John Roberts & Tony Barrand is the pairing of English folk singers John Rob… Read Full Bio ↴John Roberts & Tony Barrand is the pairing of English folk singers John Roberts and Tony Barrand, both resident in America. The duo are also members of the four-man act Nowell Sing We Clear.
Widely acclaimed for their lively and entertaining presentations of English folk songs, Roberts and Barrand have performed at major festivals, colleges, clubs and coffeehouses throughout the United States, Canada, and their native Britain. They sing the ballads and songs of the sea, of rural pursuits, of social and sociable situations, of industrial toil and strife, and much more, typically arranging their material thematically to better illustrate the lives and the social history of the people who made and sang the songs. Their songs are punctuated with tales, monologues, dances and tunes, giving a more complete appreciation of the wealth, diversity, and vitality of the English folk tradition.
Roberts and Barrand met at Cornell University in 1968, as fellow graduate students in psychology. They discovered that they shared a common interest in folk song, and started performing together the following year. Unaccompanied two-part singing was always a primary staple of their repertoire, and the stark harmonies of their well-balanced voices soon brought them to the attention of the folk music community. They also draw upon a variety of instrumentation: Roberts is a leading exponent of both Anglo and English concertina, as well as being a fine banjo and guitar player; Tony Barrand is a skilled percussionist, on drums, bones and spoons.
Both are active in the folk dance arena as well as in song. Barrand is a well-known Morris and clog dancer, and his teaching is in demand across the United States. His book, Six Fools and a Dancer, was as the definitive work on Morris Dance in the United States. Roberts, an able dancer himself, is more often found providing the music on concertina. When not singing or dancing (and often when he is), Tony Barrand teaches folklore and aesthetics via the University Professors Program at Boston University; Roberts is a freelance music engraver and desktop publisher.
In their many years together as a professional team, Roberts and Barrand have recorded with a number of companies including Swallowtail, Front Hall, Folk Legacy, National Geographic, and, most recently, Golden Hind. These recordings include a critically-acclaimed album of authentic sea shanties, an album of drinking songs recorded live in a Chicago tavern, An Evening at the English Music Hall, and four albums of songs from their celebrated Christmas pageant, Nowell Sing We Clear. Their release in August '92 was a program of English folk songs entitled A Present from the Gentlemen. They have also recorded a selection of the songs that the composer Percy Grainger collected in Lincolnshire during the early years of this century, to be released as "Heartoutbursts" in 1998.
Other releases include Naulakha Redux (1997), Twiddlum Twaddlum (2003).
Widely acclaimed for their lively and entertaining presentations of English folk songs, Roberts and Barrand have performed at major festivals, colleges, clubs and coffeehouses throughout the United States, Canada, and their native Britain. They sing the ballads and songs of the sea, of rural pursuits, of social and sociable situations, of industrial toil and strife, and much more, typically arranging their material thematically to better illustrate the lives and the social history of the people who made and sang the songs. Their songs are punctuated with tales, monologues, dances and tunes, giving a more complete appreciation of the wealth, diversity, and vitality of the English folk tradition.
Roberts and Barrand met at Cornell University in 1968, as fellow graduate students in psychology. They discovered that they shared a common interest in folk song, and started performing together the following year. Unaccompanied two-part singing was always a primary staple of their repertoire, and the stark harmonies of their well-balanced voices soon brought them to the attention of the folk music community. They also draw upon a variety of instrumentation: Roberts is a leading exponent of both Anglo and English concertina, as well as being a fine banjo and guitar player; Tony Barrand is a skilled percussionist, on drums, bones and spoons.
Both are active in the folk dance arena as well as in song. Barrand is a well-known Morris and clog dancer, and his teaching is in demand across the United States. His book, Six Fools and a Dancer, was as the definitive work on Morris Dance in the United States. Roberts, an able dancer himself, is more often found providing the music on concertina. When not singing or dancing (and often when he is), Tony Barrand teaches folklore and aesthetics via the University Professors Program at Boston University; Roberts is a freelance music engraver and desktop publisher.
In their many years together as a professional team, Roberts and Barrand have recorded with a number of companies including Swallowtail, Front Hall, Folk Legacy, National Geographic, and, most recently, Golden Hind. These recordings include a critically-acclaimed album of authentic sea shanties, an album of drinking songs recorded live in a Chicago tavern, An Evening at the English Music Hall, and four albums of songs from their celebrated Christmas pageant, Nowell Sing We Clear. Their release in August '92 was a program of English folk songs entitled A Present from the Gentlemen. They have also recorded a selection of the songs that the composer Percy Grainger collected in Lincolnshire during the early years of this century, to be released as "Heartoutbursts" in 1998.
Other releases include Naulakha Redux (1997), Twiddlum Twaddlum (2003).
A Child This Day Is Born
John Roberts & Tony Barrand Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'A Child This Day Is Born' by these artists:
Salvation Army Band & Choir Today a child is born on earth (Today a child is…
The Bands & Choirs Of The Salvation Army Today a child is born on earth (Today a child is…
The Salvation Army Today a child is born on earth (Today a child is…
The Salvation Army Band and Choir Today a child is born on earth (Today a child is…
We have lyrics for these tracks by John Roberts & Tony Barrand:
The Land The world it sits and watch them die What is the…
We have lyrics for these tracks by John Roberts:
I Every time I think of you It always turns out good Every…
Six In the middle of the night Six strings down On…
This Is Goodbye This is the moment This is the day When I send all…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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themmadhatter
NSWC truly embodies the spirit of Christmastide to me; there was no denying it was the season when my family finally picked out a tree and brought it home, put "The Boys" on the stereo, and started decorating. Even though I now spend the holidays 8,000 miles away from home, I still feel connected each time I hear that first "Hail!"
maxineofarc100
Thank you for sharing this! NSWC has been a holiday tradition for me and my family as long as I can remember. You've brought us a great deal of joy over the years!
Nuinethir
I actually remember my parents taking my sisters and I to this particular performance. Brings back so many memories. :)
Asidonical18
Ahh...great to see Tony Barrand dancing in this video! I've seen these guys many times since the early 90s and love them. Thanks for posting this.
Elizabeth Mills
This took me back in time to 1987, Philadelphia PA, the International Village Fair, seeing Tony and John. After the first time, we came back to see them each time they performed. It was one of the most magical experiences of my life, and cemented my love for folklore, which I study to this day. Oh, thank you, Tony.
Anita Sanchez
It's not Christmas without Noel Sing We Clear! Thank you for so many years of enjoyment.
Howard Bass
Great to see Tony, John, Fred, and Andy in this video, and to recall the old Bluemont and Pinewoods years of dancing, singing, and some really awful puns. Thanks for posting!
sandra morey
Here it is 2017 and I just discovered this. We have a home made tape of the recording of Nowell, Sing We Clear we made in 198? off NPR-Folk Music USA and we put it on every holiday season before we go to Revels to get us in the mood. I learned a bunch of songs from it, which I have used for decades when I do a party, of which I have done many at the Holidays. And I appreciate John and Tony so very much for the great gift of traditional music they have given so many of us over the decades. Fred Greunig was part of that recording, but Andy Davis was not. Thanks for posting, Tony. Love from
Oakland CA
Kitsie R
Tony, you leave a big hole in this world by your passing.
But we "swear that your singing it never shall cease."
Sarah Strong
Tony was so light on his feet, they were all spectacular. <3