Sarah Jory

Sarah Jory (born 20 November 1969, in Reading, Berkshire, England) is an English musician and vocalist. Sarah Jory began to learn to play musical instruments at the age of five, when she obtained her first steel guitar. In 1978, she was backed by the group Poacher when she was featured on the BBC Radio 2's Live from Golder's. Also at the age of nine, she joined the band Colorado Country after her father, Arthur Jory, secured her an audition. Jory played with the band for four years while completing her schooling. During this time, the band changed their name to Sarah and the Colorado Country. Jory's first album, Sarah's Steel Line, which she recorded with the band Poacher, was released by Crow Records in 1980, when she was eleven years old. After the album's release, she was asked to play at the Petersborough Festival of Music, having appeared earlier at Neil Coppendale's British Country Music Festival at the Brighton Centre. At thirteen, Jory first visited the United States of America where she played at the Steel Guitar Convention in St. Louis with Buddy Emmons. From 1984 to 1992, Jory played thirteen steel guitar conventions in the US, appearing with Buddy Emmons, Lloyd Green and Paul Franklin and worked with Ricky Scaggs, Porter Waggoner and Gene Watson. In 1985, the British Country Music Association voted Jory "The Most Promising New Act", followed by being voted the "Female Vocalist of the Year" for nine consecutive years by the BCMA. She also was voted "European Country Rock Entertainer of the Year". In 1995, 1996 and 1997, BCMA also voted her "British Female Vocalist of the Year". In 1988, Jory worked in Bristol and formed her own professional band, opening for Eric Clapton in Dublin, among others and toured with Glen Campbell. Jory played with the Van Morrison band during 2006 and 2009 and performed on his albums Keep It Simple and Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl and on the DVD Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl: The Concert Film. In 2009, she performed with the group Essence of Ireland.