Mary Humphreys and Anahata

(if you were looking for sound clips to download, try the Sound Clips page)

Songs

Mary's vocal style is based on recordings of traditional source singers, and most of her material is from the published works of collectors such as Cecil Sharp, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Percy Grainger. Many of her songs have been pieced together from fragments of words from different sources and in some cases she has invented or adapted tunes to fit the words.

Brought up in North Wales, Mary has learned Welsh and sings some traditional Welsh songs in that language.

Accompaniment

Mary has many years of experience singing unaccompanied, or with banjo or English concertina. Now many of the duo's songs feature Anahata's accompaniments on cello, Anglo concertina and melodeons.

Tunes

Anahata plays tunes on melodeon and concertina and has many years of experience playing for morris dance and in ceilidh bands.

Mary and Anahata also perform arrangements of tunes and, with Mary on keyboards or English concertina, enjoy playing in pub music sessions. With Dave and Gina Holland they are members of the popular Cambridge based ceilidh band Fendragon and also of English Rebellion with Nick and Mary Barber.

For ceilidhs on a smaller budget, Mary and Anahata have a three piece band Ethel's Cats or are available to play for dances as a duo for all of which they can also supply their own PA system.