Lester Simpson is an English folk singer, songwriter and local radio presenter. In the early 1990s, he helped to form the internationally-acclaimed acappella folk vocal trio Coope Boyes & Simpson.

His songwriting - powerfully lyrical or targeted with wry humour - has brought an equally eclectic range of commissions from Britain and Europe. At the request of radio DJ Andy Kershaw, Lester wrote and recorded songs and the signature tune for the BBC Radio 1 series 'Kershaw Comes Home'. In doing so, he drew on his own local roots and traditions for work on 'The Belper Suite', commissioned by Belper Millennium Celebrations and 'March Of Time' for Wellingborough Council, whilst the hip-hop ecology of his 'Make It Mend It' forms part of the Cambridge University Advanced Course in English for Foreign Students.

It is the area around Passchendaele and Ypres in Flanders that has produced many of his most significant songs. Commissioned by Peace Concerts Passendale, a Flemish organisation which brings together artists and writers from different countries, Lester's songs and music have won national awards and been used for the soundtracks of the Channel 4 documentary, 'The Underground War' and Carlton Television's 'Shot at Dawn'. His works have featured in live concerts and recordings in Passchendaele Church and as part of the Passchendaele Suite were performed for the town's eightieth anniversary commemorations of the battle. In 1998, his work for the Peace Concerts' production, The Christmas Truce 1914, were the centrepiece of performances in Ypres Cathedral and with Coope Boyes & Simpson, he was invited to compose a new Peace Concert.

Lester's work in film and theatre includes a period with the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Barbican Theatre in London. He has recorded eight highly successful albums with Coope Boyes & Simpson, performed on national and European TV and radio, recorded sessions for BBC Radios 1, 2 and 4 and also presents a weekly two hour live show for BBC Midlands Radio. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.