About

Lorraine Jordan is a much loved singer, songwriter and musician, whose music is full of heart and soul. Her songwriting captures the spirit of her Irish ancestry and love of traditional ballads and combines this with her unique contemporary musical style, drawing the listener in to the essence of each song with her soulful voice and captivating performance.

Lorraine has released 5 albums to much critical acclaim (see review page) and tours both solo and with her band/duo/trio . She has appeared alongside many great performers including Labi Siffre, Richard Thompson, The Waterboys and The Chieftains on their 50th birthday celebrations at London's Royal Albert Hall.

Musical heritage

Born in Wales to Irish parents, Loraine's heritage is a musical one. Her father, Tom Jordan (Ballaghaderreen, County Roscommon) played the flute from a young age and won countless medals (including the All Ireland) before it was even feesible to imagine making money from playing music. He stopped playing the flute completely after the tragic loss of his first born child while they were living in Dublin, though many many years later he would join in with Lorraine's band members around the dining room table and treat them to some great whistle playing and memories of people he had played with back in the day, including the legendary uilleann piper Leo Rowsome. Tom and Lorraine's mother, Margaret (nee Golding of Shrule, County Mayo), eventually left Ireland with Lorraine's older siblings and settled in Wales. His brother, Frank Jordan (Ballaghaderreen, County Roscommon), a much loved and highly respected flute player, kept the tradition going until well near his death in 2022. Their mother, Lorraine's grandmother, played the concertina, while flute players and singers go back through the generations on this side of the family.

Lorraine started singing and playing the guitar from a very young age. She was inspired by the singing of her elder sister, Philomena, now a wellness coach and sound healer, who would never appear home without her guitar case and would strike up a sing-song in a heartbeat, filling the house with her beautiful voice and vibrant renditions of Joni Mitchel and Carly Simon songs, to name but a few. Lorraine learnt many of her favourite traditional ballads from Phil who gleamed some of them from the singing of their grandfather back in Roscommon and sang in the local folk clubs and singing sessions in Ireland and on the London-Irish music scene.  Lorraine's first folk club experience was on her 9th birthday when she and her twin sister, Jan, were treated to a night at the folk club and joined Phil on stage to sing the family favourite, the Curragh of kildare of Kildare, which they'd been rehearsing most of the day!  

Tours and Festivals

Lorraine has toured extensively in Germany, Italy, Austria, Holland, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Ireland, Scotland, Australia and New Zealand, as well as the occasional gig in the USA.   Musicians who have toured as part of Lorraine's band have included multi-instrumentalist Gill Hunter (Martin Furey, Dougie McLean ) piano and accordion, Steve Fletcher(Paul Brady) piano, Tony McManus(guitarist), bouzouki player Niall O'Callanain (Deisal), Steafan Hannigan (Sin E), guitarist John Whelan (Mary Coughlan Band), mandolin player Neal Davey (Dalla, Anam), accordioinist Pete Garnet (Moishe's Bagel), cellist Kate Baker, viola player Mairi Campbell (The Cast), drummer Davide Giovannini ( Steve Winwood, Alex Wilson)

She has played a multitude of Festivals including The National Festival (Australia), Edinburgh International Fringe Festival (Scotland); Sidmouth International Folk Festival (England); Edinburgh Folk Festival; Glasgow Folk Festival; The Shetland Festival;  The Hebridean Festival; Folkest (Italy);  Festinal (Italy) ; Hallein (Austria); Gutenbrunn (Austria); Festival Celtique (Chambery/France); Jersey Folk Festival (UK); Pontardawe Folk Festival (Wales) and many others. 

One of the most memorable of these festivals and the one that has had the deepest impact on Lorraine was the “Jacobs Ladder Festival” in Israel, a very lovely and friendly festival which back then took place on the the Eastern side of Lake Kinneret (The Sea of Galillee). Lorraine and her band members (Kate Bevan-Baker - cello - and Johnny Cradden - guitar) got to stay and play at the renowned Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, which translates as an Oasis of Peace (https://www.oasisofpeace.org.uk/)  and is home to a unique intentional community of Jewish and Palestinian-Arab Israeli citizens who support the Educational Institutions of NSWaS - a living example of equality and peaceful coexistence between Israeli Jews and Palestinian-Arabs; education for peace and shared citizenship. Please check the link out for more information about how you can support the work of this incredible community.