John Kirkpatrick is one of the most well-known and popular performers on the British folk scene. He is regarded as England’s leading exponent of ‘squeezebox’ instruments. His remarkable skill with accordion, concertina and melodeon has taken him from folk dancing to experimental rock music and a wide range of international recording collaborations. This long and varies career has involved him in some of the most significant developments in the folk revival over the past twenty five years. He was involved in the creation of some of the most influential folk/rock albums of the 1970’s, notably "Morris On" and "The Compleat Dancing Master". He regularly toured and recorded with Richard Thompson, and played with both the Albion Band and Steeleye Span. Never far from his roots, John always maintained his love of acoustic music and professionally this led to long standing partnership with Martin Carthy, which blossomed into the group Brass Monkey and more recently Band of Hope.
John now works a great deal in the professional theatre. He was in The National Theatre productions of Lark Rise and Candleford, and since 1980 has been contributing music and choreography to many of the production at the New Victoria Theatre in North Staffordshire, as well as finding occasional work with The Orchard Theatre Company in Devon and The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. He has appeared many times on both national and local radio, and on television, and has recently presented his third radio series for BBC Radio 2 called "Squeezing Around the World", which featured some of the world’s leading squeezebox players.
In recent years, John has brought in all his experience to perform as a solo artist. His performances with bands have sometimes concealed the full depth of his talent. Now John pulls together all the strands of his previous experience into powerful solo performances. He combines dazzling playing and soaring vocals with energy, wit, flare and style. Folkworks said of him "One of the major figures of the English Folk scene, John is much acclaimed as a musician, composer, singer, songwriter... in fact he could be called the Renaissance Man of folk music".

www.johnkirkpatrick.co.uk