Bryony Griffith is an English fiddle player and singer from Huddersfield in West Yorkshire with a rich repertoire of English dance tunes and songs.
Her career in folk music started in the acclaimed ceilidh band Bedlam in her teens and took her all over the UK festival scene. She later became musician for Dog Rose Morris, appearing on Jools Holland, and still plays for one of the country’s premier rapper teams, The Newcastle Kingsmen. She sang in the much-missed a cappella group The Witches of Elswick and was a founder member of the BBC Folk Award-winning Demon Barbers.
In 2017 she was appointed as senior lecturer in vocals and fiddle on the new Folk, Roots and Blue Music degree at Leeds Conservatoire.
In 2011 Bryony and her husband Will Hampson released a duo album ‘Lady Diamond’ which received 5 star reviews and award nominations, winning ‘Best Debut’ in the 2012 Spiral Earth Awards.
Bryony’s debut solo album ‘Nightshade’ was released in 2014 and saw her stepping away from the comfort of a band to showcase solo fiddle tunes and songs. With only occasional accompaniment from Jack Rutter on guitar and herself on piano and strings, the arrangements are intimate and honest.
Nightshade placed in the Top 10 Folk Treats in The Telegraph and was a runner-up in the 2014 fRoots Critics Albums of the Year.
2018 saw the release of ‘Hover’, Bryony’s first solo album of purely traditional fiddle tunes. Solo English fiddle albums are scarce and Hover is a significant and unique move in terms of English fiddle music. The album received 5* reviews and award nominations including the Fatea Instrumentalist of the Year and fRoots editor’s Album of the Year.
In 2019 she started working with fellow Yorkshire musician and singer Alice Jones, researching, performing and recording traditional material from their native Yorkshire. Their debut album ‘A Year Too Late and a Month Too Soon’ was released in 2022 to wide critical acclaim and they released ‘Wesselbobs’, an album of rare traditional Yorkshire Winter songs. More info about the duo, including reviews and gig dates can be found at https://bryonyandalice.com/
Another ongoing collaboration is ‘The English Fiddle Ensemble’ with English fiddlers Ross Grant, Jim Boyle and Rosie-Butler Hall.
“It is such an outstanding and major contribution to English fiddle playing that it should be heard throughout the land and considered the high water mark of England’s music”. Joe Crane Folk Radio UK
“…sublime...her touch and tone is almost an affirmation of time-honoured values of folk music”. Colin Irwin – Mojo Magazine
“Bryony Griffith has established herself as one of the most powerful and distinctive vocalists to emerge in the past decade. English folk music at its absolute best”. R2 Magazine
“A solo album of great power and magnificence. She sings beautifully and knows how to kick out a song and does it brilliantly. Wow, what a great voice.” Mike Harding
“Fantastic! Such a lovely style and choice of material.” Norma Waterson