Helen Turner and Sharon Winfield have been performing together since 2006. After discovering a shared love of folk and acoustic music they formed a duo 'over coffee' and soon realised their voices were meant to be together. Both have a history of solo and band incarnations and bring distinctive songwriting styles to Union Jill. Sharon and Helen achieve some spellbinding effects with their voices and instruments and have developed their own approach to the folk/acoustic genre.
Playing across the North of England (under their previous name TWO) they quickly gained a reputation for quality performances and well-crafted songs. Their onstage presence is natural, funny and personable and, whilst their material touches on the darker side of life at times, they enjoy using their music to tell stories – with banter you only get from two women sharing a stage.
After working with York label Soup Records, they produced two albums ‘One’ and 'Two', showcasing Helen and Sharon’s flair for melody and harmonies. Collaborations with Ric Sanders (Fairport Convention) and Troy Donockley (Bad Shepherds, Iona, Barbara Dickson) are featured on the second album.
A third album is on the way!
Having appeared at York Folk Festival, Wychwood Festival, Beverley Folk Festival, Wold Top Festival, Greenbelt Festival and Stockton Riverside Festival as well as supporting some of their favourite musicians (Fairport Convention, Oysterband, Karine Polwart, Eliza Carthy, Martin Simpson to name a few) Union Jill are now establishing themselves as a long-standing and growing presence in the acoustic/folk world.