* En anglais uniquement
For over a decade, the British folk band
the Poozies has combined innovative arrangements with a love of classic Celtic melodies. The group formed in 1989, when former
Sileas members
Mary Macmaster (metal-strung and electro harps, percussion, and vocals) and
Patsy Seddon (gut and electro harps, percussion, vocals, and fiddle) shared their idea of an all-female folk group with guitarist/vocalist/percussionist
Sally Barker. They connected with accordion player/vocalist
Karen Tweed and fiddler Jenny Gardner. Though Gardner left shortly after their first few gigs -- which included a performance at the Shetland Folk Festival --
the Poozies continued as a quartet and released 1993's Chantoozies and 1995's Dansoozies with this lineup.
Barker left the group in 1996 and was replaced briefly by up-and-coming vocalist
Kate Rusby, who recorded the Come Raise Your Head EP and the
Infinite Blue album with them before continuing her solo career. By the late '90s, vocalist/fiddler
Eilidh Shaw joined the group, and the 2000 release
Raise Your Head: A Retrospective celebrated the group's first ten years. ~ Heather Phares