FATEA AWARDS 2010
The Fatea Awards, recognise achievement in 2010. All of the award winners were featured on the site during the year.
No one artist is allowed to win more than one award, though many were considered in a number of catagories.
The awards come with plenty of kudos and merit, but sadly no big tv show, speeches and trophies. In each catagory we announce the winner and the two artists that came closest to beating them to the winning post.
We also have three special awards. The Tradition Award is presented to the act that have traditional folk at the root of their sound and use it to inspire new songs, tunes and arrangements. The Innovation Award is presented for a context or concept that widens the appeal of roots based music. The Lifetime Achievement Award speaks for it's self.
With out further ado or guilding of the lily, the top performers in the 2010 Fatea Music Awards are:
This year sees us returning to our preference of awarding our Lifetime Achievement Award to someone that is alive. By any standards fifty years in a career is an achievement, to have done so pretty much at the top of the game during that time, nothing short of extraordinary.
During what is now six decades in music, he has acquired numerous folk awards as a solo artist, half of a duo as well as as a member of a number of bands/projects. Awarded an MBE in 1998, he has been described as 'godfather of English folk', married another folk legend, Norma Waterson and literally is the father of one of the stars of the next generation Eliza, performing with both wife and daughter on stage many times. This year's Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Martin Carthy.
Born in May 41 and up and running as a musician by 1960, Martin Carthy has proved to be an inspiration to artists on both sides of the Atlantic, before and since recording his own debut album in 1965.
One of the reasons that Martin has survived so long is because he never stands still long enough to become stale. Over the years he has performed as part of many groups, most famously with longtime collaborator Dave Swarbrick, but also in the various Watersons acts, Steeleye Span, The Albion Country Band, Brass Monkey and Imagined Village.
His knowledge of the English folk genre is extensive and he has maintained the 'tradition' by making sure it remains fresh by arranging the songs the way he wants to hear them and give others a different perspective on the familiar.
Martin Carthy MBE continues to provide inspiration to a multitude of artists and has performed on too many records to even consider listening to here. We at Fatea salute you.