John Tams

John Tams (born 16th February, 1949) is an English actor, singer, songwriter 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 Albion Band. Splitting with Hutchings in the 1980s he formed Home Service. Now a solo performer - fronting a folk-rock band, or in a duo with Barry Coope.

John has released three solo albums to date, 'Unity' (2001), 'Home' (2002) and 'The Reckoning' (2005); all of which have met with well-deserved critical acclaim. At the 2006 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, John won Album of the Year for 'The Reckoning', Best Traditional Track (for 'Bitter Withy') and Singer of the Year. John is the only artist to have won the Album of the Year award twice, the first time was with his first solo album 'Unity' in 2001.

John Tams may be best known to the general public through having played one of the supporting roles in the ITV drama series Sharpe as one of the "Chosen Men": Rifleman and former poacher Daniel Hagman, a whimsical, sober, steady hand in the 95th Rifles; always ready with a deadly eye behind a Baker rifle, a folk remedy for an ailment, or a song for a weary heart. 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, Larkrise to Candleford, Glengarry Glenross, The Crucible, Golden Boy, The Good Hope and The Mysteries Revival in 1999. He was a member of the creative team headed by Bill Bryden. In 1996, Tams collaborated with fellow British folk musician, Kate Rusby (and others) on a companion CD to the television series titled Over the Hills & Far Away: The Music of Sharpe.

In 2006 he became musical director of the BBC Radio 2 2006 Radio Ballads, an updating of Ewan MacColl's Radio Ballads. The series was short-listed for two Sony Radio Awards in 2007. The song Steelos, written by Tams for the Song Of Steel episode of the 2006 Ballads, was nominated Best Original Song at the 2006 Radio 2 Folk Awards. Currently John is working on a stage version of Steelos to be performed at The Magna Centre in the Rother Valley in 2009. Early in 2007 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University which will be presented in November 2007

He is married to Sally Tams, his manager and they have a daughter, Rosie.