Sam Lee: A Trailblazer For The Traditional

By
Bailey Constas
Soundcheck | Jul 29, 2015

Sam Lee is much more than a musician - he's a storyteller. In "Blackbird," from his latest album The Fade In Time, his deep croons and intricate vocals breathe life into forgotten stories, drawing you into a colorful and heart-wrenching world. The album title is appropriate, since he collects traditional English songs and repurposes them for a new place and time. 

Not many traditional English folk singers came from North London, studied at Chelsea School of Art and worked as a forager and wilderness expert during the day and burlesque dancer by night. Lee however is not in the majority - his charisma and talents spurred an apprenticeship with the great Scottish Traveller singer Stanley Robertson along with a Mercury Prize nomination. Lee has blazed a trail for burgeoning song collectors and inspired a new generation to tap into the storytelling of present and past minstrels.

Setlist

  • "Over Yonder's Hill"
  • "Blackbird"
  • "Lovely Molly"

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Bailey Constas

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