About Us

We first sang together in the early 70s in our local folk club, 'The Jerry' in Prudhoe. Val moved to London while Jimmy remained in the North East enjoying modest success with Equinox, Bluestone Edge and ATS and also running the Rising Sun folk club in Crawcrook.

We formed jiva when Jimmy (the 'ji' in jiva) and Val (the 'va') got together again in 2002 after 30 years. Val moved back to Northumberland after contacting Jimmy via Friends Reunited. Since then we have been building our reputation as performers of self-penned material and our own arrangements of other carefully chosen songs.

We play mostly in the north east of England, and are happy to travel further afield - folk clubs, concert venues, festivals, corporate and social functions, fundraisers, coffee mornings, etc (with our own PA if required)... or even a 'house concert' in your front room!

What?

Our repertoire is mainly contemporary with a growing number of self-penned songs. We both play 6 and 12 string guitars and both sing. The combination of both voices and contrasting guitar styles makes for a gentle and relaxed sound.

Lyrics and soundclips are available from the Songs section of the website.

We regularly perform at singarounds, residents nights etc, and have played floor spots on professional and semi-pro guest nights featuring: Bob Fox, Dick Gaughan, Harvey Andrews, Martin Simpson, Roy Bailey, Spiers & Boden, and Steve & Kristi Nebel.

jiva have also played official support slots for: Allan Taylor, Anthony John Clarke, Ben Sands, Cathryn Craig & Brian Willoughby, Bram Taylor, Dana & Susan Robinson, George Welch, Ian Bruce, Jez Lowe & The Bad Pennies, Jim Bainbridge, Joe Stead, Pegleg Ferret, Pete Quinn, Simon Haworth & Andy May, and Tom McConville.

We've happily agreed to requests to 'top the bill' at a few clubs, to play at some small festivals, and to provide live music for local charities and fund-raising events.

Get in touch if you'd like to see us at your venue or event. Email and phone details are at the bottom of every page on the website.

What Else?

Do you need a website? Yes you do - performers and clubs benefit from a good online presence. We design websites, and are happy to discuss your needs and provide a free no-obligation estimate.

For music-related examples, see:

• Ashington Folk Club
• The Bridge Folk Club
• Chillingham Folk Club
• Cramlington Folk Club (makeover of existing design)
• jiva (our own site!)

Recent, non-musical examples include:

• Collectors Cellar - shop specialising in die-cast models and model railways

• Lorna Windham - children's author

Best wishes
Jimmy and Val

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