John Tams

John Tams (born 16 February, 1949) is an English actor, singer, songwriter, composer and musician. John Tams was a member of Derbyshire folk group Muckram Wakes in the 1970s, then worked with Ashley Hutchings as singer and melodeon-player on albums including Son of Morris On, and as a member of the electric folk group Albion Band. Splitting with Hutchings in the 1980s, he formed Home Service. He is now a solo performer, either fronting a folk-roc... more

John Tams (born 16 February, 1949) is an English actor, singer, songwriter, composer and musician. John Tams was a member of Derbyshire folk group Muckram Wakes in the 1970s, then worked with Ashley Hutchings as singer and melodeon-player on albums including Son of Morris On, and as a member of the electric folk group Albion Band. Splitting with Hutchings in the 1980s, he formed Home Service. He is now a solo performer, either fronting a folk-rock band or in a duo with Barry Coope (of Coope Boyes and Simpson). In 1974, John Tams and Neil Wayne went to County Clare to make field recordings of highly-regarded traditional players of the concertina. The recordings were issued on the "Free Reed" label in the 70s. These recordings then became very scarce until 2007 when all the tracks were issued as a 6-CD set called "The Clare Set". John was a musical director and actor at the National Theatre from 1976 to 1985 and then again from 1999 to 2001, working on such shows as The Mysteries,... less