Phillip Henry & Hannah Martin
| Phillip Henry & Hannah Martin | |
|---|---|
| Genres | Folk music |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Members |
Phillip Henry Hannah Martin |
Phillip Henry & Hannah Martin are an English folk music duo.[1]
Hailing from Lancashire, Phillip Henry is a slide guitarist and harmonica player. Over the past decade he has immersed himself in the music of the Deep South of America, traditional music of the British Isles, and Indian classical music. Specializing in lap slide techniques, his Dobro playing draws together these diverse influences to create a truly unique voice that has been described as "Stunningly good" (Dick Gaughan), and "utterly captivating" (Steve Knightley). His innovative harmonica style combines country blues and folk styles with beat-boxing to create a jaw dropping and much coveted 21st century harmonica sound heavily steeped in tradition.
Hannah Martin is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Devon. Writing mainly on fiddle, viola, and banjo, and drawing on the traditions of the British Isles, she has been commended by Mike Harding. 2012 saw Hannah selected to be part of the National Theatre's War Horse School, working with John Tams, Nancy Kerr, John Kirkpatrick and Chris Parkinson. She was also involved in The Nursery Rhyme Project for the Bristol OId Vic, co-writing and performing in a show exploring one of our oldest oral traditions.
Career
In 2008 Henry travelled to Calcutta to study under the tutelage of Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya, India's premier slide guitarist. He left behind the duo The School Of Trobar, formed with his old friend Tobias Ben Jacob. In Phillip's absence, Tobias began to work on some new material with a local fiddle player Hannah Martin. When Henry returned, the project evolved into the band The Roots Union, who spent three years on the road, gaining a loyal fan base. On meeting, Phillip and Hannah instantly recognised a musical connection, which became a feature of the band's sound. The band came to an end in 2010, and Henry invited Hannah to continue working together as a duo.
They were 'discovered' by Show of Hands frontman Steve Knightley [2] who first encountered the duo busking on the seafront during Devon’s Sidmouth Folk Week.
The duo won Best Folk Act title in the 2013 South West Music Awards, Best Duo title in the 2013 Spiral Earth Awards and Best Duo at the 2014 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.[3][4]
Selected discography
Awards
- Best Duo 2013 Spiral Earth Awards [9]
- Best Folk Act 2013 South West Music Awards [10]
- BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards (2014) [11]