British Women Folk Singers

English singer-songwriter Sandy Denny, considered a leading British folk-rock singer, performed as lead-singer of the famous folk-rock band Fairport Convention, and fronted it through many of its successful albums like What We Did on Our Holidays. Other notable works of Denny includes her solo-albums like Rendezvous; and her folk-duet The Battle of Evermore with Robert Plant for Led Zeppelin's album.

British folk singer-songwriter Laura Marling is noted for albums like I Speak Because I Can and Song for Our Daughter, which garnered her nomination for Mercury Music Prize. The latter and her sixth album, Semper Femina also earned her Grammy Award nomination for Best Folk Album. She has won the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist in 2011.

English folk-singer Maddy Prior MBE is best-known as a founding-member and lead vocalist of the folk-rock band Steeleye Span. Her musical pursuits also include collaborating with Mac MacLeod as part of singing duo Mac & Maddy, with June Tabor as part of singing duo Silly Sisters; performing and recording two albums with Tim Hart; and releasing solo albums like Ravenchild.   

Singer and lyricist of the English band Portishead, Beth Gibbons was at her family’s farm in Exeter and grew up shunning modern lifestyle or education. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with many artists. She has also been a judge at the Independent Music Award.

English singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan is best-known for her debut album Just Another Diamond Day which got relatively unnoticed following its release in 1970 leading Bunyan  to abandoned her musical-career. The album however gained attention with time and acquired cult following by 2000. This motivated Bunyan to re-start her musical-career after around three decades, and release the albums Lookaftering and Heartleap.    

Lianne La Havas is a British record producer and singer-songwriter. Apart from releasing award-winning albums like Lianne La Havas and Is Your Love Big Enough, La Havas also headlines concert tours. Her work has received nominations for the prestigious Grammy Awards and Brit Awards.

English singer-songwriter Ella Edmondson is the eldest daughter of comedians Ade Edmondson and Jennifer Saunders. During her teens, for some time, Ella became part of the goth subculture. She did several odd jobs before turning to music full-time releasing the EP, Blame Amy, and the album, Hold Your Horses. She also toured with Ade’s English folk band, The Bad Shepherds.   

Kate Rusby, counted among the best-known contemporary English folk-singers, has released several successful albums like 20 and Hand Me Down. She co-founded and remained part of the band called Equation; performed as lead-vocalist of The Poozies, an all-female traditional folk band; and contributed guest vocals on Ronan Keating's single All Over Again that reached #6 on the UK Singles Chart. 

Dana Gillespie is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. Gillespie, who started her career as a teen pop musician, went on to experiment with other genres like folk and rock. More recently, she has established herself as an exponent of the blues. As an actress, Dana Gillespie has played interesting roles in movies like The Lost Continent and Bad Timing.  

Julie Driscoll is an English actress and singer best known for her '60s version of Rick Danko and Bob Dylan's This Wheel's on Fire. Driscoll's version of the song became the unofficial anthem of the psychedelic subculture era in British rock music.

Lauren Aquilina is a Maltese-English singer-songwriter. She achieved popularity when she was still a school student by releasing a trilogy of independent EPs, namely Fools, Sinners, and Liars. Since then, Lauren Aquilina has released several best-selling singles, such as Lovers or Liars and Swap Places.

English folk singer Anne Briggs started her career with folk clubs and later became a cult figure in folk music. However, she apparently hated her voice so much that she ended up retiring from music at age 27. She became a recluse later, but her music ended up inspiring many future folk artists.

English folk singer June Tabor first gained fame with the album Silly Sisters, a collaboration with singer Maddy Prior. She is also known for her collaboration with British folk-rock band The Oyster Band. In 2004, she bagged the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for the Folk Singer of the Year.

English singer-songwriter Thea Gilmore was a teenager when she released her first album. Initially a poetry and short story writer, she left home at 16 and established her own label. She soon gained fame with tracks such as Juliet. She has also collaborated extensively with her husband, producer-songwriter Nigel Stonier.

While singer Lucy Rose initially sang gentle folk-rock, she later experimented with pop and added acoustic elements to it. Interestingly, she once sold her own brand of tea at her shows. She also shot a documentary while performing for free and staying with her fans in Latin America.

Known for her powerful soprano voice, English folk singer Frankie Armstrong soared to fame with her rendition of Peggy Seeger's I'm Gonna Be an Engineer. She has performed at folk festivals across the US and Britain. She has also worked as a voice coach at National Theatre and other theater groups.