BIOGRAPHIES

Summerwood

Summerwood is Tony Croft, Kate Morris, and Kent Prentice.

TONY CROFT

Melodeon, Vocals.

Tony has been involved in music in various forms since his early childhood, learning piano and playing the organ for his local church. He moved into the folk scene in his late teens playing guitar and singing in folk groups in Leeds and Bury.

Tony is now a very experienced and award-winning teacher and brings a wealth of expertise to making challenging topics accessible. He tutors the melodeon and is available for both private tuition and running small group workshops. He writes for the melodeon and has published the melodeon tutor books Melodeon Classics – from Morris to Mozart – abridgements and arrangements of classical melodies for the melodeon, Melodeon Classics – from Morris to Mozart Volume 2, and The Christmas Box – Melodeon Carols, arrangements of carols for the D/G melodeon. April 2017 saw the culmination of another project – Turlough O’Carolan for the Melodeon.

KATE MORRIS

Accordion, Concertina, Whistle,
Banjo, Flute, Clog Dancing

Kate started learning the accordion in Cardiff in 1977 and bought her first accordion for £25 from a Cardiff junk shop. On returning to Nottingham in 1980 she became the musician for the then newly-formed "Maids of Clifton" clog dancers. At this time she purchased a 120 bass Hohner accordion and started taking lessons with Mavis and Fred Parnell, renowned local performers and teachers. These lessons enabled Kate to complete all her accordion exams up to grade VIII, bronze and gold medal and finally achieving a distinction at diploma level. Kate developed a French repertoire and has performed in French restaurants, wine bars and played background music for special events. She was half of “The Piaf Experience” where she accompanied singer Trish Nelson performing Edith Piaf standards. Kate has played in several ceilidh bands performing at weddings, parties and other special events and has travelled to France and Germany where she has played at twinning visits. Kate also plays the concertina and is now playing Bluegrass and Old Time banjo.

KENT PRENTICE

Guitar, vocals

After having had piano lessons for many years as a youngster, Kent bought his first guitar in his early twenties. He has been a member of several local bands since the early 1980s, having gigged frequently throughout the country & had tracks recorded professionally for the highly praised ‘Household Shocks’ album - an album highlighting the punk, alternative & new wave bands from Scunthorpe & Lincolnshire in 1980. He has also been involved in setting up and running synthesiser and electronic music workshops on behalf of North Lincolnshire council.

Playing synthesisers and other keyboards, Kent and Dave Webb have been perfoming together for over four decades, having both been in Scunthorpe alternative band ‘Colour Blind Babies’, as well as Sheffield based bands ‘Splatt’ and ‘Strange Fruit’. In addition ‘Strange Fruit’ played a selection of jazz funk & jazz classics as live sets, as well as recording live broadcasts for Radio Hallam.

Kent now plays the acoustic guitar with ‘Summerwood’, appearing in a variety of Nottinghamshire & Leicestershire based Americana & folk clubs & festivals. In 2018, for the highly-acclaimed Folk in a Field Festival in Norfolk, he performed ‘Summerwood Play Carolan’ - a musical journey into the world of Irish composer, Turlough O’Carolan.

DAVID WEBB

R.I.P.

It is with great sadness that we must report that our good friend Dave sadly passed away in February 2024. We will miss him playing with us enormously. Rest in Peace Dave. xxx