Harry Cox

Harry Fred Cox (27 March 1885 – 6 May 1971), was a Norfolk farmworker and one of the most important singers of traditional English music of the twentieth century, on account of his large repertoire and fine singing style.

The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography concludes:

He is admired for the breadth and variety of his repertory, some 140 items ranging from rough bawdry to high balladry, but above all for his technique, based, according to the BBC producer Francis Dillon, on ‘a carefully placed decoration, a beautifully judged phrasing, an exact control of highly complex rhythm and a singing tone which requires no accompaniment’.

"Cox's singing style was very straightforward and at first may seem colorless when compared with the vibrant style of, say Sam Larner, but its subtleties require repeated listenings to appreciate. Perseverance is rewarded, however, for Cox employed many of the traditional singer's devices effectively, if quietly, and produced many moving performances."—Sarah Lifton The Listener's Guide to Folk Music; 1983; p. 13.

The Bonny Labouring Boy from the album of the same name is track thirteen on the first CD of the Topic Records 70 year anniversary boxed set Three Score and Ten.

Folk revivalists were inspired by his music; Steeleye Span and Peter Bellamy recorded versions of "Spotted Cow" inspired by Cox.[1]