Grapevine Music Agency - representing some of the finest roots musicians from the UK and North America. Folk, Blues, Country, Americana.
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Blair Dunlop
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May 2013 & Plus Summer Festivals
solo , duo or trio
BBC Radio 2 Horizon Award Winner 2013
Blair Dunlop is an astonishingly talented young musician and a gifted songwriter with a charismatic and vibrant stage personality – a combination that makes one of his shows into a thoroughly engaging and uplifting experience for his growing audience. The son of folk legend Ashley Hutchings and singer Judy Dunlop, Blair is well on his way to carving out his own place in the musical hierarchy both as a solo performer and as a member of the reformed Albion Band and this is ably demonstrated on his first full CD, ‘Blight & Blossom’, released on Rooksmere Records in October 2012, which features an all star cast of musicians as well as a song written for him by Richard Thompson.
What some of music’s most talented figures say about Blair ….
"He's immensely skilled in
three respects; as singer, songwriter and guitarist. These attributes occur in no particular ranking
order but probably the first thing most will notice is his guitar playing which is quite phenomenal. "
Froots 2012
"He explores ideological
concerns even-handedly and with a maturity that's astounding for one so
young" Froots 2012
"Since seeing Blair showcase at last year's AFO I am convinced he is the 'new' Richard Thompson, and last night's show confirmed this even more. In fact he's not only a great musical talent - both as a guitarist and as a singer/writer - but he's also so at ease with an audience". Mark Ringwood, Roots Around the World.
“I thoroughly enjoyed Blair’s debut EP and I am sure we will be hearing a lot more from this talented young performer” Nic Jones
“Beautiful guitar playing and vocal. A real emerging talent" Chris Leslie (Fairport Convention)
“I saw Blair at Sidmouth, 2009. His obvious talent just blew me away. Awesome” Simon Care (Edward II)
“A star in the making. Watch this space. I just love his voice. Can’t wait to watch the future unfold for him” Chris While
…. and promoters and reviewers
"Blair was astonishing last night! I have been to many clubs recently and am a big music fan of all genres but I don't think I have ever seen anyone play as well as him. To think he is so young is just madness" Helen Chinn, Pump House Folk, Watford.
"(Blair) exemplified Nic himself - a young man with a voice and a guitar alone on stage. For me he overshadowed even Martin Carthy and Jim Moray" R2 magazine, reviewing the concert “In search of Nic Jones” at London's South Bank Centre.
"It is the sound of gilded youth and ambition in the 21st century; the noise that goes with having everything to play for and the wind in your hair. It's the sound of being young. Dunlop makes it resonate and it is, simply, thrilling. For a first outing it is nothing short of miraculous and "I predict that Blair Dunlop will go on to write some songs that will outlive him by a great many years" Emma Hartley
“This astonishing performer was the first act at Towersey 2010 and in simple terms he stole the show and got a lot of people talking.He is an immensely talented singer, hugely accomplished guitarist, with a stage presence that is far beyond his years." Bob Templeman, Tudor Folk, Chesham.
Blair has already fitted a lot into his young life. From an early age he was encouraged to take to the stage by his parents, folk legend Ashley Hutchings and singer Judy Dunlop, and he has now blossomed into a greatly admired singer, guitarist and actor. Some of the highlights of his performing career include playing Little Willy Wonka in the blockbuster movie of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (Johnny Depp starred as the grown-up Willy), touring for the whole of last Autumn in a new production of the play “Lark Rise” and appearing at festivals such as Big Session, Towersey and Cropredy. In 2011 Blair produced his first EP ”Bags Outside The Door” on Rooksmere Records and this immediately plunged him, once more, into the media spotlight attracting outstanding reviews from some leading figures on the music circuit. It also led to him being shortlisted for the BBC Young Folk Awards.
In early 2012 he took to the road as one sixth of The Albion Band, the new incarnation of the group originally founded by his father over 30 years ago. The tour proved that folk music is alive and well in the hands of a new generation of gifted musicians, all of whom, like Blair, are able to bring their own diverse influences to bear on a fine tradition.
In spring and summer 2012 Blair is toured with Fairport Convention in Italy before moving on to become part of The Lady tour, celebrating the work and life of Sandy Denny. He is then performing at a mix of festivals across the UK including Cropredy, Southwell, Towersey and Cambridge.
Early in 2012 Blair started work on his debut album and enlisted a great team of musicians to collaborate on the project including the multi-talented young American sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell from the Georgian band ‘Larkin Poe’. The album was released in September 2012.