New Shoes: Kate Rusby and "The Cobbler's Daughter"

Today's song, The Cobbler's Daughter, is by English singer-songwriter Kate Rusby. Described as a "superstar" of English acoustic musicians, and often called "the Nightingale of Barnsley" (after her home town), Kate Rusby was born into a musical family and learned to play guitar, fiddle and piano. She became the lead vocalist of the all-female Celtic band The Poozies before she broke through in her own right in 1995 on a collaborative album with fellow Barnsley native folk-songer Kathryn Roberts. She recorded her first solo album, Hourglass, in 1997. She was married in 2001 to Scottish musician and former Battlefield Band member John McCusker. She has since divorced and married Northern Irish musician Damien O'Kane, with whom she has two daughters and a dog named Doris who is often a part of Rusby's stage banter. The Cobbler's Daughter can be found on Rusby's 1999 album Sleepless.

A Nice Patina with Age: The Copper Family and "Spencer the Rover"

Our random tune for today is sung by The Copper Family and is called Spencer the Rover. From England, they specialize in unaccompanied, traditional English folk songs and have been described as "the first family of English roots music." James and Thomas Copper first came to the attention of musical folklorists in 1898 and even then were considered something special because of their unaccompanied singing. Made honorary members of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, they were asked to write down the songs they knew, thus possibly preserving songs that might have been lost. In the 1950s, James and his son Ron were recorded by the BBC in a series of radio programs. With new generations of the Copper family, more members were added to the singing group and even now, further generations are singing as The Young Coppers and the family has been the subject of BBC programs for television as late as 2006. Spencer the Rover won a BBC Folk Award in 2001 and can be found on the 2001 album Come Write Me Down - Early Recordings of The Copper Family of Rottingdean and on the compilation album The Folk Awards 2001 which was put out by the BBC and Topic Records. It can also be found on the 2013 album Good Ale.

Wormhole: Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters with "Arbaden (Maggie's Baby)"

Robert Plant, rock legend and former lead singer of Led Zeppelin, and his band the Sensational Space Shifters, bring us the random tune for today. The song is called Arbaden (Maggie's Baby) and is off of his world music-influenced album Lullaby and the Ceaseless Roar from 2014 which was named one of the 50 best albums of 2014 by National Public Radio. Robert Plant formed the Sensational Space Shifters in 2012 and after a "soft-opening" to a crowd of 400 in Gloucester, England the band performed at WOMAD that same year. The Sensational Space Shifters include Gambian griot musician Juldeh Camara and Camara's frequent collaborator, English guitarist Justin Adams.

Drowning in Love: e2k and "The Water is Wide"

The random tune for today is The Water is Wide by e2k. e2k grew out of the original English band Edward the Second. Edward the Second formed in 1980 as a world fusion, reggae and English folk band. The band made a conscious effort to steer away from a folk-punk fusion and instead gravitated toward Jamaican reggae based on similar harmonics and a shared folk tradition. In the early 90s they shortened their name to Edward II. In 1999 Edward II dissolved, but in 2000 some former members reformed as e2k, and brought in a Ghanaian instrumentalist and the lead singer and guitarist from the Albion Band. In addition, some other former members of Edward II have reformed themselves. The Water is Wide can be found on e2k's 2001 album Shift, and on the 2001 BBC compilation The Folk Awards.

Not My Choo's: Kirsty MacColl and "In These Shoes?"

Kirsty MacColl - "In These Shoes" from Ben Unwin on Vimeo.

