Sam Carter has announced a new live album, Sam Carter Sings Nic Jones: Live At Celtic Connections, due for release on 26th June 2026 via Captain Records. To mark the announcement, Carter has shared a video for his 2026 version of Canadee-i-o, the Nic Jones song that has long sat at the heart of his relationship with the legendary guitarist’s music.
Recorded at Celtic Connections in January 2026 with the blessing of the Jones family, the album draws from across Jones’ catalogue, ranging from the gentle flow of Annan Water to the propulsive drive of Canadee-i-o. Jones, whose career was cut short by a devastating car accident in 1982 just two years after the release of his masterpiece Penguin Eggs. His eclectic mix of traditional folk and his funky, rhythmical and percussive guitar style inspired generations, including Bob Dylan’s cover of Nic’s original Canadee-i-o., remains a towering figure of the English folk revival, and Carter has emerged as one of his most devoted interpreters.
That devotion runs deep. Carter’s earlier rendition of Canadee-i-o has attracted over 115,000 views on YouTube and led to an invitation to perform alongside Jones himself at Sidmouth Folk Festival in 2010 — Jones’ first public performance in 28 years. Carter has since recorded Jones’ Ruins By The Shore and was chosen as his guitar double in the BBC4 documentary The Enigma of Nic Jones. As Martin Simpson puts it: “Sam Carter is such a wonderful player and singer, his treatment of Nic Jones’ material is spot on.”
The album follows last December’s The Oakham Poacher EP and 2024’s Silver Horizon, which KLOF’s Glenn Kimpton called “an excellent album and a career-high for Sam.” A UK tour — Ballads and Songs: Sam Carter Sings Nic Jones — begins May 23rd at Chester Folk Festival, with dates running through to October 11th in Leicester.
Pre-Order: Sam Carter Sings Nic Jones: Live At Celtic Connections via Bandcamp
BALLADS AND SONGS: SAM CARTER SINGS NIC JONES • UK TOUR 2026
May 23 – Chester Folk Festival
June 13 – Gower Folk Festival
July 26 – Warwick Folk Festival
July 31 – Aug 7 – Sidmouth Folk Festival (Date TBC)
Aug 11 – Broadstairs Folk Week
Aug 23 – Folk East, Suffolk
Aug 29 – Shrewsbury Folk Festival
Sep 16 – Cecil Sharp House, London
Sep 17 – Spring Arts, Havant, Hants
Sept 18 – The Stables, Milton Keynes
Sep 19 – Durham Folk Festival
Sep 20 – The Greystones, Sheffield
Sep 24 – The Phoenix, Exeter
Sep 25 – The Pound, Corsham
Sep 26 – Wolverhampton Arts Centre
Sep 27 – The Crescent, York
Oct 1 – Norwich Arts Centre
Oct 4 – Cambridge Junction
Oct 8 – Waterside Arts Chambers, Sale, Manchester
Oct 9 – St Mary’s Creative Space, Chester
Oct 11 – The International, Leicester (matinee)
Tickets: https://samcartermusic.co.uk/gigs