Keith Kendrick

Keith Kendrick

Keith Kendrick is an English folk singer and harmonica player associated with traditional song, English country dance music and maritime material. He begins performing in folk groups in the late 1960s and later works as a solo performer and in a series of duos and small ensembles.

Early groups and collaborations

From 1968 to 1972, Kendrick performs with The Druids, described as an all-round folk band with John Adams, Mick Hennessey, Judy Longden and Dave Broughton. In 1973 and 1974, he is part of Tup, a mainly a cappella trio with Jim Boyes and Lester Simpson. From 1974 to 1990, he performs with Ram's Bottom, an English country dance band and folk group that includes dance music, song, Morris, guising, dialect stories and monologues. That line-up includes a wide range of contributors over time, among them Lester Simpson, John Bloor, Brian Dawson, Alan Squires, Mick Hennessey, Jim Boyes, Rick Scollins, Ron Cosser, Trevor Hopkins, Barry Coope, the Fraser Sisters, Ian Smith, Barry Whittamore, Ian Carter, Ian Fisher and Steve Palethorpe.

Between 1975 and 1987, Kendrick and Barry Coope work together as a harmony duo specialising in traditional English songs and dance music. From 1980 to 1985, he is in Muckram Wakes with John Adams and Ian Carter in the final line-up.

Touring, duos and later projects

In 1981, Kendrick travels with The Everlasting Circle, a touring show sponsored by the EFDSS, Trust House Forte and National Express and directed and produced by Tom Brown and Charley Yarwood. The production appears at civic venues across the country and features performers including Roger Watson, Cathy Le Surf, Fi Fraser, Jo Freya, Barry Coope, Will Ward, Barry and Liz Lister, Kerry Fletcher and Nigel Chippendale.

In 1989, he appears in The East Kent Hoppers, an English country dance trio with Boz Austin and Lizzi Stephens. In 1990, he performs with The Anchor Men, a maritime duo with Ian Smith. That same year, he becomes a full-time professional solo performer.

From 1997 to 1999, Kendrick and Jo Freya present The Calendar Tour, a programme focused on annual ritual and ceremonial celebrations in Christian and Pagan traditions over several centuries. In August 1999, he forms a harmony duo with Lynne Heraud, and in late 1999 he joins Geoff Higginbottom and Derek Gifford in the maritime trio Three Sheets To The Wind.

In June 2003, he forms a duo with Sylvia Needham. In November 2003, he begins occasional work with Ralph Jordan for casual gigs and small tours. In November 2006, preparatory work begins on a further group called Full English, involving Keith, Sylvia, Lynne Heraud and Pat Turner.