Today's tune is by Kirsty MacColl, an English singer-songwriter who recorded many pop hits in the 1990s, and made notable appearances on other hits. Married to producer Steve Lillywhite, she sang backup vocals on the recordings of many of the artists that he produced. She died in 2000 in a tragic accident in Cozumel, Mexico. While diving in an area restricted to speedboats, she was hit by a speedboat that had strayed into the area - she died saving her son who was in the boat's path. To give you an idea of the esteem she is held in, Billy Bragg always includes extra verses she wrote in covering his song A New England, a memorial bench has been placed in her honor at the southern entrance to Soho Square in London, and she is always heard on her guest vocal in The Pogues' Fairytale of New York, which has been voted as the fan favorite Christmas song on the VH1 video channel. This song, In These Shoes?, can be found on her 2000 album Tropical Brainstorm. I originally thought this video was fan-produced, but then fleetingly noticed Kirsty MacColl in the conga line at the end.

Last Days of Disco: Biddu Orchestra and "Eastern Journey"

Today's song is by the Biddu Orchestra. Biddu is an Indian-born England based producer, composer, songwriter and singer. He is considered one of the pioneers of disco, Euro-disco and Indian pop. His international breakthrough came in 1974 when he produced Carl Douglas' international hit Kung Fu Fighting. Not long after, he started producing orchestral disco albums under the name Biddu Orchestra. He is responsible for making the careers of Tina Charles and Jimmy James, and influenced British new wave bands such as The Buggles. When disco declined in the West, he found a new market in countries in Asia and produced many hits there. In the 2000s, he has reoriented toward more spiritual and Eastern-oriented themes. This song, Eastern Journey, can be found on the compilation Putumayo Presents: Asian Lounge (2005).

Tragedy of the Commons: Kate Rusby and "The Village Green Preservation Society"

Today's song, Village Green Preservation Society, is a cover of a Kinks song by English singer-songwriter Kate Rusby. Described as a "superstar" of English acoustic musicians, and often called "the Nightingale of Barnsley" (after her home town), Kate Rusby was born into a musical family and learned to play guitar, fiddle and piano. She became the lead vocalist of the all-female Celtic band The Poozies before she broke through in her own right in 1995 on a collaborative album with fellow Barnsley native folk-songer Kathryn Roberts. She recorded her first solo album, Hourglass, in 1997. She was married in 2001 to Scottish musician and former Battlefield Band member John McCusker. She has since divorced and married Northern Irish musician Damien O'Kane, with whom she has two daughters and a dog named Doris who is often a part of Rusby's stage banter. The Village Green Preservation Society can be found as a bonus track on Rusby's 2010 album titled Awkward Annie.

Rockin' West Africa: Juldeh Camara and Justin Adams with "Banjul Girl"

What do you get when you mix a British guitarist, an African griot and a smattering of surf and rock music? You get Banjul Girl by Juldeh Camara and Justin Adams! Camara is a Gambian griot and internationally acclaimed blues musician known for his instrumental virtuosity and international collaborations. He plays the African one-string fiddle, known as a riti or a Nyanyero. He learned to play the instrument from his blind father, who according to legend lost his sight as payment to a Djinn (genie) who taught him to play - and many say you can hear the sound of the Djinn in Juldeh's music. Justin Adams is an English guitarist who works in blues and African styles. He started his career in the band The Impossible Dreamers and then worked for a time with Jah Wobble in his group Invaders of the Heart. He co-wrote Robert Plant's 2005 album Mighty Rearranger. He has collaborated on four albums with Juldeh Camara. Banjul Girl can be found on their 2009 album Tell No Lies.

Love, True Love: The Mediaeval Baebes and "E Volentieri"

Hello, and welcome to today's random tune, E Volentieri by the Mediaeval Baebes. The Mediaeval Baebes began in 1996 when a group of friends led by Katherine Blake of Miranda Sex Garden broke into a North London cemetery and sang a capella in flowing white robes and leaf garlands. They soon became an ensemble, and their first album, Salva Nos, shot to number two on the classical charts. It didn't hurt that they were all beautiful and very talented. The group has since had many incarnations. They sing in an array of obscure and ancient languages, and have placed three albums in the top ten of the classical charts and participated in the BBC's television series The Virgin Queen. E Volentieri is from their 2000 CD Undrentide, and tells the happiness of a woman who has found her true love.