Eliza Carthy

Infobox musical artist
Name = Eliza Carthy


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Background = solo_singer
Birth_name =
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Born = Birth date and age|1975|8|23|mf=y
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Instrument = vocals
violin
viola
melodeon
piano
guitar
tenor guitar
ukulele
Genre = English folk music
Occupation = Musician
Singer-songwriter
Years_active = 1987 - present
Label = Mrs Casey Records
Topic Records
Warner Bros. Records
Heroes of Edible Music
Associated_acts = The Watersons
The Waterdaughters
Nancy Kerr

Blue Murder
Salsa Celtica
URL = [http://www.watersoncarthy.com/ www.watersoncarthy.com]
URL = [http://www.eliza-carthy.com/ www.eliza-carthy.com]
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Notable_instruments =

Eliza Carthy (born August 23, 1975 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire), is an English folk musician known for both singing and playing fiddle. She is the daughter of English folk musicians singer/guitarist Martin Carthy and singer Norma Waterson.

At the age of thirteen she formed the Waterdaughters with her mother, aunt (Lal Waterson) and cousin Maria Knight. She has subsequently worked with Nancy Kerr, with her parents as , and as part of the "supergroup" Blue Murder, in addition to her own solo work.

Eliza Carthy led the vocals as a member of Blue Murder on the song "I Bid You Goodnight" found on the CD tribute to the music of Joseph Spence & the Pinder family called "Out On the Rolling Sea" (1994) (Green Linnet). Along with Eliza are Lal Waterson, Norma Waterson, Jim Boyes, Martin Carthy, Barry Coope, Lester Simpson and Mike Waterson.

She has twice been nominated for the Mercury Music Prize for UK album of the year: in 1998 for "Red Rice", and again in 2003 for "Anglicana". Eliza was a guest on the album "Mermaid Avenue" by Billy Bragg and Wilco. Eliza and Billy also recorded together on the song "My Father's Mansions" which appeared on the Pete Seeger tribute album called "Where Have All The flowers Gone" (1998).

In September 2002 Eliza took part in the Tribute concert for Kirsty MacColl, "The Song's the Thing" along with other artists. Her rousing rendition of Kirsty's works produced rapturous applause and she was to comment on how happy she was to have discovered Kirsty's music and having met so many nice people that evening.

In 2003 Eliza swept the boards at the Radio 2 Folk Awards, winning "Folk Singer of the Year", "Best Album" (for "Anglicana") and "Best Traditional Track" (for *Worcester City", on the album "Anglicana"). She was also the first traditional English musician to be nominated for a BBC Radio 3 Award for World Music in the same year (for Anglicana).

In 2004 she was part of Oysterband Big Session, a collaboration with numerous folk artists brought together by Oysterband. They produced an album "The Big Session Volume One", and the group as a whole were awarded Best Group at the Folk Awards in 2005.

On May 29, 2005, Eliza took part in a tribute to Peggy Seeger at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London. A double CD "Three Score and Ten" (2007) contains highlights on the concert.

In 2006 she contributed three songs (one as lead localist, two as backing vocalist) to "", produced by Hal Willner. Performing as a duo with Richard Thompson, she contributed "The Coo Coo Bird" to a boxed set called "The Harry Smith Project" (2006) also by Hal Willner. As a duo with Bob Neuwirth, she sang "I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground" by Bascom Lamar Lunsford on the same boxed set.

"Dreams of Breathing Underwater", Eliza's second collection of entirely self penned songs was released on June 23, 2008. Combining traditional instrumentation with experimental arrangements, and drawing influences from all aspects of her career so far, the album was conceived as the follow-up to 2000's "Angels and Cigarettes" and has been in the making for the best part of seven years.

