Katie Howson

Katie Howson is best known as a driving force in a number of significant English ceilidh bands including the Old Hat Dance Band and PolkaWorks, playing melodeon and harmonica. She grew up in the East Anglian tradition, playing alongside legendary musicians such as Oscar Woods, Dolly Curtis and Billy Bennington, but all along has had a very eclectic wider repertoire stretching from south west Ireland to the south west states of America, and north east England to north east Australia! In addition to band work, Katie performs solo and with various musical partners, and is a researcher and writer about many aspects of traditional music, dance and song, as well as occasionally compering and teaching melodeon.