Jez Lowe

Jez Lowe is an English folk singer-songwriter. Lowe is known primarily for his compositions dealing with daily life in North-East England. He performs both as a solo artist and with his backing band, The Bad Pennies.

Lowe was born into a coal mining family with Irish roots, and raised in County Durham, England, where he grew up witnessing the decline of the coal-mining industry that had defined the region's economic profile for generations. A great many of Lowe's compositions address the economic distress that the North Country has suffered as a result of this industrial decline, and its social repercussions This may give the impression that Lowe is a deadly serious singer-songwriter and he is, but the seriousness is leavened by an ever-present sense of humour.
His songs are widely covered by artists including Fairport Convention, The Unthanks, Wizz Jones, The Dubliners, The Young Uns, Cherish The Ladies, The Duhks, Bob Fox and scores more.
He is also a prolific author, with four novels to his name, all with a backdrop of Northern England and its musical heritage, and he was a principal writer for the long-running, award winning BBC series The Radio Ballads.
In addition to singing his songs, Lowe accompanies himself and The Bad Pennies on guitar, harmonica, cittern, and mandolin.