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KEITH:
Keith first became involved in music as an electric guitar player in rock bands in Liverpool's beat clubs during the 1960's. He gradually moved into traditional music, teaching himself to play a wide variety of instruments, particularly melodeon, anglo concertina and fiddle and developing his guitar playing in a wide range of styles. Stints followed in numerous folk groups and barn dance bands. He later studied Irish fiddle with the legendary Eamonn Coyne and became deeply immersed in the Irish music scene, performing with some of the best musicians in the field. Keith is now a well-known figure in the North West as a member of the 'Cream of the Barley' Irish band, but is quite as much at home playing in a wide variety of groups from Swing to Country.
BERNIE:
At an early age, Bernie learned to pick out tunes on his grandfather's anglo concertina and his uncle's melodeon. During the skiffle boom of the 1950's, as a thirteen-year old, Bernie was lead singer, playing banjo and guitar, in a skiffle group which played at local church halls. Over the years since then, he has had lengthy stints as solo performer and musician in folk groups, barn dance bands and bluegrass bands, playing a variety of instruments, particularly tenor banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle and melodeon. During the last ten years, Bernie has been co-organiser of the highly successful Mersey International Shanty Festival and has made a number of radio broadcasts on the history of sea songs.
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odeon player and Bemie as caller, when they pioneered the re-introduction of purely English tunes and stepping for English folk social dance. They have also provided the music for theatre productions of Sean O'Casey plays and accompanied ex Liverpool Spinner, Mick Groves in his much acclaimed celebration concert for Ewan MaColl at the unveiling of a Salford 'red plaque' to commemorate the great Folklorist/ songwriter/ performer's Salford origins