We are currently migrating our data. We expect the process to take 24 to 48 hours before everything is back to normal.

Last updated: 2 hours ago

Jez Lowe is one of northern England's finest singer-songwriters. In addition to being featured on seven solo albums and three albums by Lowe's band, the Bad Pennys, Lowe's songs have been featured on albums by a lengthy list of performers including <a href="spotify:artist:2LIdnZDzySb04oH40be1fR">Fairport Convention</a>, the <a href="spotify:artist:1XqngfrkcWToKhXwMwP8qG">Tannahill Weavers</a>, the <a href="spotify:artist:5PquYxx0c3L7aIAQf29BLw">Black Family</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:3ADqA3QBx9iTf6nfre13tr">Gordon Bok</a>. Lowe's best-known tune, "Back In Durham Jail," has been covered by more than 20 different artists.

Although his earliest musical roots were in Irish and Scottish music, Lowe found his niche after becoming interested in the traditional music of the North East region of England. Many of Lowe's songs, including "The Famous Working Man," "The Honest Working Way" and "Workhouse," reflect the struggles of the British working class. Several tunes, such as "These Coal Days," "Black Diamonds," "Pit Boy" and "A Small Coal Song," focus on the plight of the coal mining community.

Lowe first attracted attention in the late '70s in a duo that he shared with Northumbrian pipes and guitar player and vocalist Ged Foley. After <a href="spotify:artist:7GPLGyi6E6pSWT4ACHjtcg">Foley</a> joined the <a href="spotify:artist:4EHaaarutllY8ByHlJ7MZv">Battlefield Band</a> in 1980, Lowe continued to perform as a soloist and in a duo that he shared with hurdy-gurdy virtuoso <a href="spotify:artist:0kueo40W5kuNn1hcsM9wIv">Jake Walton</a>. Lowe and Walton's partnership ended in 1989 with Lowe forming a quartet, the Bad Pennys. The current lineup of the band features Billy Surgeoner (fiddle, keyboards, whistle, vocals), Jez Luton (bass, keyboards, vocals) and Judy Dinning (keyboards, guitar, vocals).

Lowe's third album, Galloway, initially released in 1985, was expanded with tracks from his self-titled 1980 debut album and re-issued in 1996. In 1992, a greatest-hits album, Black Shift, featuring tunes recorded between 1980 and 1986, was released. ~ Craig Harris, Rovi

Monthly Listeners

3,501

Followers

3,058

Top Cities

321 listeners
94 listeners
63 listeners
61 listeners
53 listeners

Related Artists

Bob Fox

Bob Fox

Ashley Hutchings

Ashley Hutchings

Tim Hart & Maddy Prior

Tim Hart & Maddy Prior

Jean Redpath

Jean Redpath

Barry Coope

Barry Coope

Jim Boyes

Jim Boyes

Lester Simpson

Lester Simpson

Rod Paterson

Rod Paterson

Benny Graham

Benny Graham

Jez Lowe & The Bad Pennies

Jez Lowe & The Bad Pennies

Phil Beer

Phil Beer

Ian Bruce

Ian Bruce

James Fagan

James Fagan

Andy M. Stewart

Andy M. Stewart

Frank Harte

Frank Harte

Janet Russell

Janet Russell

Simon Nicol

Simon Nicol

Pete Coe

Pete Coe

Ewan McLennan

Ewan McLennan

Geoff Lakeman

Geoff Lakeman

Tony Cuffe

Tony Cuffe

Graham Moore

Graham Moore

Jim Malcolm

Jim Malcolm

Cilla Fisher

Cilla Fisher

The Sands Family

The Sands Family

Colum Sands

Colum Sands

Jim Reid

Jim Reid