Eliza Carthy, born in Scarborough in 1975, is the daughter of English folk musicians Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson. Perhaps not surprisingly, she grew up immersed in the world of traditional music, forming the Waterdaughters with her mother, aunt (Lal Waterson) and cousin Maria Knight at the age of thirteen. She has subsequently worked with Nancy Kerr, with her parents as Waterson:Carthy, and as part of the "supergroup" Blue Murder, in addition to her own solo work. She continues to divide her time between touring and recording with her legendary parents, and numerous solo and band projects.
Regarding her solo career, Eliza has built a remarkable reputation as a singer and fiddle player; she has twice been nominated for the Mercury Music Prize for UK album of the year: in 1998 for Red Rice, and again in 2003 for Anglicana. In 2003 Eliza swept the boards at the Radio 2 Folk Awards, winning Folk Singer of the Year, Best Album (for Anglicana) and Best Traditional Track (for “Worcester City"). She was also the first traditional English musician to be nominated for a BBC Radio 3 Award for World Music in the same year (for Anglicana).