Guardian Music — Queen Elizabeth Hall, LondonMartin Carthy may have influenced Bob Dylan and Paul Simon and become a British folk legend, but he has always been an easy-going, modest performer, and that wasn't going to change just because he is about to turn 70. He s... more info

Guardian Music — Royal Festival Hall, LondonOn 1 June 1951, the folklorist AL Lloyd organised an evening at St Pancras Town Hall in London, as a contribution to the Festival of Britain. The Singing Englishmen concert featured the Workers Music Association Choir and a... more info

Guardian Music — (Topic)The problem with this compilation is the title. Of course it's essential that the 70th birthday of the English folk scene's great singer, guitarist and enthusiast should be celebrated with a major retrospective. But it's equally essential that... more info

Guardian Music — On the eve of his 70th birthday, the singer and guitarist Martin Carthy talks about tradition, family – and why subversion is at the heart of English folk musicThe cliff walk along North Yorkshire's wild, wonderful coastline is at last lined with p... more info

Guardian Music — Our critic's pick of the best jazz, world and folk gigs coming up in May and JuneMarry Waterson and Oliver KnightThis is a busy time for the Waterson/Carthy clan, with Martin Carthy celebrating his 70th birthday at London's South Bank on 14 May, and ... more info

Guardian Music — Green Note, LondonMarry Waterson and her brother Oliver Knight belong to the best-known folk dynasty in Britain. Their mother was Lal Waterson, the singer and experimental songwriter who died in 1998, their aunt and uncle are Norma Waterson and Marti... more info

Guardian Music — June Tabor's new album draws inspiration from the sea. But dogs, cows and a margarine ad also featured when Pete Paphides met herPersistent woofing reverberates around the Welsh hillside farmland where June Tabor's house is situated. The closer you g... more info

Guardian Music — (Backshift Music)Pete Coe may never have received the same recognition as many of his veteran contemporaries, or the new generation of folk heroes, but he has played a major role in the British folk club scene ever since he became a professional musi... more info

Guardian Music — Union Chapel, London"It's hard to stick to just one kind of music," explained Norma Waterson, as she switched from a soulful gospel song to a grand, brooding ballad by Richard Thompson about the 1940s heart-throb Josef Locke, linking the two with a l... more info

Guardian Music — Meltdown festival, Southbank Centre, London SE1From politics and cricket to singalongs with blues stomper Seasick Steve, Richard Thompson's passion for folk-based, rootsy music makes for a rousing week on the SouthbankBerets off to Richard Thompson, ... more info