Jackie Oates

Jackie Oates is an English folk singer and fiddle player.

Jackie Oates
Oates in 2010
Background information
Born	1983 (age 41–42) Congleton, Cheshire, England
Origin	Brocton, Staffordshire
Genres	Folk
Occupations	Musician music teacher
Instruments	Singing violin viola shruti box
Years active	2003–present
Website	jackieoates.co.uk

Life

Jackie Oates was born in Congleton in Cheshire in 1983.^[1] At the age of 18, she moved to Devon to study English literature at Exeter University and was based in Devon until 2011, when she moved to Oxford^[2] where she lives with her young family. She was a member of Rachel Unthank and the Winterset between 2003 and 2007.

Performing with John Spiers at Purbeck Valley Folk Festival in 2021

She was a finalist in the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award in 2003,^[3] and was one of the nominees for the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards "Horizon Award" in 2008,^[4] going on to win that award in 2009,^[5] as well as the award for best traditional track for her recording of "The Lark in the Morning".

She has performed as part of the folk trio Wistman's Wood and sung with Morris Offspring and The Imagined Village. More recently, she has performed with John Spiers of Bellowhead, with whom she recorded the album, Needle Pin, Needle Pin in 2020.

Her brother is English singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer Douglas Oates - better known as Jim Moray,^[2] and they have guested on each other's albums.^[6]

Discography

Solo albums

• Jackie Oates (Hands On Music HMCD25, 2006)
• The Violet Hour (Chudleigh Roots CR002, 2008)
• Hyperboreans (One Little Indian TPLP1034CD, 2009)
• Saturnine (ECC Records ECC004, 2011)
• Lullabies (ECC Records ECC009, 2013)
• The Spyglass & The Herringbone (ECC Records ECC015, 2015)^[7]
• The Joy of Living (ECC Records ECC018, 2018)^[8]
• Gracious Wings (self-release, 2022)^[9]

With other acts

• Cruel Sister – Rachel Unthank and the Winterset (Rabble Rouser RR005, 2005)
• Bending The Dark – The Imagined Village (ECC Records ECC006, 2012)
• Wings (EP) – with Megan Henwood (2016)
• Needle Pin, Needle Pin – with John Spiers (2020)
• A Midwinter's Night – with John Spiers (2024)