BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards
The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards celebrate outstanding achievement during the previous year within the field of folk music, with the aim of raising the profile of folk and acoustic music. The awards have been given annually since 2000 by British radio station BBC Radio 2.
Award recipients have included Joan Baez, Cat Stevens, John Martyn, Steve Earle, The Dubliners, Martin Carthy, Billy Bragg, Shirley Collins, Kate Rusby, Cara Dillon, Eliza Carthy, Bellowhead, June Tabor, Oysterband, Aly Bain, Richard Thompson, Nancy Kerr, Seth Lakeman, Show of Hands, Lau, Tom Paxton, Don McLean, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Nic Jones, Bella Hardy, Rhiannon Giddens, Norma Waterson, The Chieftains, Joan Armatrading and James Taylor.
History
The awards are managed by independent production company Smooth Operations, now part of 7digital. Kellie While of Smooth Operations has stated that the idea of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards was conceived by the company in 1999, inspired by the Country Music Awards, and brought to the BBC, and The Guardian has attributed their creation to John Leonard, who formed Smooth Operations in 1995.The awards event has been staged in different regions of the United Kingdom, including The Brewery in London, The Lowry theatre in Salford, the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall during the 2013 Celtic Connections festival, the Bridgewater Hall during the 2019 Manchester Folk Festival, the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff in 2015,
and the Belfast Waterfront in 2018.
In 2014, 2016 and 2017, the event was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Reviewing the 2014 Royal Albert Hall event, Colin Irwin remarked on how much more glamorous it had become since the first event fifteen years earlier.
Between 2000 and 2012 the Folk Awards were hosted by Mike Harding, and broadcast on BBC Radio 2. Mark Radcliffe and Scottish Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis took over presenting the ceremony in 2013. In 2004 the awards were shown on television for the first time, on BBC Four. The event has been streamed live in audio and video on the BBC Radio 2 website, the BBC iPlayer and/or the BBC Red Button TV service.
The BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award has been included in the award event since 2011, having previously been awarded in a separate ceremony, but its selection process remains independent.
In 2016, Rhiannon Giddens became the first non-British winner of the 'Folk Singer of the Year' award.
In 2020, there was no award ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Selection
The controlling body is the Folk Awards Committee, comprising two BBC staff, two from the production company 7digital Creative, and one external expert. Two Nominated Representatives, one from 7digital and one from the BBC oversee the process. The Folk Awards Committee selects a panel of 150 representatives from the British folk world, including broadcasters, journalists, record producers, festival organisers, venue bookers, record company directors, agents and promoters. The panellists vary slightly from year to year, with new panellists being invited each year.The nominations in most categories are made by the panel. The four most-nominated artists go through to the second round. The winner is then selected from the nominees by a second vote among the same panellists. Since 2013, following criticism of the lack of transparency of the selection process, there have been some exceptions to this general process. The second round of the "Best Album" category is determined by a public vote, hosted on the BBC website. The two track categories, "Best Original Track" and "Best Traditional Track" were removed from the main panel. They are now voted by a much smaller specialist panel of judges, appointed by the Folk Awards committee, whose identities are published.
Broader categories, including the "Lifetime Achievement Award" and the "Good Tradition Award" are chosen by two rounds of votes by the Folk Awards committee only. These may not be awarded every year.
The BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award, although presented at the Folk Awards ceremony since 2011, has its own independent selection process.
The selection process has been the subject of criticism, with accusations of bias, cronyism, and lack of transparency. In 2012 The Independent reported that there had been at least two Freedom of Information requests to identify the panellists, which have been rejected by the BBC. The BBC and 7digital have responded that the panellists are kept secret to avoid lobbying and bribery.
Compilation album
A Folk Awards double-album, featuring music by most of the nominees, was released annually by the event's producers in collaboration with BBC Radio 2 and the record label and distribution company, Proper Music.Hall of Fame
In 2014, a posthumous award was introduced to celebrate the contribution of significant figures in folk music's past.- 2019 inductee: Leonard Cohen
- 2018 inductee: Nick Drake
- 2017 inductee: Woody Guthrie
- 2016 inductee: Sandy Denny
- 2015 inductee: Ewan MacColl
- 2014 inductee: Cecil Sharp
Award winners
2019
Folk Singer of the Year: Ríoghnach ConnollyBest Duo / Group: Catrin Finch & Seckou KeitaHorizon Award: Brìghde ChaimbeulBest Traditional Track: The Foggy Dew - Ye VagabondsBest Original Track: I Burn but I Am Not Consumed - Karine PolwartBest Album: Hide and Hair - The Trials of CatoMusician of the Year: Seckou KeitaYoung Folk Award: Maddie MorrisLifetime Achievement Awards: Dervish and Wizz JonesHall of Fame: Leonard CohenPresenter Mark Radcliffe was also presented with a special Folk Award to celebrate his 40 years in radio.
