Chris Sherburn & Danny Bartley

Biography

The music of England is combined with the musical traditions of Ireland by the duo of Chris Sherburn and Danny Bartley. While Dirty Linen claimed, "instrumentally, they are like a pared-down version of the Bothy Band," Living Tradition pointed out that "[Sherburn] plays a mellow, vibrant-sounding concertina with a sure touch and deft control, instilling a lift and lilt into all that he plays. [Bartley] as well as being a fine guitarist, is also a fine singer -- a very fine singer." Yorkshire, England-born Sherburn began playing the squeezebox at the age of four. Two years later, he switched to the Anglo Concertina, which he continues to play. His mother, who ran a local folk club, exposed him to a wide range of musical traditions. A native of Limerick, Ireland, Bartley was drawn to music as a youngster. As a teenager, however, he temporarily gave up music to study martial arts. He resumed his involvement with music after moving to England in the late '80s. Meeting at the Whitby Folk Festival, Sherburn and Bartley agreed to pool their resources as a duo. After recording two impressive studio albums -- Last Night's Fun and Foothold -- they joined with Yorkshire-born and Devon-raised uilleann pipes player Nick Scott and Sherburn's sister, Jane, who plays bodhran, to record an album, Live at the Wharf, at the Wharf in Tavistock, Devon, on January 23, 1999. Sherburn and Bartley were managed and produced by ex-Battlefield Band guitarist and singer, Alistair Russell until Russell launched his solo career in 1998. Russell continues to oversee the duo's record label, Out. ~ Craig Harris, All Music Guide