Coope Boyes & Simpson are a British vocal folk trio, formed around 1990. Their sound is rich and often has unusual vocal harmonies. The group comprises singers Barry Coope, Jim Boyes and Lester Simpson, and almost all of their music is sung entirely a cappella, although they have occasionally used accordion, guitar and drums very sparingly on recordings.
They perform a mixture of both traditional folk songs (though often creatively arranged), hymns and carols, and their own original compositions. Most of their albums have been released on the No Masters label (the No Masters Co-operative is a recording and publishing company run by songwriters, singers and musicians based in the North of England).
Much of their music is political in nature, but they also perform sacred music, and have released two albums consisting of Christmas carols and hymns (the latter receiving extensive airplay on Classic FM around Christmas time from DJ Natalie Wheen).
In addition to the three vocalists, the nature of the line-up seems to be somewhat fluid, with additional singers joining in as required. Their Christmas recordings are sometimes accredited to ‘Voices at the Door’, while the trio are also part of the occasional supergroup Blue Murder along with members of Waterson:Carthy and The Watersons.
Since 2005 they have frequently collaborated with label mates Chumbawamba, contributing vocals on their albums A Singsong and a Scrap, Get On With It! Live and The Boy Bands Have Won.
The trio have often worked with choirs and others on various projects, eg. Kerstbestand - a concert about the Christmas truces of WW1, and Private Peaceful - a collaboration with author Micheal Morpurgo about a young soldier shot for cowardice.
