Useless Annie: March 25th 2005
Eileen Pratt and Sue Burgess have been singing together since their Gloucestershire days of 1974, but mostly as part of bigger groups, such as the highly influential Regal Slip.
So, now that both live in Yorkshire, they thought it would be fun to team up as an unaccompanied harmony duo, using an anagram of their own names - Useless Annie!
Eileen and Sue each have a long pedigree in folk music but this new partnership allows them to seekout some unusual musical gems which provide a challenge for their combined talents. However, Useless Annie’s repertoire is still firmly rooted in the tradition, bringing a fresh and exciting approach to songs and ballads both vigorous and lyrical. And they can belt out a good chorus, too! Eileen has a thrilling voice of almost classical richness, combining a Baez-like purity with her own fluid strength, while Sue’s clear and dynamic voice quality charges the blend with a distinctive edge - whether singing melody or harmony. Together, they make an impressive combination.
As well as their roles in the 4-part group, Regal Slip, each woman also has many years’ experience of singing in duos: Eileen with her husband Graham, and Sue most recently with Bob Bray.
In addition, they enjoy being members of Graham’s 70-strong Sheffield Folk Chorale.