Tony Barrand


Dr. Anthony Grant Barrand is an academic and musician residing in Brattleboro, Vermont, United States. He is a Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences, Boston University, where his courses included "Stalking the Wild Mind: The Psychology and Folklore of Extra-Sensory Perception and Psychic Phenomena", "English Ritual Dance and Drama", and "Folk Songs as Social History".
He is best known for his musical collaborations with John Roberts. As Roberts and Barrand, they perform a cappella and accompanied performances of traditional English folk music. They also perform and record fare such as sea shanties of the North Atlantic, and an album of traditional drinking songs. The duo is also half of the related act Nowell Sing We Clear — which in addition to a number of albums — performs an annual yuletide concert series.
Born in England, Barrand moved to the United States after completing a Bachelor of Arts at The University of Keele. He earned his Ph.D. from Cornell University, where he also formed his ongoing music partnership with John Roberts.
Barrand is also an expert morris and clog dancer, having taught across the United States, and written several books on the subject. He has edited the journal Country Dance and Song and founded the Marlboro Morris Ale, an annual national gathering of Morris dancers in Vermont.
Barrand's collection of film and video of morris, sword, and clog dancing was deposited in 2003, by invitation, to the American Folklife Center, as the Anthony Grant Barrand Collection of Morris, Sword, and Clog Dancing at the Library of Congress. As of 2005 the collection had been digitized and is available online at Boston University.
Since the late 1990s, multiple sclerosis has limited Barrand's mobility, but not his academic work or musical performances.

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