Les Barker


Les Barker was an English poet. He wrote comedic poetry, parodies of popular songs, and also serious works.
𝕏 Lesbardd

Biography

Barker was born in Manchester. He studied accountancy before he realised that he had a talent for writing. At the beginning of his career he toured around folk music venues as a solo performer, and later with The Mrs Ackroyd Band Barker was not a singer and the Mrs Ackroyd Band, with classically trained vocalists Hilary Spencer and Alison Younger, and keyboard player Chris Harvey, enabled his parodies to be sung live. He toured around Britain and such countries as Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada.
Barker authored 77 books and released 20 albums. His books contain a mixture of monologues, comic songs, and serious songs. The monologues tip the hat to Marriott Edgar. Like Edgar, Barker has created several recurring characters and themes such as 'Jason and the Arguments', 'Cosmo the Fairly Accurate Knife Thrower', 'Captain Indecisive', 'The Far off Land of Dyslexia' and 'Spot of the Antarctic', which have become trademarks of Barker's work. Both his comic and serious songs have become standards for other singers such as Waterson–Carthy and June Tabor.
Barker was also one of the few writers to get the Welsh place named Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantisiliogogogoch into a song successfully. In the mid 2000s, Barker moved to Bwlchgwyn in Wrexham, Wales, and learnt Welsh, producing two books of poetry written in the Welsh tongue.
In 2008 he was awarded the NIACE Inspire Award as Welsh Learner of the Year, and recited his poem "Have you Got Any News of the Iceberg?" in Welsh at the presentation in Swansea.
In 2009, a campaign by his folk fanbase sought to have him chosen as the British Poet Laureate.
After a heart attack in January 2008, Barker began solo gigging again. Barker remained firmly rooted in the circuit of folk clubs and festivals. He has also performed as part of a double act with Keith Donnelly under the name "Idiot and Friend".
After being diagnosed with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy, he announced his retirement from touring in October 2022, but intended to maintain his online presence via YouTube.
On 14 January 2023, Barker attended a match of The New Saints F.C. at Park Hall in Oswestry, Shropshire. Afterward, he returned to his car and died from an apparent heart attack at the age of 75. His body was found in his car by maintenance staff the following morning.

''Guide Cats for the Blind''

Barker also wrote a poem called Guide Cats for the Blind which later became the title track of a double fundraising CD for the British Computer Association of the Blind. The Association runs a program called EyeT4all, which aims to make computers accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired. Barker also agreed to the recording of a series of albums. Over £40,000 has been raised.
Five "Guide Cats" albums have been produced, Guide Cats for the Blind, Missing Persians File, Top Cat, White Tie and Tails, Cat Nav and Herding Cats. The CDs contain performances of Barker's poems by members of the folk world such as June Tabor, Martin Carthy, Steve Tilston, Mike Harding and Tom Paxton and well known figures including Jimmy Young, Nicholas Parsons, Brian Perkins, Terry Wogan, Nicky Campbell, Robert Lindsay, Prunella Scales and Andrew Sachs.

Books

AiredaleAlexander Greyhound BellAlsatians to CreweBark OdesBark to FrontThe Beagle has LandedBeagles, Bangles and BeadsBeyond Our CairnThe Boogie Woogie Beagle Boy from Company BBorzoi BalletThe Borzoi's Back in TownThe Boxer RebellionBreak the MoleCollieflowersCorgasmCorgi and BessDachshunds With Erections Can't Climb StairsDog ByteDog EndsDog GoneDog Only NoseDoggerelThe English Book of Penguin Folk SongsExtra TerrierestrialFetlarGet a Dog and Barker YourselfThe Green Eye of the Little Yellow DogHer Master's BookThe Hound of MusicThe Hound of the BasketballsI Camel, I Saw, I ConkerI Hear the Sound of Distant PlumsIllegal AnnualIrritable Bow-Wow SyndromeJack Spaniel'sKing Charles SpanielLabrador RigbyLady & the TrampolineLlandrindod and One DalmatiansThe MabidogionMan and DobermanMastiff CentralMedlock Delta BluesMorocco and ThingsMrs. Ack Royd's AgainMrs. Ackroyd's DiaryO Camel Ye FaithfulThe Official RetrieverPaws for ThoughtPekinese Up Mother BrownPup YoursA Quite Short Goat and a Pink DalmatianRed Setters in the SunsetReign of TerrierRover the Hills and Far AwayRover the RainbowRoverdance: The PoemsRoyders of the Lost AckSitting with My Dog on DisplaySomething to Sniff AtSongs for Swingin' TailsSpaniel in the Lion's DenSpencer's Dog RoverThe First Mutt is the CheapestThe Stones of CallanishThe Collar PurpleThe Mrs Ackroyd Occasional Table BookThe Mrs Ackroyd Periodic Table BookThe Mrs Ackroyd Bird Table BookThe Ridgeback of Notre DameA Tail of Two SettersUpper CruftVincent Van DoghViva a SpanielVodaboneWaiting for DogotWerneth Willie AckroydWolfhound Amadeus Mozart
  • ''101 Damnatians''

Albums

A Cardi and BlokeAirs of the DogAn Infinite Number of Occasional TablesArovertherapyDark Side of the MongrelDog 017 Yelp!DogologuesEarwigoGnus & RosesGuide Cats for the BlindThe Mrs. Ackroyd Rock'n'Roll ShowMrs. Ackroyd: Superstar!Oranges & LemmingsProbably the Best Album Ever Made by Anybody in Our StreetSome LoveThe Missing Persians FileThe Stones of CallanishThe War on TerrierTop Cat, White Tie and TailsTubular DogsTwilight of the DogsUp the Creek without a PoodleThe Wings of Butterflies
  • ''Yelp!''