As energetic advocates for folk music go, Jon Wilks is one of the busiest. He runs the lively Tradfolk website (with its enviable wassailing directory), the excellent Old Songs podcast (dissecting ballads and tunes with guests from Jim Moray to Burd Ellen) and his three albums to date have included dusty deep dives into the broadside ballads of Birmingham and the wider West Midlands. He’s also a lightning rod for folk royalty past and present, with Martin Simpson, Eliza Carthy and Angeline Morrison all getting thanks on his new album’s liner notes.
