Jon Wilks

Jon Wilks is an English writer, folk singer and guitarist from Solihull, born in 1977. He works in the traditional folk music scene and is known for interpretations of traditional English folk songs as well as his own original material. He also appears as part of The Grizzly Folk.

Folk writing and the Grizzly Folk project

In late 2016, Wilks starts the Grizzly Folk blog, which explores traditional folk songs by focusing on their stories. The project develops from his wish to understand the genre more deeply after discovering that his grandparents meet and court at Cecil Sharp House. Using his background in journalism, he interviews a series of folk singers, performers and scholars in order to present the music to his audience. Among those he speaks with are Eliza Carthy, Jon Boden, Paul Sartin and Martin Simpson. By the end of 2017, he has documented conversations with more than 25 figures from the folk world.

The project also leads to an accompanying album, Songs From The Attic, which includes nine songs he explores during the process. During the same period, he helps revive Whitchurch Folk Club with Paul Sartin. The club had been active in the 1970s and 1980s before closing because of a lack of funding, and it relaunches with a performance by Faustus.

Recordings

Wilks releases Midlife in 2018, an album of traditional songs from Birmingham and the Midlands. He also issues the solo EP The Trial of Bill Burn Under Martin's Act in 2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he forms the short-lived quartet Slow Jane with Katherine Priddy, alongside Jon Nice and Lukas Drinkwater. The group records and releases covers of three Nick Drake songs, with videos.

His third album, Up the Cut (2021), focuses on the history of Birmingham street balladry. In 2023, he releases his fourth album, Before I Knew What Had Begun I Had Already Lost.

Recognition

fRoots magazine describes Wilks as one of the leading figures in the “New Wave Of Folk Blokes” and praises him as a guitar player and arranger of traditional songs.