Durham Gaol, The Bergen, Black Diamond and These Coal Town Days have generated scores of cover versions, and are now classics of their kind. His songs have been taught in school classrooms, not only in his native England, but in Canada and the U.S. as well.
In 1990, Jez Lowe was joined by the first line-up of a backing group that was to accompany him, off and on, to the present day. The Bad Pennies appear half of the year in concert with Jez, while the remaining time he tours solo. Constantly travelling, to Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S., Jez Lowe thrives on the live performance, while his albums regularly feature in the lists of best sellers around the folk scene. Jez Lowe has released a dozen albums: the last three on Tantobie Records, an American label.
In 1997, the BBC commissioned Jez Lowe to write and present a 7-part radio series on the music of North East England, entitled A Song For Geordie, further establishing him as an ambassador for his native region.
He has performed at some of the most prestigious venues in the folk world with the Bad Pennies, including the Main Stage at Edmonton Festival (Canada), Tonder Festival (Denmark), The Kennedy Center (US), and the Smithsonian (US).
In 2000, Jez Lowe formed Tantobie Records (see Tantobie section for more details) with original partner Andy Smyser demonstrating Lowe᾿s strong international support and allowing Jez complete artistic control. From the early days of Tantobie a portion of profits and other resources have been earmarked for non profits. Andy Smyser retired from the company in early 2004 but the company still continues to succesfully promote Jez᾿s material worldwide. To date five CDs have been released by Tantobie all to critical and popular acclaim: Jez Lowe, Live at the Davy Lamp with the Bad Pennies, the reissues of Two A Roue and The Parish Notices, Honesty Box and in 2004, Doolally.
With 14 full length recordings to his credit, numerous tracks on compilation projects, three songbooks and a consistently full international touring calendar, Jez Lowe has proven himself as one of the busiest and most popular & respected performers on the international folk scene.
Jez Lowe᾿s website can be found at www.jezlowe.com