Kathryn Tickell
| Kathryn Tickell | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Born |
8 June 1967 Wark, North Tyne Valley, Northumberland, England |
| Genres | Traditional, folk, Celtic |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instruments | Northumbrian smallpipes, fiddle |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Labels | Black Crow, Park, Resilient |
| Associated acts | Sting |
| Website | www |
Kathryn Tickell OBE DL (born 8 June 1967) is an English player of the Northumbrian smallpipes and fiddle.
Tickell was born in Wark, in the North Tyne Valley of Northumberland. Her paternal grandfather played accordion, fiddle, and organ. Her father sang and her mother played the concertina. Her first instrument was piano when she was six. A years later, she picked up a set of Northumbrian smallpipes brought home by her father, who intended them for someone else. Frustrated by fiddle and piano, she learned that the pipes rewarded her effort. She was inspired by older musicians such as Willy Taylor, Will Atkinson, Joe Hutton, and Billy Pigg.
At thirteen, she had gained a reputation from performing in festivals and winning pipe contests. When she was seventeen, she released her first album, On Kielderside (Saydisc, 1984), which she recorded at her parents' house. During the same year, she was named Official Piper to the Lord Mayor of Newcastle, an office that had been vacant for 150 years. She formed the Kathryn Tickell Band, with Karen Tweed on accordion, bass, and guitar, and released the band's first album in 1991 on Black Crow Records. Later, the band comprised Peter Tickell on fiddle, Julian Sutton on melodeon, and Joss Clapp on guitar. In 2001, the Kathryn Tickell Band was the first band to play traditional folk music at the Promenade Concerts in London.
She formed Kathyrn Tickell and the Side, with Ruth Wall on Celtic harp, Louisa Tuck on cello, and Amy Thatcher on accordion. The group plays a combination of folk and classical music.
She recorded with the Penguin Cafe Orchestra when it was led by Simon Jeffes. She met Jeffes while she was in her teens, and he wrote the song "Organum" for her. After Jeffres's death, she played with the Orchestra again over a decade later when it was run by his son, Arthur.
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Wikipedia