Ruth & Gary Wells

Ruth & Gary began performing as a duo after the demise of the celtic rock band GAELFORCE in the late 90's. They performed at most of the major venues and Festivals all over Europe and released 2 highly respected albums (Stoirm and Pay The Reckoning). They have become well respected performers on the Yorkshire and national acoustic music scene for their arrangements of contemporary songs by other artistes as well as their own compositions. They have a hand in running the Acoustic Lounge most Sundays at the Sandygate Hotel in Wath-Upon-Dearne and for the last 10 years or so both are integral members of the Dearne Culture Trust which stages the annual Wath Festival (now in it's 35th year) - www.syfolk.co.uk/festival Ruth & Gary have also released 2 well recieved albums in their own right, the first .....Secret was released in 2002 and was followed by Counting Down the Days in 2005 Here's a review from Ruth Palmer @ Folking.com "Having seen the duo that is Ruth and Gary Wells before, I honestly do believe that they are one of the best examples of a traditional folk act around at the present time, beautifully covering fantastically-selected songs and writing their own timeless classics. The mix of Gary..s bass playing, Ruth..s acoustic guitar and amazing voice, creates a unique sound that has to be heard live to be appreciated fully. The duet began their set with a wonderful take on Louis Armstrong..s ..What a Wonderful World..; to be followed by an amazing sounding version of Natalie Merchant..s: ..Motherland..; which greatly emphasised the outstanding clarity of Ruth..s voice. Their set continued with a mix of covers and the couple..s own songs. A particular highlight for me was a take on Martyn Joseph..s ..Strange Ways.., having seen Joseph perform this track, solo many times, to hear it performed by two people and to be sung by a female voice proved to be a welcomed variation. Completing their set with the well-loved Pogue..s ..Fairytale in New York.. couldn..t have been more ideal." And here's what Allan Wilkinson had to say about them "Ruth and Gary Wells provided support for the evening, with a half hour set which simply flew by. It's always great to hear Ruth's own songs and their eclectic pick of the best songs on the block. Natalie Merchant's Motherland is a firm favourite, and Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World was a great choice; you don't often hear that in a folk club! It's also always good to hear Fairy Tale of New York at anytime of the year, but particularly in December; the song is just as good, but with that added flutter of seasonal cheer. Lovely