There are few folk singers as revered as the great Nic Jones. A towering figure of the English folk revival, his emotive singing and ground breaking guitar style continue to inspire generations of musicians and listeners. His masterpiece Penguin Eggs remains a touchstone album, treasured more than forty years on.
In 1982, just two years after the album’s release, Nic’s career was cut short by a devastating car accident. Yet his influence endures, shaping generations of folk musicians too young to have seen him perform in his prime.
Among them is BBC Folk Award-winning singer and guitarist Sam Carter. Hailed by Jon Boden (Bellowhead) as “the finest English-style fingerpicking guitarist of his generation,” Sam first immersed himself in Nic’s recordings as a young player. His faithful rendition of Canadee-i-o went on to attract over 115,000 views on YouTube and led to an unforgettable invitation to perform alongside Nic himself at Sidmouth Folk Festival in 2010 — Nic’s first public performance in 28 years. Sam has since recorded Nic’s Ruins By The Shore and was chosen as Nic’s guitar double in the BBC4 documentary The Enigma of Nic Jones.
