Artists:The Watersons

Originally, The Watersons were siblings Norma, Michael (Mike) and Elaine (Lal) Waterson, with their second cousin John Harrison. They come from Hull and the three, orphaned early, were brought up by their grandmother, a second-hand dealer. They're partly of Irish gipsy descent.

Like thousands of others they came to folk song through an early interest in jazz and skiffle. They formed a group called The Mariners and played for a while in a coffeehouse. Then, as their style became progressively less 'popped-up,' more serious, they decided to start a folk song club, calling themselves The Folksons before finally using their family name.

They had a wide repertory but their abiding interest was in the songs and customs of their native East Yorkshire. They were renowned for their performances of traditional songs while retaining the freshness in the arrangement of the individual vocal lines..