Celtic Connections: Sam Carter sings Nic Jones

Glasgow City Halls Recital Room, 20/1/ 2026

Celtic Connections

Ballads and Songs: Sam Carter Sings Nic Jones

Nic Jones was one of the major figures of the British folk scene in the 70’s and 80’s, renowned for his guitar playing, a distinctive voice, and unerring taste in his choice of material. What proved to be his final album, ‘Penguin Eggs’ is still considered a classic, and it was well represented on this occasion. The question in the back of the mind before this concert was whether Sam Carter, a very fine guitarist in his own right, would put his own spin on songs from the Jones repertoire, or whether he would go down the path of reproduction.

He chose the latter. With a voice in a similar register to Jones’s, and lacking nothing in guitar technique, Carter gave the assembled Jones fans the opportunity to hear live once more some well-loved songs. For those who don’t know, in the early 80’s Nic Jones was seriously disabled in a car crash as he drove home late one night from a gig. Apart from a brief re-appearance about fifteen years ago, his music has been largely unheard, not least because several of his early albums are caught in the legal limbo suffered by many of his contemporaries due to the action – or rather inaction – of their putative distributor.

So for Jones fans it was something of a treat to hear the likes of ‘Barrack Street’, telling the timeless tale of the Jack Tar loving unwisely and losing his clothes, watch and chain for his troubles; ‘Billy Don’t You Weep For Me’, a cautionary tale for young women this time, about falling for soldiers with their fine red coats and mustachios; and the epic ballads, ‘Clyde Water’ and ‘Annan Water’; and my own favourite, the wistful ‘Master Kilby’. Sam Carter proved himself his hero’s equal in phrasing, timing, and storytelling, and delighted the near-capacity audience with a fitting tribute to a significant artist.