About Jon Wilks
Jon Wilks is an acclaimed folk singer and singer-songwriter in the tradition of the great fingerpicking troubadours, inspired as much by Martin Carthy as by Paul Simon or Nick Drake. Described by The Quietus as at the centre of the current folk scene, his work has drawn regular acclaim from The Guardian, Uncut, Songlines, MOJO and RNR, and a double-page feature in Guitarist magazine.
His live shows move between traditional ballads, original songwriting and the covers you might have heard had you turned up at Les Cousins, the Soho folk and blues club, in 1967. A former journalist, Wilks builds his sets around the stories behind the songs and the people who sang them. He's equally at home on a folk club stage as an arts centre or festival main stage, and is a regular at festivals including FolkEast, Sidmouth and Warwick.
Wilks has released five solo albums and one compilation to date, from his 2016 debut Songs from the Attic through to Before I Knew What Had Begun I Had Already Lost, named Folk Album of the Month by The Guardian. He is currently writing a book about the aforementioned Les Cousins, and working on a song cycle, Strange Heavens, inspired by the twentieth-century artist, Stanley Spencer.
Alongside his own work, Wilks has built a reputation as a collaborator and scene-builder. He founded and was the original editor of Tradfolk.co, and has collaborated and shared stages with artists including Graham Coxon, Billy Bragg, Martin Carthy, Martin Simpson, Eliza Carthy, Goblin Band, Broadside Hacks, Angeline Morrison and Ellie Gowers, among many others from across the UK folk scene. He performs both solo and with his occasional band, The Grizzly Folk.
Releases to date
Songs from the Attic, 2017
Midlife, 2018
The Trial of Bill Burn Under Martin’s Act (EP), 2019
Up the Cut, 2021
Needless Alley, 2025
BONES (compilation), 2026
What people are saying…
“Bloody brilliant!”
“One of the driving forces in the London folk scene... Wilks is among the best at what he does, his guitar playing wonderfully sharp and shimmering.”
“Jon’s a badman fingerpicking guitarist and leading exponent of the songs of old Albion.”
“Wilks proves once again what a stand-out talent he really is. There is an honesty and compassion in Wilks’ writing and performance, which is entirely charming.”
“Jon Wilks is the real deal. He has a deep love for folk music which is coupled with intelligence, curiosity and musicianship. He is a fine guitar player, a really good singer and an excellent writer to boot. What he does is capture the essence of his material.”
“Pulls off that niftiest of tricks - paying due homage to the traditions whilst sounding original and contemporary.”
“Very much part of the UK’s living folk tradition, Wilks excels at reanimating broadside ballads and antique pieces with a scholar’s ear for vernacular and a dashing sense of verve on fingerpicked guitar. He’s at his eloquent best on poetic Soho encounter, ‘Greek Street’.”
“Characters are the currency that Wilks deals in. Whether they are murderous wives, cheating tailors, thoughtful down-and-outs or strolling dandies, his songs are a parade of real life.”
“A link in the chain back to the 60s folk revivalists… He aces it with his precise guitar fingerpicking… worthy of guitar heroes of yore.”
“I’ve now added Jon Wilks’ back catalogue to my wants list and cannot believe such a strong set of albums has passed me by. If you had already come across Jon then this amazing album will confirm his power and sure touch as a singer and musician. If like me you got some catching up to do, then this is a strong set to start with.”