Artists
who's who and who's doing what?Jim Moray
- country:United Kingdom
- style(s):Folk
- label:Niblick-Is-A-Giraffe
- type:Band, Solist
- instrumentation:instrumental, vocal
- artist submitted by:
On June 30th 2003, aged 21, Jim Moray released his debut album Sweet England on his own unlikely named Niblick-Is-A-Giraffe Records. Just a month before he had completed the final year of his music degree at Birmingham Conservatoire, submitting the album as his final project. The ten track album had been recorded for next to nothing in a bedroom studio made up of equipment bought with his student loan. He had played virtually every instrument himself adding in just a few pieces performed by fellow students. He had also engineered, arranged and produced the songs, learning how to record as he went along. The final album was causing waves even before it was released.
Since then Jim has gone from performing in local folk clubs to this year playing the main stage at Cambridge Folk Festival. He has been featured in The Independent, Mojo, The Telegraph, Uncut and The Times and reviewed in countless other publications here and abroad. He has performed radio sessions on The Andy Kershaw Show (Radio 3), The Mike Harding Show (Radio 2), Late Junction (Radio 3), Tom Robinson's Evening Sequence (6 Music), The Janice Long Show (Radio 2), The Verb (Radio 4), A Place Called England (Radio 3), The Phil Jupitus Show (6 Music), and has performed for TV on The Celtic Connections 2004 Special (BBC4) and The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2004 (BBC4). He has had his music featured on the trailer for ITV's drama Murder City. Tracks by Jim have also appeared on compilation albums including Nu-Europe (Manteca), which reached 16 in the World Music Charts of Europe, and The Big Session Vol. 1 (West Park). And he has toured in his own right in the UK, Benelux, Australia and Canada, and has done dates in Italy and France, and has provided support on tours by The Oysterband and John McCusker in the UK.
In February 2004 Jim received both the Horizon Award as best newcomer and the prestigious Album Of The Year Award for Sweet England at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.
Jim Moray has since toured Australia in support of the release of Sweet England in Australia, with performances including Port Fairy Folk Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival and Brunswick Music Festival. In May/June he supported Richard Thompson on his solo UK tour. In July 2004 he was invited to provide the opening performance for The Heritage National Lottery Fund Heritage And Identity Forum on at The British Museum chaired by Melvyn Bragg. UK festival performances in summer 2004 included Womad Reading, Summer Sundae and Cambridge Folk Festival. On October 20th 2004 Jim co-headlined London's Scala with James Yorkston and The Athletes while in November he performed at the Sons em Transito Festival in Portugal.
In November 2004 Jim was once again nominated for a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award 2005 with his track Cuckoo's Nest recorded with The Oysterband for the album The Big Session Vol. 1 nominated for Best Traditional track, a category in which Jim had two nominations in 2004. Jim also signed a publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music in the UK.
Spring 2005 he returned to Australia and New Zealand to perform at the Womad festivals followed by a UK tour in April 2005 and a performance at the Womad festival in Cacares in Spain in May. Festival performances followed in summer 2005 including performances at Snape Proms, Wychwood Festival, Canterbury Festival and Trowbridge Festival.
In 2005 Jim also completed his first full-album in the role of producer, outside his own album, for the album Strange Histories (Unearthed/One Little Indian) by James Raynard who went on to gain a nomination as best newcomer in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2006. At the beginning of 2006 Jim was featured in the BBC4 series Folk Britannia, bringing him back to public attention in advance of the long-awaited self-release of Jim Moray's eponymously titled follow up to Sweet England on 1st May 2006 on his own NIBL label.
Following the release of 'Jim Moray' Jim toured extensively throughout the UK in response to excellent reviews. His third album will be released in spring 2008.
Links
Images
