Sandra Kerr

Sandra Kerr
Born(1942-02-14)14 February 1942
Plaistow, Essex, England
Died29 October 2026(2026-10-29) (aged 84)
OccupationFolk singer
ChildrenNancy Kerr

Sandra Joan Kerr (14 February 1942 – 29 October 2026) was an English folk singer.

Life and career

Sandra Joan Kerr was born in Plaistow, Essex, England, on 14 February 1942, and grew up in the East End of London. She sang and played English concertina, guitar, Appalachian dulcimer and autoharp. Kerr was a member of the Critics Group from 1963 to 1972. With her husband John Faulkner, she wrote the music for the television series Bagpuss and voiced the character of Madeleine (the rag doll). She was involved in many programmes for BBC Radio including The Music Box and Listen with Mother.

She sang with her daughter Nancy Kerr (whose father was Ron Elliott, a Northumbrian piper) and in the groups Sisters Unlimited and Voice Union. Her work developed to include teaching and leading workshops and she was the director of two folk choirs, Wercasfolk and VoiceMale. [citation needed] She was on the staff of Newcastle University's music department for 17 years until 2017.

Kerr lived in Warkworth, Northumberland. She died from leukaemia on 29 October 2026, aged 84.

Discography

Books

  • Kathy Henderson, Frankie Armstrong and Sandra Kerr. My Song is My Own. London: Pluto Press, 1979 ISBN 0-86104-033-3 & ISBN 0-86104-032-5 / ISBN 9780861040322 (One hundred traditional and composed women's songs from the British Isles, with select bibliography and discography.)
  • Kerr, Sandra (1 December 1994). The Song Sampler: 26 Folk Songs from Around the World for Group Singing. Illustrated by Rik Walton (2nd ed.). Newcastle upon Tyne: Folkworks. ISBN 9780952075455. OCLC 772808123.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Schofield, Derek (3 November 2026). "Sandra Kerr obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 November 2026.
  2. ↑ Hann, Michael (20 November 2018). "'How exciting it all was': the story of Bagpuss's magical folk soundtrack". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  3. ↑ "Sandra Kerr (and Nancy Kerr) in Warkworth". Folk on Foot. Archived from the original on 15 June 2026. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  4. ↑ Chesson, Max (30 October 2026). "Sandra Kerr who did music for Bagpuss dies aged 84". Kent Online. Retrieved 30 October 2026.