Sam Sweeney

Sam Sweeney
Sam Sweeney performing at the Warwick Folk Festival, July 2011
Background information
Born	27 February 1989 Nottingham
Genres	Folk
Occupation(s)	Musician
Years active	-present
Associated acts	Hannah James and Sam Sweeney, Kerfuffle, Bellowhead, Fay Hield Trio
Website	Official website
Notable instruments
Fiddle, viola, nyckelharpa, cello, English concertina, English bagpipes, percussion

Sam Sweeney (born 27 February 1989 in Nottingham) is a multi-instrumental English folk musician.

Sam started playing the fiddle at age six, and first performed as a soloist at folk festivals in 2001. From 2002 to 2010 Sweeney was part of the East Midlands-based folk band Kerfuffle, playing fiddle, viola, and cajon, and singing. When Kerfuffle disbanded, Sam continued playing with accordion player and singer Hannah James as the duo Hannah James and Sam Sweeney.

As of 2008, Sam is also a member of the award-winning eleven-piece folk band Bellowhead, playing fiddle and English bagpipes.

As of 2009 he tours with Jon Boden and the Remnant Kings, playing both drums and fiddle, sometimes simultaneously.

Sam also is a member of Fay Hield's band, originally named the Fay Hield Trio but as of 2012 called Fay Hield & The Hurricane Party.

Sweeney has won a number of awards including the 'In The Tradition' award and the 'Wiltshire Folk Association Young Folk Award', which he won for two years in succession. He was also a nominated in the 2004 BBC Young Folk Awards. In 2007 he won one of five BBC Performing Arts Fund bursaries to help him start his musical career. Sweeney was nominated for the 'Musician of the Year' award at the 2013 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and won this award at the 2015 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

In 2006 Sam won a bursary from the BBC performing arts fund.