One off appearance by Folk Legends at Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival

In what amounts to an amazing coup Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival have persuaded two leading folk musicians to agree to a once only, three night, appearance at this year's festival.

American singer Marilyn Middleton Pollock is well known in the world of Jazz and Folk Music as a solo performer, a member of husband, Steve Mellor's Chicago Hoods and for her successful one woman shows 'Those Women of the Vaudeville Blues' and 'Jazz me Blues'. She retired from performing but was persuaded out of retirement three years ago by her old friend ,the Artistic Director of Moniaive Folk Festival, Hugh Taylor.

Neil King of Fatea Magazine was in the audience for that event "You know you're in for something really special when an artist starts their set with a vocal only rendition of a song, without a reference to a tuning pipe and hits every note on the mark. Not just on the mark but with a real sense of emotion. It was an area she showed to her fullest ability when she performed an old Shaker hymn, "Bringing In The Sheaves" as part of her set. She also got that same level of spirit into her secular songs, "Tiny Fish For Japan" and "Wild Women Don't Get The Blues" from two of her earliest albums. It seems that she's going to out with one heck of a best of live moment. "

It also seems that she enjoyed the experience as Hugh has persuaded her to return for a final farewell tour of three concerts next week.

Keith Hancock another stalwart of the Folk Festival circuit vanished without trave several years ago. Hugh recently found him living and working in Thailand, indulged in a spot of arm twisting and earlier this week Keith arrived in the UK . He's a singer songwriter who once had the ambition of making the melodeon a Heavy Metal instrument. He's played and collaborated with Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick, Richard Thompson, Dave Mattacks and Clive Gregson. His songs are powerful and full of emotional, ranging from biting political satire (Boys of the Old Brigade), songs of social comment (Chasing the Dragon), historical (The Overland Lifeboat) and humour (Le Petamain).

Keith's son Sam will be joining him on stage while Kentucky-born fiddler, Kate Kramer will be accompanying Marilyn. Support is by Claire Hastings, an outstanding young singer from Dumfries.

Catch them while you can at: A The Airts Sanquhar Sunday 22nd, Lockerbie Little Theatre, Monday 23rd, The Mill on The Fleet, Gatehouse of Fleet, Tuesday 24th. All performances start at 7.30pm. Tickets £8/£6 available from the Midsteeple Dumfries.