Megson (band)

Megson

Megson are an English folk duo composed of husband and wife Stu Hanna and Debbie Hanna. The duo have released four albums and one EP under their own label, edj. Their live performances feature Stu playing a guitar or mandolin as backing to their vocal harmonies.

Biography

The duo met whilst singing in Cleveland Youth Choir before moving to London to allow Debbie to study classical music whilst Stu became involved with a progressive rock band. In 2004 they began making their own music and released their first album, On The Side, whilst performing at acoustic clubs around London.

Megson named themselves after Debbie's family dog, who at the time had just died. They had originally decided upon "The Ghost of Meg", but their family and friends convinced them that it sounded like a death-metal band.

Megson's first album, On The Side, consisted of a mixture of self-penned and traditional songs. Released in 2004, the album caught the attention of Seth Lakeman, who then helped produce their second album, Smoke of Home, which further explored the wealth of traditional songs from around their home in Teeside as well as self-composed songs in the same style. Their third album, Take Yourself A Wife, was recorded whilst they were planning their wedding and consists of their own take on traditional and Victorian folk songs. Their most recent album, The Longshot, consists of songs about work from the North East of England and their own experiences of English culture, especially sport and the textile industry.

At present the duo have been nominated for "Best Duo" at the 2009 and 2010 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and have garnered airplay from several radio DJs including BBC Radio 2's Bob Harris, who invited them to do a live studio session for his show in 2007.

Discography

Albums

• On The Side (2004)
• Smoke Of Home (2007)
• Take Yourself A Wife (2008)
• The Longshot (2010)

EPs

• Megson (2006)

External links

• Megson official website
• Megson Myspace page