Sam Kelly is a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winning musician, singer, songwriter, and producer from Norfolk.

Described by legendary folk broadcaster Mike Harding as ‘one of my favourite singers ever’ and by Cara Dillon as ‘an amazing singer with so much soul’, Sam has become one of the most accomplished and well-respected performers on the UK folk scene.

His band The Lost Boys are festival favourites across the UK and beyond, and as an accompanist on guitar and Irish bouzouki, his portfolio includes playing with the likes of Kate Rusby, Seth Lakeman, John McCusker, Phil Beer, and Katherine Priddy.

Sam has become respected by peers and audiences alike as a unique and innovative arranger and pioneer of traditional folk song, and has produced albums by The Changing Room, Kitty Macfarlane, Chris Cleverley, Ainsley Hamill and more.

He is also is a published songwriter, with his music being used on Sky Sports, Sky Arts, Channel 4, Channel 5, as well as BBC Radio 1, 2, and 3. A captivating and versatile performer with impressive prowess as both a vocalist and instrumentalist, Sam showcases varied material from all the projects he has been involved with, with a sound that is strongly influenced by his Irish heritage. He sings songs in the English language as well as Cornish and Gaelic, and is known for his self-deprecating, cheeky humour and amusing anecdotes in between songs.

Coming from a family largely made up of Norfolk dairy farmers has left Sam with an unmatched experience of singing in front of hurtfully disinterested Friesians, and his meandering musical journey has ranged from reaching the final of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent as a teenager, to becoming one of the most prevalent folk singers of his generation. Whether playing to 13 million people on prime-time television, or to 10 people in a tiny pub, Sam’s child-like fascination with music shines through, and his passion for discovering and rekindling the sounds of his musical heritage has gained him the respect of peers and audiences worldwide.   

So he seemed the perfect target… um  choice,  to revisit those special early moments,  the memories that shaped and developed this extremely talented (and in demand) musician, so we plucked up the courage to ask Sam Kelly, BBC Folk Award Winner, if he was brave enough to reveal all and answer frankly and honestly to his  ‘ Question of Firsts’

Are you sitting comfortably … 

FIRST RECORD YOU EVER BOUGHT

I was genuinely considering lying here, but if we’re talking about the first record I actually bought for myself with my own money, it’s S Club by S Club 7.

FIRST PERSON WHO MADE YOU WANT TO BE A MUSICIAN

My grandfather, Tony Kelly. He had a lovely singing voice and would sing songs to me as a child, accompanying himself on the melodeon or bodhrán.

FIRST GIG YOU EVER SAW

The Floating Greyhounds at the Brickmakers in Norwich, circa 2002

FIRST PERSON YOU FELL IN LOVE WITH

Laura from my year at school, when I was about 10

FIRST THING YOU THINK ABOUT IN THE MORNING

Capybaras

Kiwi the Capybara at Hertfordshire Zoo – she knows she’s got it  (Image: Hertfordshire Zoo)

FIRST PERSON YOU’D INVITE TO A PARTY

Donald Trump (the party would be in the Mariana Trench*)

FIRST THING YOU’LL BUY WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR FIRST MILLION

Probably a few hundred capybaras

FIRST THING YOU’LL ABOLISH WHEN YOU RULE THE WORLD

Landlords

FIRST ALBUM YOU’D SAVE IF YOUR HOUSE WENT UP IN FLAMES

Joni Mitchell – Blue

FIRST PERSON YOU’D SEND ON A ONE-WAY TICKET TO THE HEART OF THE SUN

Icarus I guess – I’d be saving him a lot of bother

 Icarus had a desire to fly as close to the sun as possible to reach heaven.

FIRST THING YOU EVER PERFORMED IN PUBLIC

A song called When The Double Glazing Salesmen Come from a musical which I can’t remember the name of. Absolute banger though, I think I was 4 years old.

FIRST SONG YOU’D HAVE PLAYED AT YOUR FUNERAL

Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead from The Wizard of Oz

FIRST INSTRUMENT YOU EVER OWNED

A £19.99 ¾ size classical guitar from Argos. I gave it away to a friend’s kid a few years ago. 

FIRST PERSON YOU’D RAISE FROM THE DEAD

Robin Williams

FIRST PLACE YOU’D VISIT IN A TIME MACHINE

Ancient Babylon or Baghdad

FIRST TRACK ON YOUR APPLE MUSIC OR SPOTIFY MOST PLAYED LIST

I Courted A Sailor by Kate Rusby (both services I only really use for learning songs I’m about to play on tour)

FIRST TRACK ON YOUR IMAGINARY ALBUM OF YOUR OWN GREATEST HITS

The Shining Ship. Not one of our most popular songs but I think it’s our best

FIRST PERSON YOU’D ASK TO JOIN YOUR ALL-STAR BAND

Paul Brady

FIRST THING YOU’D LIKE TO CHANGE ABOUT YOURSELF

I would quite like to have colour changing temperature regulating back plates, a bit like a
stegosaurus

FIRST ARTIST YOU’D BOOK TO APPEAR AT YOUR OWN UNLIMITED BUDGET FESTIVAL

Joni Mitchell and James Taylor as a duo

ANY OTHER FIRSTS YOU WANT TO OFFLOAD TO UNBURDEN YOUR CONSCIENCE 

I first committed murder aged around 3 when I locked a frog in a Wendy House thinking I could
keep it as a pet.  I opened it the next day to a dead, dried out frog. A hard but necessary lesson!

We would like to thank Sam for his open and honest Firsts … and hope the amphibian world can forgive him for his murderous past.   

(www.countryfile.com/wildlife/guide-to-frogs-and-toads-when-do-frogs-spawn-and-how-to-care-for-them)

His new album Dreamers Dawn, is out June 6th The album tour will be with the full Lost Boys Band, this will be their first venue tour since 2021.  Check your diaries,  dates are selling out fast! 

Dreamers Dawn is out June 6th on Navigator Records on CD, Digital and LP.

Pre-order here: https://samkelly.lnk.to/dreamersdawn

For further details please visit: https://www.samkelly.com

Or check out his social media platforms:

Facebook /samkellymusic

Instagram /samkellysings

YouTube /samkellysings

Spotify.com/artist/Sam Kelly

‘First’ committed murder ? …..(deafening silence)

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariana_Trench