Discography

; with Nancy Kerr
* "Eliza Carthy & Nancy Kerr" (1993)
* "Shape of Scrape" (1995)
* "On Reflection" (compilation 2002)

; Solo
* "Heat Light & Sound" (1996)
* "Eliza Carthy & The Kings of Calicutt" (1997)
* "Red Rice" (originally sold as a 2 CD set. Now available as 2 separate CDs: "Red" and "Rice" 1998)
* "Angels & Cigarettes" (2000)
* "Anglicana" (2002)
* "The Definitive Collection" (compilation 2003)
* "Rough Music" (2004)
* "Dreams of Breathing Underwater" (2008)

; with the Waterson family
* Waterson:Carthy: "Waterson:Carthy" (1994)
* Waterson:Carthy: "Common Tongue" (1996)
* Waterson:Carthy: "Broken Ground" (1999)
* Blue Murder: "No One Stands Alone" (2002)
* Various Artists: "Shining Bright - The Songs of Lal & Mike Waterson" (2002)
* Waterson:Carthy: "A Dark Light" (2002)
* The Watersons: "The Definitive Collection" (compilation 2003)
* The Watersons: "Mighty River of Song" (4 CD & 1 DVD compilation 2004)
* Waterson:Carthy: "Fishes and Fine Yellow Sand" (2004)
* Waterson: Carthy: "The Definitive Collection" (compilation 2005)
* Waterson:Carthy: "Holy Heathens and the Old Green Man" (2006)

; Collaborations and guest appearances
* Norma Waterson: "Norma Waterson" (1996)
* Chipolata 5: 'Skinless' (1996)
* Tim Winton (various artists) 'Music from the novel 'Dirt Music' (one track with Tristan Chipolata and Jock Tyldesley) (1996)
* Billy Bragg & Wilco: "Mermaid Avenue" (1998)
* Lal & Norma Waterson: "A True Hearted Girl" (The Waterdaughters sing one track on the CD reissue 1999)
* Norma Waterson: "The Very Thought of You" (1999)
* Various Artists: A Tribute to Pete Seeger (Two tracks with Billy Bragg) (199?)
* Billy Bragg & Wilco: "Mermaid Avenue Vol. II" (2000)
* Norma Waterson: "Bright Shiny Morning" (2000)
* Roger McGuinn: "Treasures From the Folk Den" (2001)
* Oliver Knight: "Mysterious Day" (2002)
* Jools Holland & Friends: "Jack in the Green" (one track)
* "The Big Session Vol. 1" (2004)
* Martin Carthy: "Waiting for Angels" (2004)
* Paul Weller: Studio 150 (two tracks) (2004)
* Salsa Celtica: "El Camino" (2006)
* Rogue's Gallery: "" (2006)
* "Rubber Folk" (2006)
* The Harry Smith Project: "Anthology of American Folk Music Revisited" (2006)
* "The Imagined Village" (2007)

; with Martin Green
* "Dinner" (2001)

; DVD
* "In Search of English Folk Song" (1997 BBC film directed by Ken Russell): Fairport Convention, Donovan, Osibisa, Eliza Carthy, The Albion Band, Waterson:Carthy, Edward II.: Reissued on DVD in 2008, but for Region 1 only

External links

* [http://www.eliza-carthy.com/ Official Eliza Carthy Website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/elizacarthy Eliza Carthy's Official MySpace page]
* [http://www.watersoncarthy.com/ Waterson:Carthy Official Website]
* [http://www.elizanet.org.uk/ Unofficial Eliza Carthy homepage]
* [http://www.folkradio.co.uk/content/view/700/10085/ Interview by FolkRadio.co.uk with Eliza about her album: "Dreams of Breathing Underwater"]
* [http://www.itvlocal.com/wales/newsextra/?player=WAL_NewsExtra_15&void=236768/ Interview with Eliza Carthy in September 2008 about her latest work]

; Reviews
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/wvmq/ BBC online review of "Dreams Of Breathing Underwater"]
* [http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-eliza-carthy-dreams-of-breathing-underwater-topic-851873.html The Independent Newspaper's online review of "Dreams Of Breathing Underwater"]
* [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,2286556,00.html The Guardian Newspaper's online review of "Dreams Of Breathing Underwater"]