Sandra Kerr(I)

Not to be confused with 1960s American actress, Sandra Joan Kerr, the English folk-singer, was born in Plaistow, East London, on Valentine's Day in 1942. Sandra first came to prominence in the early 1960s as a member of the Critics' Group, a London-based collective of young folk musicians who performed as resident singers at the folk club run by Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl, part of whose aim was to offer constructive criticism to each other in song-writing. Another group member was John Faulkner, with whom Sandra had a professional and personal relationship for several years, though, somewhat ironically, they are probably better known to a mass audience for writing music and providing character voices for the now cult children's television puppet series, 'Bagpuss'. After Sandra and John separated in the mid-1970s she lived with the now sadly deceased Northumbrian bagpipe-player Ron Elliott, and their daughter Nancy was born in 1975. Whilst Nancy was growing up Sandra concentrated on radio work, providing music and voices for the children's shows 'The Music Box' and 'The Listening Corner' but never really abandoned live music - she is an accomplished exponent of the guitar, concertina, dulcimer and autoharp. and, when Nancy reached adulthood, Sandra performed and recorded with her daughter, also a musician, and Nancy's multi-instrumentalist partner, the Australian James Fagan. Sandra has also recorded with the folk-rock group the Oyster Band and been instrumental in the running of two choirs, the male group Voice Male and the women's choir Wercasfolk. She has also worked as a teacher of vocal and instrumental techniques at both Newcastle and London universities.