Sally Barker at The Topic Folk Club

Doors at 7pm. Wheelchair accessible.
NB Ticket guarantees entry but not a seat.
In 2020 Sally released her re-imagining of the Tom Jones song 'It's Not Unusual' to celebrate
the venerable singer's 80th Birthday. So far it has racked up over 4 million views on YouTube
and divides opinion amongst fans of the Welshman's classic (you can see it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws6at5NlGtA ) This slowed down version highlights the
mournful and yearning lyrics to give the song new meaning. The significance of this recording ?
Sally was Tom's finalist on The Voice UK in 2014 and although people mistakenly think she
won, such was the impact she had on that show, Sally walked away without the main prize,
coming in joint 2nd and then walked away from a record deal for an album of mainstream cover
songs offered on the strength of her 'Voice' performances.
Despite her flirtation with the mainstream, Sally's musical life remains firmly rooted in acoustic
and folk music as a singer and songwriter with bands such as The Poozies, Fotheringay, The
Sandy Denny Project, Iota and guest vocalist with Fairport Convention. Support slots have
been many but highlights include tours with Bob Dylan, Robert Plant, Tay Mahal and Sir Tom
himself.
“Sally changes the atmosphere in a room when she sings“
— Virgin Radio's Chris Evans
Sally's musical journey has been a long and sometimes tortuous one. In the early 90s she had
solo singer/songwriter success in Germany and toured relentlessly. Her 2nd album “This Rhythm
Is Mine” received a 4* review from Q Magazine. Her 'difficult' 3rd album was less well received
than the previous two and, as a founder member of the female folk band the Poozies, Sally
diversified, splitting her time between mainland Europe and UK festivals and arts centres.
Things became busier when she and her husband had two sons but she continued to record
and tour until Sally's train was derailed by her husband's cancer diagnosis. By August 2003
Sally was a widow with two small children.
The following years single parenthood took over but Sally managed to complete a degree in
Music Technology and continued to tour when possible. By now teenagers, it was her sons
Dillon and Ben who persuaded her to apply for 'The Voice UK'. She became Sir Tom's finalist
on the BBC TV programme in 2014, reducing him, and viewers alike, to tears with her flawless
performances.
This nationwide exposure thrust Sally back on the road with the Poozies with their 'Into The
Well' release and the offer to be part of the re-formed Fotheringay (singing the songs of the
legendary Sandy Denny) alongside original members Jerry, Pat Donaldson and Gerry Conway
to promote the 'Nothing More' 2015 released box set.
Sally's solo album 'Ghost Girl' was released to coincide with Sally as 'Special Guest' on
Fairport Convention's Winter tour 2017 as they celebrated their 50 years on the road. Warmly
received by critics and fans alike, FRoots Magazine said “Sally returns with a classy new solo
album full of her matchless singing and exceptional writing couched in contemporary folk, pop,
jazz and R&B stylings”.
Also in 2017 Sally released the first of two duo albums. “In the Shadow of a Small Mountain
(Small Mountain Records) is the fruit of a collaboration between Britain’s Sally Barker, formerly
of the Poozies, and the US guitar wizard and songwriter Vicki Genfan. Its warm, low-key
storytelling sits somewhere between Gillian Welch, Emmylou Harris and Sandy Denny and is
every bit as accomplished as that comparison suggests.” James Miller Morning Star Wed
4th October 2017.
In August 2017 Sally met multi-instrumentalists Anna Ryder and Marion Fleetwood at Fairport
Convention's Cropredy Festival and by the following August the debut CD 'O YEH YEH!' by the
indie folk trio they formed, IOTA, was released. R&R Magazine said “Three voices that
seamlessly combine in rich, fulfilling harmonies with a wealth of instruments to draw upon and
create a rich, varied, satisfying sound”.
Iota sparked another formidable exchange between Sally and Anna Ryder and in 2019 they
released the duo album 'When I Wake Up'. The same year Sally debuted a solo show called
'Joni, Sandy & Me' in which she brings some of the songs of both Joni Mitchell and Sandy
Denny to the stage, interspersed with some of her own, to explore the inspirational
singer/songwriter legacy that was forged in the 60s and '70s.
From March 2020, Sally, like her fellow musicians, remained at home surviving, creating and
occasionally live streaming during the pandemic. During this time she laboured over the
recording and production of her reimagining of ‘It’s Not Unusual’ and released Tom Jones' song as a
download single and YouTube video. 2021 stuttered and spluttered and 2022 has been spent mostly
performing rescheduled concerts and rebuilding after the covid pandemic. Among these plans
the opportunity of a 'Monumental Journey' across America arose.
17th May 2023, Sally will embark on a trail-blazing artistic journey, with Ali Tod (Scotland) and
Vicki Genfan (USA),to compose and record an album while vanning across America for 6
weeks. The 'Monumental Journey' will include four major recording sessions outside, “in the
wild” at National Monuments; Organ Mountain Desert Peaks in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Rio
Grande Del Norte in Taos, New Mexico, Browns Canyon in Salida, Colorado and Black Rock
Desert - High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area in Gerlach, Nevada.
To show gratitude for the use of the monuments, the three women will play benefit concerts at
local venues nearby to raise funds for the volunteer ‘Friends Groups’ that work to protect these
lands. After 3 weeks of recording at the monuments and playing these benefit concerts, they
will begin the journey back east, stopping for performances in Virginia City, Montana, Nashville,
Tennessee, a private event in West Virginia, and finally a Homecoming concert back in North
Carolina. see the Monumental Journey video for more information on this wild ride. The
recording will be released in 2024.
Sally's next as yet untitled solo release will appear during Autumn 2023 and will be supported
with a number of solo concerts.
“The emotion and passion in her voice, the vulnerability and fragility of her vocal is an art that
not too many singers can master” Maverick Magazine
website: https://sallybarker.co.uk
Instagram: www.instagram.com/sallybarkermusic
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sallybarkermusic
Monumental Journe

Prebooking guarantees entry, but we cannot guarantee a seat.

Free parking on Crowgill Road, 5 minutes walk. Wheelchair access. Contactless payment welcome.