Forged from the same roaring hearth as U.K. folk luminaries like Martin Carthy, Nic Jones, and the Watersons, London-born and bred singer, visual artist, promoter, educator, and survival skills instructor Sam Lee emerged in 2012 with the acclaimed Ground of Its Own, which was shortlisted for the 2012 Mercury Music Award. In addition to his solo work, Lee is a traditional music specialist and scholar, and the mastermind behind the eclectic folk club and promotional network The Nest Collective.

The North West London native fell under the spell of traditional folk music while completing a four-year apprenticeship in his early twenties under the tutelage of legendary Scottish archivist/balladeer Stanley Robertson. In 2010 he founded the folk club The Magpie's Nest, which later changed its name to The Nest Collective. Sourcing material from English, Gypsy, Irish, and Scottish traveler communities, Lee's debut album, Ground of Its Own, was released in 2012. Produced by Gerry Diver and featuring mixes from Nick Drake engineer John Wood, the album was nominated for that year's esteemed Mercury Prize. Released under the moniker Sam Lee and Friends, the More for the Rise EP arrived in 2014, followed in 2016 by his sophomore full-length effort, the cosmopolitan Fade in Time, which incorporated elements of Bollywood, Polynesian textures, and contemporary classical music into the mix. Shifting stylistic gears once again, Lee enlisted Bernard Butler (Suede) to produce his third LP, Old Wow, which pushed guitar (both electric and acoustic) to the fore and featured guest appearances by the Gloaming's Caoimhin Ó Raghallaigh, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer Cosmo Sheldrake, spoken word poet Dizraeli, and the Cocteau Twins' Elizabeth Fraser. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi