Legendary folk singer Roy Bailey passed away peacefully on Tuesday, aged 83. He played to sell out concerts and festivals around the world for over 50 years. Roy was formerly Dean of Faculty of Education, Health and Welfare at what is now Sheffield Hallam University and he was appointed professor in 1989. He chose to make Sheffield his home and to many he was the voice of the people, as he sang songs about working lives and socialism.
The student-run Inter Varsity Folk Dance Festival, which returns to Sheffield for the ninth time, was first launched in Leeds in 1951 and is the UK’s longest continually running folk festival. Followers of folk music and dance from across the country will get to enjoy the three day festival packed with workshops, performances, singarounds and dances. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed spoke to Charlotte Robinson of the Sheffield University Ceilidh Society.
Dancing England 2017 brought together a host of traditional folk and dance groups to Sheffield City Hall at the weekend. The showcase concerts were originally held at the Derby Assembly Rooms from 1979 to 1987, curated by Phil Heaton and John Shaw, members of the Black Cap Sword Dancers and notable characters on the Nottingham and Derby folk scene. Heaton has now brought the event to the ballroom at Sheffield City Hall, in recognition of the city’s burgeoning folk scene. Sheffield Live! reporter Simon Thake spoke to Phil Heaton at the rehearsals.
Hannah James and Sam Sweeney are a traditional folk music duo and have been playing together for almost 8 years. They met in 2002 and have been playing together in English folk group Kerfuffle since then. More recently 
known for their work with Bellowhead and the Demon Barber Roadshow, they are now embarking on a new project as a duo. The debut album Catches & Glees is out now and available from www.hannahandsam.co.uk
We were lucky enough to have them drop into our studios last week as they talked to Dave Eyre about their new album, their musical journey and played an amazing collection of songs for us live in the studio.
sam and hannah
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