UoS Music Presents | Sam Carter

Midlands-born Sam Carter is a BBC Folk Award-winning singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Renowned for his lyrical storytelling, Uncut once described his songs as being “as penetrating as Richard Thompson’s best work”. For over 15 years, he has been stirring audiences from Camden to Canada, from major festivals to intimate clubs. Carter’s expressive fingerpicking led Jon Boden of Bellowhead to call him “the finest English-style fingerpicking guitarist of his generation,” while Ivor Novello-winner Nitin Sawhney has praised his “killer voice.”

With a discography that spans six solo albums and two releases with the folk-rock band False Lights, Carter’s music reflects a blend of traditional English folk, shape-note singing, and rock. Notable highlights in his career include a spellbinding performance on Later… with Jools Holland, where he played songs from his shape-note-inspired album ‘The No Testament’ alongside renowned fiddler Sam Sweeney. His latest album, the acclaimed Top 40 Folk Chart release ‘Silver Horizon’, cements his reputation as a skilful blender of ancient and modern, with songs that are impressionistic, dreamlike, and deeply human.

Sam Carter’s live performances are nothing short of captivating, filled with the raw honesty, humour, and skilled musicianship that underscore his standing as one of contemporary folk’s brightest talents.