Lifetime Achievement Awards for Nanci Griffith and Dick Gaughan at Radio 2 Folk Awards

Nanci Griffith and Dick Gaughan – two artists who have influenced generations of musicians and music fans alike – will be presented with Lifetime Achievement Awards at BBC Radio 2’s Folk Awards on Monday 1 February 2010.

Both Griffith and Gaughan will also perform at the awards ceremony which takes place in London and celebrates the vibrant folk scene.

Grammy award-winning Texan singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith has built a worldwide reputation for her sensitive compositions since her debut album in 1978.

Dick Gaughan’s 1981 album A Handful Of Earth was voted Album of the Decade by fRoots magazine and his career includes spells with acclaimed groups Boys Of The Lough and Five Hand Reel. His songs have been interpreted by artists spanning the folk music genre, including Billy Bragg, Christy Moore, Mary Black, Roy Bailey and Capercaillie.

The Radio 2 Folk Awards also sees a special honour – the Good Tradition Award – for Mike Alexander and Douglas Eadie, producers of the legendary BBC TV Transatlantic Sessions, which brought together the finest folk and traditional musicians from Scotland, Ireland and North America for a series of unique performances broadcast across the world.

The Radio 2 Folk Awards, now in their 11th year, will be hosted by the network’s weekly folk show presenter Mike Harding from The Brewery, in London EC1. Highlights will be broadcast on Radio 2 on Wednesday 3 February from 7.00pm. Extensive online features and a photo gallery will be available at bbc.co.uk/radio2.

As well as performances from Nanci Griffith and Dick Gaughan, The Bad Shepherds, The Transatlantic Sessions, Lau, Martin Simpson and Show Of Hands play live. Guest presenters include musician Richard Hawley, poet Ian McMillan and BBC 6 Music’s Tom Robinson.

This year singer-songwriter Martin Simpson has an unprecedented six nominations, following his 2009 album True Stories. He is nominated in the categories Folk Singer of the Year, Musician of the Year, Best Album, Best Traditional Track and twice in the Best Original Song category.

Making her mark again on the Radio 2 Folk Awards after winning two awards in 2002, Cara Dillon is shortlisted for Folk Singer of the Year, Best Album for Hill Of Thieves and Best Traditional Track for Spencer The Rover, a duet with Seth Lakeman.

Last year’s winner of the Horizon Award and Best Traditional Track, Jackie Oates has nominations for Folk Singer of the Year, Best Album for Hyperboreans and Best Traditional Track for her version of The Isle Of France.

The Unthanks notch up nominations for Best Group and Best Album, while their much celebrated version of The Testimony Of Patience Kershaw wins a Best Original Song nomination for writer Frank Higgins.

Show Of Hands, winners of Best Live Act in 2004, return with nominations for Best Duo and Best Original Song for Arrogance Ignorance and Greed.

The acclaimed bands Lau and Bellowhead are again both in the running for Best Live Act and Best Group. Bellowhead’s lead singer Jon Boden is also nominated for Folk Singer of the Year. Also shortlisted for Best Live Act are two of the year’s festival hits – Ade Edmonson’s folk-punk outfit The Bad Shepherds and folk-reggae favourites Edward II.

Musician of the Year pitches guitarist Martin Simpson against multi-instrumentalist John McCusker, while squeezebox players John Kirkpatrick and Saul Rose receive their first nomination in that category.

Promising duos Hannah James & Sam Sweeney and Katriona Gilmore & Jamie Roberts make the final four in the Horizon Award for folk’s best emerging artist, alongside guitarist Sam Carter and singer Nancy Wallace.

The Radio 2 Folk Awards take place on Monday 1 February 2010. Highlights of the Awards can be heard on Radio 2 on Wednesday 3 February from 7.00pm. Full information can be found at bbc.co.uk/radio2.
Notes to Editors

The 2010 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards nominations are as follows:

Folk Singer Of The Year
Cara Dillon
Jackie Oates
Jon Boden
Martin Simpson

Best Duo
Belshazzar’s Feast
Damien Barber & Mike Wilson
Megson
Show of Hands

Best Group
Bellowhead
Lau
Mawkin:Causley
The Unthanks

Best Album
Here’s The Tender Coming – The Unthanks
Hill Of Thieves – Cara Dillon
Hyperboreans – Jackie Oates
True Stories – Martin Simpson

Best Original Song
Arrogance Ignorance and Greed – Steve Knightley (performed by Show of Hands)
Home Again – Martin Simpson
One Day – Martin Simpson/Martin Taylor (performed by Martin Simpson)
The Testimony Of Patience Kershaw – Frank Higgins (performed by The Unthanks)

Best Traditional Track
Cutty Wren – Mawkin:Causley
Sir Patrick Spens – Martin Simpson
Spencer The Rover – Cara Dillon
The Isle Of France – Jackie Oates

Horizon Award
Hannah James & Sam Sweeney
Katriona Gilmore & Jamie Roberts
Nancy Wallace
Sam Carter

Musician Of The Year
John Kirkpatrick
John McCusker
Martin Simpson
Saul Rose

Best Live Act
Bellowhead
Edward II
Lau
The Bad Shepherds

The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards are produced by Smooth Operations.