Paul McNamara

Paul has been playing folk music since his teens and is back playing seriously after a long time away from music.  Born and bred in Middlesbrough, he lived for seven years in Scotland, nearly ten years in Oxford and now lives in Hertfordshire.  His career outside music has been in academia and business.  He now works in central London.

His main love is traditional music from around the world and his inspiration from contemporary musicians is drawn from the incomparable Richard Thompson and many of those with whom the great man collaborates. ‘Black Muddy River’ is a case in point, taken from the superb collaboration with Norma Waterson.

In terms of the musical projects he is currently working on, he is looking at modernising older folk ballads, many of which have lessons and parallels for us all that seem timeless.  He is also looking at translating and updating songs from the French tradition, many of which have tunes of stunning beauty and which seem rarely to be exposed to a British audience.