Yes, the latest addition to our line-up is Sally Barker (as seen on The Voice).
Armed with a voice that makes grown men cry – and that includes her mentor Sir Tom Jones – star of BBC’s The Voice, Sally Barker is the latest addition to the bill at Purbeck Folk Festival.
With six solo albums to her name and a touring career that has seen her open for the likes of Bob Dylan, Robert Plant, Richard Thompson and Fairport Convention, not to mention being a founding member of revered all-female folk outfit The Poozies (she left to start a family in 1996 and was replaced by Kate Rusby), Sally is no stranger to the music business.
But in the wake of her heart stopping performances on The Voice earlier this year that took her all the way to the final and consistently left all four judges with tears in their eyes, Sally is pursuing her musical career with renewed vigour and jumped at the chance to play at Purbeck alongside previously announced headliners Turin Brakes, Eddi Reader, Lloyd Cole, The South, Nizlopi, Chris Wood and Idlewild Acoustic.
“There I was, thinking what a fantastic line-up we had, all complete, no space left on the bill,” says Purbeck Folk Festival director Paul Burke. “Then out of the blue an email arrived from Sally Barker. I have loved her singing for a long, long time – and then voted for her on The Voice.
“We didn’t think twice, just emailed back: ‘You wuz robbed. Come and play at Purbeck!’ Booking Sally is the icing on the cake for this year’s Festival. Thrilled!”