James Fagan

James Fagan (born 1972) is a folk musician from Sydney, Australia. He in a singer and multi-instrumentalist specialising in the Irish bouzouki.

Born in Australia in 1972, James was the first child of Sydney-based folk singers Bob and Margaret Fagan. They, James and his sister Kate formed The Fagans, and have toured the Australian folk scene since the early 1980s. James’s first instrument was piano. By his teens he was singing, playing guitar and clarinet. In 1994 he joined Alistair Hulett's band The Hooligans which included Jimmy Gregory who introduced him to the guitar-shaped bouzouki which is now his main instrument. Singing remains his first and foremost musical love.

He completed his medical training in 1995 and was on holiday in England when he met Nancy Kerr. They formed the duo which has become the mainstay of their career. James is well respected in his own right on the UK music scene – his other projects include being a member of The Cara Dillon Band and heavy metal English Ceilidh band The Glorystrokes. He has also toured as part of Bellowhead.

Fagan is best known for his work with Nancy Kerr whom he married in 2007, and with whom he won BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 'Best Duo' in both 2003 and 2011. Together they have released six albums: Starry Gazy Pie (1997), Scalene (with Sandra Kerr) (1998), Steely Water (1999), Between The Dark and Light (2002), Strands of Gold (2006), and Twice Reflected Sun (2010). In 2008 Nancy and James were joined by concertina player Robert Harbron to form the trio "Kerr Fagan Harbron", recording and touring the album Station House.