Andy Cutting
A quiet revolutionary of the melodeon, he reshaped the sound of British folk music with understated virtuosity and cross-channel flair.
Born 1969 (age 57)·British melodeon player and folk music composer·Birthday: March 18·Generation X
Biography
Andy Cutting didn't just play the melodeon; he redefined its possibilities, turning a boxy folk instrument into a vessel for profound musical storytelling. Emerging from the London session scene, his style is a unique alchemy—the rhythmic drive of English tradition filtered through the lyrical elegance of French musette and a jazz musician's harmonic curiosity. He is the musician's musician, a collaborator of choice whose work with the band Blowzabella and in duos with the likes of Chris Wood and guitarist John McCusker has set a gold standard. His compositions are not mere tunes but miniature worlds, evocative and meticulously crafted. Despite a mantlepiece laden with BBC Folk Awards, including an unprecedented three Musician of the Year titles, Cutting remains a figure of grounded artistry, his influence radiating not from stadium stages but from the deep respect of every musician who has shared a stage or studied his fluid, inventive lines.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Andy was born in 1969, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Andy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1969
#1 Movie
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Best Picture
Midnight Cowboy
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Andy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1969Born
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1974Started school
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1982Became a teenager
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Could drive
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1987Could vote
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Turned 21
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1999Turned 30
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 40
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 50
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 57 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 'Musician of the Year' award a record three times (2008, 2011, 2016).
- Was a foundational member of the influential electric folk band Blowzabella.
- Co-founded the innovative acoustic trio Leveret with Sam Sweeney and Rob Harbron.
- Has performed on or contributed to approximately 50 albums across a wide range of folk projects.
Did You Know?
He originally studied sculpture at art college before focusing fully on music.
His 2010 solo album, 'Andy Cutting,' was his first under his own name after decades as a collaborator.
He is married to the folk singer and guitarist Nancy Kerr.
He is highly regarded in the French folk scene for his mastery of the diatonic button accordion traditions.
“The melodeon is a small box, but it contains a whole orchestra if you listen.”
