James Kerry is a keen and talented young melodeon player from West Kent. 
In 2014, the Trust granted James a bursary to attend the Folkworks Youth Summer School in Durham.
James brought out a CD at the end of 2014, On Kentish Horseback, which features guitar accompaniment by Sue Rule. Tune sets are interspersed with a couple of Sue’s songs. 10% of CD sales were donated to the Grant Rule Trust.
Since then, James has been steadily growing his music business, James Kerry Music, which provides barn dance/ceilidh bands to events around the country and provides event management services. As well as building this business and a growing reputation with his own band, Footdown, James works with local Morris sides, is closely involved with Broadstairs Folk Week and takes a leading role in organising the Pig’s Ear Folk Ale.
James is especially keen to engage more people of his own generation in playing traditional music and creating music inspired by traditional forms.
The Trust is working closely with James Kerry Music to promote the folk music traditions of Britain, and particularly England, to a population which seems to have largely lost touch with its roots.
In particular, we are collaborating on a new initiative for 2018, the Ron Meads Memorial Project