Artisan was an English vocal harmony trio, who sang acapella. They consisted of songwriter Brian Bedford, his wife Jacey Bedford, and Hillary Spencer.

Artisan formed in 1984 and built a strong fan base, both in the UK and North America. Artisan performed some traditional folk songs, and songs written by other songwriters, however the majority of their work was penned by Brian. One of their most popular songs is What's the Use of Wings, written by Brian, about the need to "let go" of loved ones, and give them the freedom to make their own decisions. It has been covered by artists and groups including Vin Garbutt (who includes it in his live repertoire), John Wright, Marie Little, Gilly Darbey and the Philadelphia Gay Men's Choir. They traditionally ended their concerts with the Stan Rogers song The Mary Ellen Carter.

Artisan concerts were always lively, known for their audence participation. Particularly their Christmas concerts (Stuff the turkey), which had a pantomime feel to them. The group stopped touring in 2005, with a final concerts held on 20 November 2005, with an afternoon and an evening concert. The individual members of the group will however continue to perform as part of various different groups.

Hilary is part of the current lineup of The Mrs Ackroyd Band, and is half of Quicksilver with Grant Baynham. Brian runs the recording studio Park Head Studio. Jacey runs Jacey Bedford Tour Management, an agency that arranges tours for folk musicians, mainly from overseas (i.e. outside the British Isles).

Brian and Jacey now form part of The Brian Bedford Band, which began touring in March 2006.

Discography

• Three Piece Sweet (1986)
• Searching for Yordale (1988)
• Driving Home (1989)
• The Season of Holly and Ivy (1990)
• Rocking At The End Of Time (1991)
• Breathing Space (1993)
• Our Back Yard (1996)
• Paper Angels (1999)
• Dancing With Words (2000)
• Christmas Is Come In (2002)
• Silver And Gold (2003)
• Artisan Live (2005)
• (DVD) Artisan at the Paramount (2006) (This is a recording of Artisan's last ever concert on 20th November 2005)

External links

• The official Artisan website
• Hilary Spencer's website