Venue: Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
2018
Folk Singer of the Year: Karine PolwartBest Duo: Chris Stout & Catriona McKayBest Group: LankumBest Album: Strangers - The Young'unsHorizon Award: Ímar- Musician of the Year: Mohsen AminiYoung Folk Award: Mera RoyleBest Original Song: The Granite Gaze - LankumBest Traditional Track: Banks of Newfoundland - Siobhan MillerLifetime Achievement Award: Dónal LunnyHall of Fame: Nick DrakeGood Tradition: Armagh Pipers Club
2017
Folk Singer of the Year: Kris DreverBest Duo: Ross Ainslie & Ali HuttonBest Group: The Furrow CollectiveBest Album: Songs of Separation - Songs of SeparationHorizon Award: Daoirí Farrell- Musician of the Year: Rachel NewtonYoung Folk Award: Josie Duncan & Pablo LafuenteBest Original Song: If Wishes Were Horses - Kris DreverBest Traditional Track: Van Diemen's Land - Daoirí FarrellLifetime Achievement Awards: Al Stewart and Ry CooderHall of Fame: Woody Guthrie
2016
Folk Singer of the Year: Rhiannon GiddensBest Duo: Kathryn Roberts and Sean LakemanBest Group: The Young'unsBest Album: Mount the Air - The UnthanksHorizon Award: Sam Kelly- Musician of the Year: Andy CuttingYoung Folk Award: Brìghde ChaimbeulBest Original Song: Mackerel - The Rheingans SistersBest Traditional Track: Lovely Molly - Sam LeeLifetime Achievement Awards: Joan Armatrading and Norma WatersonGood Tradition Award: John McCuskerHall of Fame: Sandy Denny
2015
Folk Singer of the Year: Nancy KerrBest Duo: Josienne Clarke & Ben WalkerBest Group: The Young'unsBest Album: Tincian - 9BachHorizon Award: The Rails- Musician of the Year: Sam SweeneyYoung Folk Award: TaliskBest Original Song: Swim to the Star - Peggy Seeger/Calum MacCollBest Traditional Track: Samhradh Samhradh - The GloamingLifetime Achievement Awards: Yusuf Islam/Cat Stevens and Loudon Wainwright IIIGood Tradition Award: Meredydd EvansHall of Fame: Ewan MacColl
2014
Folk Singer of the Year: Bella HardyBest Duo: Phillip Henry & Hannah MartinBest Group: The Full EnglishBest Album: The Full English - The Full EnglishHorizon Award: Greg Russell and Ciaran Algar- Musician of the Year: Aidan O'RourkeYoung Folk Award: The Mischa Macpherson TrioBest Original Song: Two Ravens - Lisa KnappBest Traditional Track: Willie of Winsbury - Anaïs Mitchell and Jefferson HamerLifetime Achievement Awards: Clannad and Martin CarthyGood Tradition Award: Cambridge Folk FestivalHall of Fame: Cecil Sharp
2013
Folk singer of the year: Nic JonesBest Duo: Kathryn Roberts and Sean LakemanBest Group: LauBest Album: Broadside - BellowheadHorizon Award: Blair Dunlop- Musician of the year: Kathryn TickellYoung Folk Award: Greg Russell and Ciaran AlgarBest Original Song: Hatchlings - Emily PortmanBest Traditional Track: Lord Douglas - Jim MorayLifetime achievement awards: Aly Bain and Roy HarperLifetime achievement award for contribution to songwriting: Dougie MacLeanRoots Award: Billy Bragg
2012
- Folk Singer of the year: June TaborBest Duo: Tim Edey & Brendan PowerBest Traditional Track: Bonny Bunch of Roses - June Tabor & OysterbandBest Group: June Tabor & OysterbandYoung Folk Award: Ioscaid
- Musician of the year: Tim EdeyBest Original Song: The Herring Girl - Bella Hardy and The Reckoning – Steve TilstonHorizon Award: Lucy WardBest Album: Ragged Kingdom – June Tabor & OysterbandLifetime achievement awards: The Dubliners and Don McLeanBest Live Act: The Home ServiceGood Tradition Award: Ian Campbell and Bill LeaderRoots Award: Malcolm Taylor
2011
Folk Singer of the year: Chris WoodBest Duo: Nancy Kerr & James FaganBest Traditional Track: Poor Wayfaring Stranger - Eliza Carthy & Norma WatersonBest Group: BellowheadYoung Folk Award: Moore Moss Rutter- Musician of the year: Andy CuttingBest Original Song: Hollow Point - Chris WoodHorizon Award: Ewan McLennanBest Album: Gift – Eliza Carthy & Norma WatersonLifetime achievement award: DonovanBest Live Act: BellowheadGood Tradition Award: Fisherman's FriendsRoots Award: Levellers