. Although his 57 books of poetry have introduced such off-the-wall characters as Jason & the Arguments, Cosmo the Fairly Accurate Knife Thrower, and Captain Indecisive,
has proven as eccentric with the songs that he's written for his group, Mrs. Ackroyd's Band.
A former accountant,
Barker has become one of England's strangest songwriters. His songs have been covered by
Martin Carthy,
Dave Swarbrick and
June Tabor, while his recording of "Dachshunds With Erections Can't Climb Stairs" was a favorite of the
Dr. Demento radio show.
An album of
Barker's folk opera, The Stones of Callanish, was recorded by
Lesley Davies,
June Tabor, Fiona Simpson, Cathy-Ann MacPhee,
Rod Paterson,
Jim Sutherland,
Phil Cunningham and
Savourna Stevenson in 1989.
Mrs. Ackroyd's Band, which
Barker formed with Alison Younger, Leslie Davies and
Chris Harvey, made their debut on a six program series, Mrs. Ackroyd Explores Up Her Roots, broadcast by BBC's Radio 2. The group, which takes its name from a dog that traveled with
Barker until 1988, is often augmented at festivals by
Martin Carthy and
Norma and Eliza Waterson.
Davies left the group in 1996.
Hilary Spencer of Artisan toured with the band in 1997. The debut album of Mrs. Ackroyd's Band, The Mrs. Ackroyd Rock'N'Roll Show, featured musical accompaniment by rock band
Quiet Riot.
–
Craig Harris, Rovi