America Over the Water

Shirley is a time traveller, a conduit for essential human aches, one of the greatest artists who ever lived, and yet utterly humble – Stewart LeeWithout doubt one of England’s greatest cultural treasures – Billy Bragg

Shirley Elizabeth Collins MBE is an English folk singer, song collector and perhaps the greatest living embodiment of the musical threads that connect the country with its history. As a significant presence during the Second English Folk Revival, Shirley formed a duo with her sister Dolly, who accompanied Shirley’s raw and direct voice on piano and portative organ; together they recorded the startling Anthems In Eden and Love, Death & The Lady. Following a period of silence spanning three decades during which she barely sang, Shirley released Lodestar, her first new material since 1978. The record is a collection of English, American and Cajun songs dating from the 16th Century to the 1950s, recorded at Shirley’s home in Lewes, East Sussex - the work of an icon of British music who has never stopped exploring the power of the voice.