Roy Bailey on stage at Towersey Festival 2018, by Phil Sofer
Towersey Festival Patron Roy Bailey passed away on Tuesday 20 November 2018, aged 83.
Roy was instrumental in the founding of Towersey Festival, and a giant of the British folk scene, and will be hugely missed.
Statement from Towersey Festival:
“It’s with great sadness we hear of the passing of our Festival Patron and friend Roy Bailey.
“Roy has been a part of Towersey Festival since our very first event, and even before. He was there, back in 1965 at the very meeting where the festival was conceived, and he’s been performing at the festival almost every year since.
“Always playing to capacity crowds, his regular Monday afternoon concerts were an utter joy – warm, funny, poignant, and well-observed.
“We’ll miss him greatly, and we know many Towersey-goers will do too.
“Our thoughts are with his family.”
– Joe Heap, Festival Director, Towersey Festival
More information:
The Guardian: Roy Bailey (1935-2018)
FRUK: Legendary Folk Singer and Humanitarian Roy Bailey …
Roy’s last album was Live At Towersey Festival 2015 (recorded at the festival and released in 2016).
About Roy Bailey
Roy Bailey was one of the UK folk and acoustic scene’s most admired and accomplished performers. He began his long career performing skiffle in student union bars in the late 1950s before falling in love with traditional songs and the stories they tell. Quickly developing a unique repertoire of songs of dissent and hope, he went on to perform on stages, TV and radio all over the world. En route, he’s been joined by such artists as Leon Rosselson, Martin Carthy, Chumbawamba and MP Tony Benn (a collaboration which won them a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award).
Throughout, he remained as committed as ever to his life-long principles of Equality, Liberty, Justice and Internationalism.
Four Four Eight 