Belinda Kempster and Fran Foote plus Bill Redway

Mother and daughter duo Belinda Kempster and Fran Foote sing songs from their family and home county Essex without frills or fuss. Their family has a history of farming and working on the land and their songs come from that way of life at work and at play.

Belinda began singing traditional songs in the 1960s. She met her husband in a folk club, and Fran grew up immersed in the local folk scene, learning songs from her parents from a very young age. As Frances Kempster, she took part in New Roots in 2004 as an unaccompanied singer and went on to join East End group Stick in the Wheel.

As mother and daughter, Fran and Belinda have sung together privately for years, but its only in recent years that they have sung in public as a duo, bringing timeless renditions without frills or fuss to a repertoire that is rich and varied.

Bill Redway is a singer guitarist who is well known on the North Herts folk scene as a performer of mostly contemporary songs with an occasional dip into the traditional well. Dylan, Paul Simon and John Renbourn were early influences while the Incredible String Band provided a unique impression. In recent years he was a founding member of the Kimpton Folk Festival and continues to support music events of various kinds in the county and beyond.