Category: Jon Wilks Albums & EPs
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Could You Be the One?
“Could You Be the One?” is the first single from acclaimed folk artist Jon Wilks’ forthcoming fifth solo album, set for release in October 2025. Best known for his work in the traditional folk world, this new track marks a shift towards his own songwriting, embracing a full-band sound with rich harmonies, layered instrumentation, and…
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Up The Cut – Jon Wilks
NOW AVAILABLE ON CD VIA BANDCAMP. CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE “Jon Wilks’s Up the Cut explores the fascinating history of Birmingham street balladry, a thriving 19th-century industry, through simple, deeply affecting voice-and-guitar settings. The Lover’s Ghost and Stowaway are especially beautiful, delicate with love and loss.” – Jude Rogers, The Guardian review “Up The Cut is…
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God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
“The merry time of Christmas is drawing on a-pace…”, and so I’m delighted to share with you this Birmingham-related recording of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” [Roud 394]. You can listen to (and download) the track via my Bandcamp page now, and via various streaming platforms from December 1st. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by…
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Yoto, Jackie Oates and 15 quick recordings
Here’s a fun little secret thing for you. Shortly after lockdown ended, Jackie Oates asked me to record some traditional nursery rhymes with her for a company called Yoto. Over the course of a day we recorded 15. They’re now a “best seller” on the Yoto website. By the way, a Yoto box makes a…
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Tape Machine EP – The Grizzly Folk
I was expecting to be able to announce the release of my new album, Up The Cut, by this point… but it has not turned out quite how I’d hoped (my fault – I think I tried too much, too quickly). It’ll have to be delayed. Hopefully not by too long. In the meantime, here’s something…
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Mary Ashford: A Broadside Ballad
The brutal murder of Mary Ashford scandalised the nation in the early 1800s. By the 1840s/50s, the incident had found its way into song – in this case a murder ballad published by broadside printers, Jackson & Son (late, J. Russell), in Moor Street, Birmingham. This blog post is about how the song came to my…
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Old Songs Podcast and Subscription Service Update
Hi all, I hope you’re well. Some of you who follow and support The Old Songs Podcast may have received a weird email recently concerning cancellation. Not to worry… the podcast is alive and well, and will hopefully have a new episode out this weekend. What has changed is the payment structure. Mixcloud are very…
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Nick Drake’s Northern Sky – Katherine Priddy, Jon Wilks, Lukas Drinkwater & Jon Nice
Here’s a cover of “Northern Sky” by Nick Drake, featuring Katherine Priddy on vocals, Jon Wilks (me!) on guitar, Lukas Drinkwater on double bass, Jon Nice of The Grizzly Folk on keyboards, and Knees Thompson on percussion. We hope it brings you some quiet peace and joy. The recording came about because Katherine and Jon…
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“From a Lullaby Kiss”
I first heard “From a Lullaby Kiss” less than two weeks ago. That’s how quickly these things can happen. I was sitting on the floor at the back of the Knight & Spiers gig I was organising at Whitchurch Folk Club, when Peter Knight started playing it. It was the only piece in the gig…
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The Trial of Bill Burn Under Martin’s Act
Before we get started, you can read more about The Trial of Bill Burn Under Martin’s Act (the song itself) by clicking here. The Trial of Bill Burn Under Martin’s Act includes four tracks, one of which features the wonderful talents of my good friends Nick Hart (melodeon) and Mikey Kenney (fiddle). It was released as a digital-only recording on July 2nd,…