Miranda Sykes

Headhitter: removed Category:People from Lincolnshire; added Category:People from South Holland (district) using HotCat

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[[File:Miranda Sykes at Ram Folk Club.jpg|thumb|Miranda Sykes at [[The Ram Club]] in [[Thames Ditton]], Surrey, England on 26 April 2019]]
'''Miranda Sykes''' (born 1978 in [[Spalding, Lincolnshire]]) is an English folk singer, [[double-bassist]] and guitarist who performs with [[Steve Knightley]] and [[Phil Beer]] in the acoustic [[Traditional music|roots]]/[[Folk music|folk]] group [[Show of Hands]].<ref name="Denselow">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> As of 2019 she is undertaking solo performances while on [[maternity leave]] from the group.<ref name="Moore">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> She has recorded with Show of Hands and has also performed and recorded as a duo with mandolin player Rex Preston.

==Early life and education==
Sykes was born in Spalding to John and Penny Sykes and was brought up in [[Pinchbeck, Lincolnshire]].<ref name="Brown">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> Hers was a musical family and she started playing double bass at the age of eight.<ref name="NWE Times">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> She was educated at schools in Pinchbeck and Spalding<ref name="Brown"/> and continued living in Lincolnshire until moving to Devon in 2007. She studied for a [[BTEC]] in [[pop music]] and completed it remotely while touring with a band.<ref name="Show Story"/>

==Recording and live performance==
In 1999, aged 21, she joined the folk-rock band Pressgang as a bass guitarist and toured with them internationally. She performed with [[Robb Johnson]] on his 1999 album ''The Big Wheel'', and toured with him and with fiddle and viola player Saskia Tomkins as a trio, releasing three albums together. Subsequently she joined the band Firebrand, releasing the album ''Lost Lady Found'' in 2001.<ref name="Show Story"></ref>

She toured with Bill Jones' band in 2001, and performed on the band's live album. She then toured with Jones in a trio with Sarah Wright (flute and [[bodhrán]]) and subsequently in a duo, featuring on Jones' 2003 CD ''Two Year Winter''.<ref name="Show Story"/>

Sykes toured with The Phil Beer Band from 2003 to 2013 and joined Show of Hands for their performances at summer festivals in 2004.<ref name="NWE Times"/> The live album ''[[As You Were (Show of Hands album)|As You Were]]'' was recorded during the tour and released in 2005.<ref name="Show Story"/>

Encouraged by melodeon player Gareth Turner, she formed her own band, which included Imogen O’Rourke, Martin Fitzgibbon and Maartin Allcock, releasing an album in 2005.<ref name="Show Story"/>

Sykes worked with John “Rabbit” Bundrick, Sarah Allen & Roy Dodds whilst recording Reg Meuross’s album ''Short Stories'' in 2004. After touring with Meuross, a second album, ''Still'', was released in 2006.<ref name="Show Story"/>

Sykes toured with Martyn Joseph as a duo in 2007. Joseph's 2007 album, ''Vegas'', featured songs from the tour, on which she played bass.<ref name="Show Story"/>

After performing with Bath band The Scoville Units in 2009, Sykes met mandolin player Rex Preston. They toured as a duo for for eight years and released three albums together.<ref name="Show Story"/>

She has toured solo shows to promote her solo albums ''Borrowed Places'' (2017) and ''Behind the Wall'' (2018).<ref name="Brown"/>

==Other work==
In 2001 she joined The Live Music Now! Scheme, which enabled her to get involved in music therapy; she is now a trainer and mentor on the scheme.<ref name="Show Story"/>

==Personal life==
She and her husband Dan, who married in 2015, have a son Wilfrid, born in 2018.<ref name="Moore"/>

==Discography==
===As a solo performer===
* ''Behind the Wall'' ‎(CD, album) Hands On Music HMCD44, 2018
* ''Borrowed Places'' ‎(CD, album) Hands On Music HMCD44, 2017
* ''Bliss''‎ (CD, album) Hands On Music HMCD24, 2006
* ''Miranda Sykes Band'' (CD, album) Irregular Records IRR058, 2005
* ''Don't Look Down'' (CD, album) Irregular Records IRR052, 2004<ref name="Woosnam 57"></ref>

===with Rex Preston===
*''The Watchmaker's Wife'' (CD, album) Hands On Music HMCD40, 2016<ref name="Ainscoe">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref><ref name="Woodgate">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
*''Sing A Full Song'' (CD, album) Hands On Music HMCD37, 2014<ref name="Woosnam"></ref>
*''Miranda Sykes & Rex Preston'' ‎(CD, album) Hands On Music HMCD35, 2012<ref name="Beeby"></ref>

===with Show of Hands===
*''[[Wake the Union]]'' (CD, album, Digipak) Hands On Music ‎HMCD36, 2012<ref name="Chilton Wake">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
*''[[Covers 2 (Show of Hands album)|Covers 2]]'' (CD, album, Digipak) Hands On Music ‎HMCD32, 2010
*''[[Witness (Show of Hands album)|Witness]]'' (CD, album) Hands On Music ‎HMCD23, 2006
*''[[As You Were (Show of Hands album)|As You Were]]'' (2 x CD) Hands On Music HMCD22, 2005

===with Robb Johnson and Saskia Tomkins===
* ''21st Century Blues'' (CD, album) Irregular Records IRR043, 2001

==References==


==External links==
* [http://bit.ly/2L6xcqt Official website]
*[http://bit.ly/2hEsagJ Official website: Miranda Sykes and Rex Preston]
*[http://bit.ly/2L6x9Lj Official Show of Hands website: Miranda Sykes]



[[Category:1978 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:21st-century double-bassists]]
[[Category:21st-century women musicians]]
[[Category: English double-bassists]]
[[Category:English folk singers]]
[[Category:English folk guitarists]]
[[Category:People from South Holland (district)]]

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