Biography
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Years Active
1993 – present (32 years)
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Members
- Barry Coope
- Jim Boyes
- Lester Simpson
Coope Boyes & Simpson was a British vocal folk trio formed around 1990 and remembered for their rich sound and often unusual vocal harmonies. The group comprised singers Barry Coope, Jim Boyes (formerly of Swan Arcade), and Lester Simpson. Almost all of their music was sung entirely a capella, although they occasionally used accordion, guitar and drums very sparingly on recordings.
The trio performed a mixture of both traditional folk songs (though often creatively arranged), hymns and carols, and their own original compositions. Most of their albums were released on the No Masters label (the No Masters Co-operative is a recording and publishing company run by songwriters, singers and musicians based in the North of England).
Much of their music was political in nature, but they also performed sacred music, and released two albums consisting of Christmas carols and hymns (the latter receiving extensive airplay on Classic FM around Christmas time from DJ Natalie Wheen).
In addition to the three vocalists, the nature of the line-up was somewhat fluid, with additional singers joining in as required. Their Christmas recordings were sometimes accredited to 'Voices at the Door', while the trio was also part of the occasional folk 'supergroup' Blue Murder along with members of Waterson:Carthy and The Watersons.
From 2005 they frequently collaborated with label mates Chumbawamba, contributing vocals on the latter's albums "A Singsong and a Scrap", "Get On With It! Live" and "The Boy Bands Have Won".
The trio often worked with choirs and others on various projects, eg. Kerstbestand - a concert about the Christmas truces of WW1, and Private Peaceful - a collaboration with author Micheal Morpurgo about a young soldier shot for cowardice.
The trio gave their final performance in October 2017, as part of the 2017 Derby Folk Festival.
Official website: www.coopeboyesandsimpson.co.uk
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