Tony Barrand

Anthony Grant Barrand (April 3, 1945 – January 29, 2022) was a British-born American folk singer and academic. He was a Professor of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences, Boston University, where his courses included “Stalking the Wild Mind: The Psychology and Folklore of Extra-Sensory Perception and Psychic Phenomena”, “English Ritual Dance and Drama”, and “Folk Songs as Social History”. [Wikipedia]

He was best known for his musical collaborations with John Roberts. As Roberts and Barrand, they performed a cappella and accompanied performances of traditional English folk music. They also performed and recorded fare such as sea shanties of the North Atlantic, and an album of traditional drinking songs. The duo was also half of the related act Nowell Sing We Clear, which, in addition to a number of albums, performs an annual yuletide concert series.

Barrand was also an expert Morris and clog dancer, having taught across the United States, and written several books on the subject. He edited the journal Country Dance and Song and founded the Marlboro Morris Ale, an annual national gathering of Morris dancers in Vermont. In 2008 he was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Country Dance and Song Society for his pivotal role in teaching, researching, and videotaping Morris dance, as well as for his work as a traditional singer and musician.

Barrand’s collection of film and video of Morris, sword, and clog dancing was deposited in 2003, by invitation, to the American Folklife Center, as the Anthony Grant Barrand Collection of Morris, Sword, and Clog Dancing at the Library of Congress (catalog number AFC2003/5). By 2020 the collection was digitized and is available online at Boston University.