B I O G R A P H Y
I N T R O D U C T I O N
Native Devonian girl Sarah Yeo has been making a impression on the Live music scene for at least two decades performing her way around many venues both large and small in the UK. In more recent years she has won fans performing across the pond in New York City and California. Likened to voices such as Karen Carpenter, the Corrs, Mary Chapin Carpenter to name a few. Her versatility has made for a very interesting gigging past playing in various bands and as a soloist she has also gained endorsements from household names,
Shane Richie "what a voice! " and Nina Myscow "She should be a star". Sarah who has shared line ups with the Brand New Heavies, Incognito, Craig Charles and has played stages such as Mello, Midwinter, Glas - denbury, Dart, Exeter Respect festivals feels her varying experience on the road has greatly enriched her musical senses, and is what's enabling her song writing to cross over in to many different genres. Several of Sarah tracks have enjoyed radio play on BBC and Independant Radio Stations and has the frequent support of ARC FM, CountryRadio.uk, East Devon Radio, Riviera FM and an army of online stations and shows including' Live in the Living Room', Visual Radio Arts, Russell Hills Country, UK Country DC Brown. Highlights include playing at Exeter City Football ground, Switching on Exeter City and Torquay Festive lights, Supporting Nashville's Cheley Tackett, Texas's Bob Cheavers, Kezia Gill, Gaz Brookfield, The Drifters... Over the course of her career so far perhaps one of the biggest accolades was to be named by one time audience member
Jim Marshall (founder of Marshall amps) as his favorite Singer.
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T H E E A R L Y D A Y S
Sarah's first taste of performing was to compete in a Talent competition whilst on holiday at Pontins in Brixham Devon which Sarah Realized is where she felt most comfortable - being upon the stage. Many more contests followed as a double act with her sister, the duo picked up several prestigious trophies along the way. The sisters sang songs by John Denver, Eagles, the Beatles which showed the harmonies they were both popular for. Late teens saw Sarah going Solo and continuing her winning streak took the top prize in Pontins, Stairway to the Stars, Resorts & People Newspaper Competitions. By her twenties Sarah was working professionally in Clubs and Bars etc singing popular covers. Alongside these regular gigs she was being filmed for several of the TV talent shows at the time, including Pop Idol, where the production crew filmed Sarah at her day job in the Barber Shop Exeter and at the Excel Centre London.
I N F U E N C E S
A finalist in the 2019 and 2020 International Blues and Roots Songwriting Competition, Sarah has always had her roots in Country and Folk, Americana genres. Her love of Country Folk has always been strong and has served as a life long constant, early on admiring the music of Eagles, Garth Brooks, Martina Mcbride, Gretchen Peters, Joni Mitchell to name a few. Her love of music itself was evident since she was a baby, so she is told, 'singing' away to the TV and radio and Harmonizing from the high chair!
Going to gigs and Festivals is Sarah's big love in life and over the years has been to hundreds of concerts soaking up every note of many acts like Amos Lee, Ashley Mcbryde, Josh Groban, Glen Hansard, Lucas Nelson, Inglorious, Toto, the Shires... and is a keen supporter of local independent music like (before they were famous) Wildwood Kin, Jacob and Drinkwater, the Little Unsaid, and especially Show of Hands who she has supported for many years alongside her equally music loving mum. Glastonbury Festival is one of Sarah's Favorite places in the world and going to the festival is among one of the greatest Musical experiences she can have, and playing there one day is one of the top goals Sarah Yeo is striving for.
F I N D I N G A P A S S I O N
From that first song she wrote for the last day of primary school, 'Goodbye, Goodbye Pinhoe combined school ' to the melody of the Locomotion Sarah has been steadily working on her songwriting craft. Picking it up and giving it up through different points of her life at times thinking she was no good, but persevering with it gradually songs started to flow without trying until around 2012 when she had a set of songs that she felt comfortable performing in public, and that were getting a great audience reaction.
Sarah searched for a while to find the right producer to take her songs and treat them in the way she always wanted and found a studio in South Devon where the legendary Richard Digby Smith ( Island Records, Led Zep, Marley, Reef ) was working.
Her first EP 'Broke Away' was released in 2014. BBC Introducing Featured 'Roadie' on the show "Beautiful Voice" BBC Introducing.
The album 'That was Then' recorded at the same time was released in 2018. and that Also gained wonderful reviews ..
"Plenty to Tickle the ear" Maverick Magazine
That was it, Sarah has found her passion. Songwriting! This is what got Sarah up in the morning..
