The Oldham Tinkers are an English folk music band, formed in 1965 by John Howarth and brothers Larry and Gerry Kearns in a pub in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. [1] They sing in Lancashire vernacular with subjects ranging from childhood, music hall, to poetry and historical subjects, mainly about Oldham and surrounding parts of southern Lancashire. [2]
Larry Kearns died in June 2016. [3] but David Howard has taken his place for the performances they continue to give. [4]
Their work is published by Topic Records, initially with various other artists, Deep Lancashire (1968) and Owdham Edge (1970), but subsequently by themselves on:
Their songs also contributed to the Topic Records anniversary compilations:
Their song Peterloo about the eponymous massacre was also included on the Ozit Records CD:
They recorded various radio sessions for the BBC from 1969.