When I first picked up an acoustic guitar in my mid-teens, my repertoire was limited - until I discovered ‘The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. That album was a revelation. At the time, I had no idea Dylan had drawn so deeply from our own folk traditions to shape many of his songs.

Later that same summer, I found myself at Sidmouth Folk Festival, where I saw Martin Carthy perform live for the first time. Another moment of discovery!

Carthy is name-checked on the back cover of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan as a source of some of Dylan’s melodies, and suddenly, the music I had assumed was purely American revealed its deep British roots. These songs - woven from a tradition stretching across the Atlantic - felt both familiar and transformative. It was an inspiring time, a period when Dylan’s poetic sensibility collided with the narrative power of folk music.

Another pivotal influence came when I went to an early Arvon Foundation creative writing course where the poet Ted Hughes read to us. Hearing his words - raw, elemental, offered yet another dimension to my songwriting. Like Dylan’s and Carthy’s music, Hughes’ poetry carried that same fusion of tradition and innovation, a quality I’ve always strived for in my own work.

This album is a tribute to those formative influences. Across these 12 songs, I revisit the worlds of Bob Dylan and Martin Carthy - two artists who shaped my musical journey and set me on a path I’m still walking.

You can order the CD version of the album from our online shop now, for despatch to the UK and other selected countries.  The CD is also available throughout Steve's upcoming Autumn tour with the Winter Yards Band.