The folk singer and musician Barry Coope died from cancer earlier this month on 6 November 2021, he was 67 years old.
He performed in a number of Derbyshire folk bands in his early musical years including the band Ram’s Bottom alongside the likes of Keith Kendrick. On their 1981 album ‘The Young May Moon’, as well as sharing vocals, he played Psaltery and melodeon.
He performed in an EFDSS touring show called The Everlasting Circle in the early 80s during which he met and married fellow folk musician Fi Fraser.
Barry was also the song director for the Sidmouth folk festival from 1983 to 1984. He played keys for the Old Hat Dance Band and also for Chris Wood and Andy Cutting when they performed at dances – he’s also credited on their 1992 release “Lisa”.
Barry was later a member of John Tam’s group The Questionnaires in the 90s as well as the John Tams Band, he would regularly perform with John as a much in demand duo. They won Best Duo in the 2008 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Tam’s described Barry as “one of the greatest I’ve ever come across. He was exceptional: the best and truest singer of his and any generation.”
Barry appeared as a guest musician/vocalist over the years on many albums including Keith Kendrick‘s Me ‘Umble Lot (1992), Bill Jones‘ Panchpuran (2001), John Tams‘ Unity (2000), Home (2002), The Reckoning (2005), the tribute album Shining Bright: The Songs Of Lal & Mike Waterson (2002), Oliver Knight‘s Mysterious Day (2002), Bob Davenport‘s ‘The Common Stone’ (2004), Chumbawamba‘s The Boy Bands Have Won (2008), Marry Waterson And Oliver Knight‘s Hidden (2008) and Ashley Hutchings – Paradise And Thorns (2018).
Maybe most famously, that voice found kindred spirits in Jim Boyes and Lester Simpson in form of Coope, Boyes and Simpson – a name that represents the finest a capella harmonies in the English folk world, as well as some of the finest social commentary in song.
The trio became a supergroup for one album as they joined forces with Waterson:Carthy and Mike Waterson under the title of Blue Murder, releasing ‘No One Stands Alone’ in 2002:
We interviewed Coope, Boyes and Simpson in 2017 following the release of their CODA album which marked “a concluding event … a farewell to touring.”
Hailing from Yorkshire and Derbyshire (Barry was born in Belper), Lester Simpson, Jim Boyes and Barry Coope emerged fully formed in the early ’90s, with their debut album, 1993’s Funny Old World, earning Q Magazine’s Roots Album Of The Year (in ’94).
“We decided to get together after being offered Sidmouth [Folk Festival], which we got on the strength of who we were, and we were asked to do a Peace Concert in Belgium on the strength of Jim’s solo album [Out’ The Blue],” recalls Lester of their genesis. “Jim said ‘I have two other mates, we’ve just started a trio,’ so we got invited to that, and that carried on.
“It was a pleasant surprise – the sum of our voices was more than the whole, together we sounded much richer, and it sounded nice with that blend. It was pretty obvious to us from the start, the way it sounded. We were blessed.
“The Voice Squad were about at that time, and Cockersdale were still singing – it was a good time then, in the ’90s.”
They continued to rack up acclaim with such releases as 1996’s Passchendaele Suite, 2014’s In Flanders Fields, and more. Jim Boyes touched on both their politics and strong independence which blossomed into the music co-operative “No Masters”, formed by John Tams and Jim in 1990 which ‘celebrates songwriting that addresses issues’.
Of their music he adds: “In terms of performance, we’ve taken an overtly political stance, doing songs we think that matter. We do comment; we’re not just pretty harmonies, the lyrics are crucial to us.
“The Peace Concerts [in Belgium] have to feature very very high on any list, from them we’ve done music all around Europe. If we had not done that Peace Concert [in 1993 – the first of several], I don’t know … we’ve done so many great gigs.
“Working with Mr Morpurgo – Michael Morpurgo – has been an absolute joy, over a long period of time. That’s opened doors to us,” Lester says of the trio’s relationship with the War Horse scribe, which has resulted in such acclaimed collaborations as 2006’s Private Peaceful and 2008’s On Angel Wings.
“But I’ll be glad if I hear someone in a session sing one of my or Jim’s songs … to hear that they’re growing into that tradition.”
Then in 2018, Barry Coope and Lester Simpson (later replaced by Jim Causley) joined Jo Freya (of Blowzabella and Moirai) and his wife Fi Fraser (also of Polka Works and The Old Fashioned) to form Narthen (“now then!” in the Barnsley vernacular) – “a scintillating teaming of four seasoned and highly talented performers”. In his review of the album on Folk Radio, David Kidman concluded it was a memorable and life-affirming set.
Barry is survived by Fi and their daughter, Katy, and by Rachel, his daughter from a previous marriage.
Barry Coope: 9 July 1954 – 6 November 2021