2019 saw the release of 'Safe' this time a definite Country Sound that Sarah was imagining all along.. she asked the amazing world class Pedal Steel Player, who also lives in Devon, Sarah Jory to put her magic touches on the EP which really made those tracks sing. This EP attracted phenomenal feed back and critiques from the industry.. "An artist who is evolving and Raising the bar" RnR magazine
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L O C K D O W N T O L I F T O F F
2020 began with many plans for the year ahead. The global pandemic that affected us all momentarily stopped Sarah in her tracks. She took time to reflect and took advantage of the time at home to rest after a busy winter. Creative juices began to flow in the warm weather with time to clear the head. Songs came left right and center but Sarah was in the same boat with everyone and was not earning the funds she needed to continue her recording career she had planned for. So her trusted converted campervan that was made temporarily redundant was used as a music room where Sarah, a self confessed technophobe Began to Learn how to record and mix her music with the help of her talented other half Dave. This became the focus for this songstress through 2020 and ended up recording an Acoustic album of previously released songs entitled 'This is Now' Fans supported this venture by buying this CD online. Sarah now had the Bug... She then went on to record quite by chance a cover of KD Lang's Constant Craving, which upon release was given the thumbs up by KD Herself!
Full programming of Drums and Bass came next in the biggest challenge yet, a year after starting to produce her very summery track 'Losing track of the Days' she put that out into the world in August 2021.
R E C E N T H I G H L I G H T S
Alongside her new found love of music production Sarah also spread her wings to the online gigging world. Over the course of 2020/ 2021 she joined forces with two of UK's brightest acts Donna Marie and Tennessee Twin and every Sunday afternoon they performed as 'the Songs and Stories Collective' Playing their own material with covers and chat about music. This show enticed big audiences and became a regular in peoples weekly diaries. the Collective had a guest artist each week including Bob Fitzgerald, Cheley Tackett, Emma Moore, Peter Donegon, and more.. The Collective have gone on to tour the UK in 2022 and have all found friends for life in the process!
2022 has turned out to be a packed out year of shows, one of the highlights being DART music festival in which Sarah's Band were accompanied by Sarah Jory. A capacity crowd packed into the guildhall in Dartmouth
Having had the feeling for some time that she'd like to bring more of the great Country acts down to the Westcountry to perform, Sarah started up the 'West Country Sessions' in her local village hall. In 2021/22 Sarah has held 8 sessions with guests including Tennessee Twin, James Kirby, Joe Martin, Adam Sweet, Sarah Jory Donna Marie Gary Quinn.
Further to this Sarah expanded her organisation skills into a festival! the West Country Music Festival held on the 13th August 2022. at the stunning venue, Muddifords Court near Exeter. This was a huge undertaking, at at times Sarah was wisheing she hadn't started, but with the line up she secured including Gasoline and Matches, Adam Sweet, and Headlined by Kezia Gill the festival was a massive success, so much so that 2023 although not so warm the second year of the festival was headlined by none other than The Wandering Hearts and a host of amazing artists, stevie Oconnor, Bob Fitzgerald and many more. 2024 Tickets are on sale and the headliner is set to be another big country music heavywight..
G O O D T H I N G S T O C O M E
Exciting plans are in place for the coming months and year. The Two Sarah's YEO & JORY are taking their Duo show out around the UK after a great year of locals gigs, with a performance at the Birmingham Symphony hall being the First Date of the new year.
Sarah's next release will the long awaited album which has been held up for many reasons for a few years.. After the success of A Rainy Night In Glastonbury and At This Time Of Year, the whole album will be completed some time in the spring. After the fun sound of "no way Jose" back in 2022 the new music will be perhaps a more grown up sound with roots and folk influences..
Writing is a constant in Sarah's life and with many new songs created during 2023 on her various travels, has plans for more releases as part of the Songs and Stories Collective. The Four went in to the Studio to record an EP and that will be released very soon!
The diary has started to fill for 2024 with festival slots for the Sarah Yeo Band alongside Sarah Jory are firmly in place. As well as the spring tour and new projects in the pipeline....
Exciting times ahead for sure for this Talented UK Singer songwriter
P R E S S
* * * * Maverick Magazine
* * * * RnR Magazine
BBC INTRODUCING "Beautiful Voice"
BBC INTRODUCING " Brilliant Narrative Folk"
MARIE CRICHTON - BBC SHROPSHIRE "Beautiful voice"
MAVERICK MAGAZINE "Amazing vocals, an artist who is evolving and raising the bar at the same time"
RnR MAGAZINE " Plenty to tickle the ear!"
RnR MAGAZINE "Roadie is a great Song that blends Romanticism with life on the road!"
FOREVER BRITISH COUNTRY - "Really lovely Harmonizing, I love how Sarah Yeo has Really honed her sound"
"Wow, What a Voice" Shane Richie
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