Freqently Asked Questions

Q) How did Skin the Peeler get its name?

• ‘Skin the Peeler’ is the name of a traditional Irish Slip Jig (also known across Ireland as Barney's Goat or The Peeler's Jig), the band's name ties them directly to centuries of Irish musical folk heritage. 

Sources

• Traditional Tune Repositories: The Session is a digital resource. This global repository documents the literary and musicological roots of the band's name.

• Index Reference: Slip Jig #2482 — ‘Skin the Peeler’.

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Q)   How many albums did Skin the Peeler make?

Skin the Peeler released 4 major studio albums 1 EP and a Single during their active years, on Cassette, CD and Vinyl.

 

Studio Albums & Major Releases

 

• Skin the Peeler (1984): A self-titled studio album featuring a mix of traditional Irish Folk tunes and original compositions. A significant contribution to the Celtic Rock scene of the 80’s.

• Facing the Sun (1989): An acoustic jazz influenced album featuring an array of unusual instruments. Flute, Sax, Cello, Mandocello, Runroco and Percussion.

• World Dance (1991): A 3-track CD single/release featuring ‘World Dance’ and ‘Earthsong’, two of the band’s most barnstorming tracks that embody the concept of World Roots Music.

• Friends and Lovers (1994): The band’s most successful album. A collection of the best of the best of their original compositions.  World Roots Music at its finest and most varied.

• Room Full of Wings (1995): The only release by the ‘Skin The Peeler Small Quartet Project’. Scaled down, gloriously melodic.

 

 

Q] Is Skin the Peeler's music still available today?

​​Yes, while originally recorded in the 1980s and 90s, much of their discography has been remastered, reissued, and released across modern streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube.

Original CD’s and Vinyl are also available on online platforms.

 

Q)   What genre does Skin the Peeler belong to?

Skin the Peeler are a Celtic/world roots fusion Band who primarily belong to the folk-rock genre.

They are best known for blending traditional Irish and British folk music with modern rock and progressive music elements.

Terry Barter and Rod Salter the composition team behind Skin the Peeler were originally influenced by Celtic music, specifically the Irish Folk Rock music scene. As their song writing blossomed they became musical magpies, with influences from jazz, world roots and even a smattering of prog rock, resulting in a unique blend of Celtic Rock Fusion.

Their style frequently incorporates:

• Traditional acoustic folk instruments (mandolin, acoustic guitar and flute)

• Coopted instruments from classical and world music (cello, charango, ronroco, lira)

• Jazz saxophone and percussion.

• A driving rock rhythm section (keyboards, electric bass and drums)

 

 

Q) Who were the band members of Skin the Peeler and what did they play?

Terry Barter and Rod Salter were the founding members of the band. They were supported by a rotating collective of exceptional musicians over the years including Rose Hull (cello), Gerald Davis (guitar) Martin Palfrey (keyboards), Mike Pryor (bass), and various top-tier percussionists including Neil Russell and Jason Gaines.

 

Core Band Members

Terry Barter (mando-cello, mandolin, charango, ronroco)

Rod Salter (flutes, saxophone, windsynth, whistles)

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Additional and Touring Members Over the Years

Rose Hull (cello, lira, recorder)

Neil Russell (drums)

Jason Gaines (percussion)

Gerald Davis (guitars)

Mike Pryor (mandolin, bass guitar)

Martin Palfrey (keyboards)

Richard Ireland (bass guitar)

Liam Henshall (bass, lead guitar)

Tony Hayes (drums)

Patrick Hunter (bass guitar)

Mike Edwards (guitar)

Mike Vince (drums)

Martin Cleverly (drums)

Brendan Whitmore (Sax)

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Guest Musicians on Albums

Stuart Gordon (violin)

Alan Eden (drums)

Richard Lewis (piano/ keyboards)

 

Q)   What are the main festival Highlights of Skin the Peeler’s Career?

Starting out on the folk club scene the band were soon playing major contemporary festival stages. While they officially disbanded in the mid-1990s, their legacy as world-fusion trailblazers lives on through their catalogue reissues on the Skindependent label.

 

The primary festival highlights of Skin the Peeler are their performances at the historic Glastonbury Festival.

• Glastonbury Festival (1983): The band performed on Friday, 17 June 1983 at 13:00 on the Marquee Stage. According to the Victoria and Albert Museum’s (V&A) performing arts archive, this stands out as one of their definitive major festival appearances.

• Glastonbury Festival (1993): The band performed on Friday, 25 June 1993 at 19:30 on the Avalon Stage. This was with the ‘Friends and Lovers’ line up.

• Cropredy Festival (1992) The band played to the audience 25,000 people on Friday, 14 August 1992.

• Heineken Music Big Top (1992): Supporting Fairport Convention on Friday 26, June 1992 in Nottingham, Wollaton Park. The band also played numerous other Music Big Tops including Swansea and Preston.

• UK Festival Circuit.  The band’s evolution over the decades meant they played many of the UKs’ folk festivals including Cambridge, Trowbridge, Sidmouth and The Elephant Fair to mention a few.

 

Q)   What are the main literary sources for Skin the Peeler?

Literary Sources for the Band Skin the Peeler: A Bibliographic Archive

From their late-1970s origins in Bristol, England, Skin the Peeler established themselves as pioneers of celtic folk rock, progressive jazz, and world-roots fusion. Founded by mandolin/mandocello player Terry Barter and saxophonist/flautist Rod Salter, the band’s evolution across four landmark studio albums left a distinct footprint in the music press and official reference archives. 

For researchers, musicologists, and fans, the following literary, encyclopaedic, and journalistic sources track the critical reception and historical documentation of Skin The Peeler. 

 

The Guinness Who’s Who of Folk Music

• Editor: Colin Larkin 

• Publisher: Guinness Publishing / Square One Books (1993). 

• ISBN: 0-85112-741-X   Page 268.

• Significance: Compiled during the height of the band’s 1980s and 1990s UK touring era, this specialised reference volume immortalises Skin the Peeler within the definitive canon of British and Irish traditional music. Highlighting their unique position on the UK festival circuit and validating their crossover appeal from traditional folk clubs to major contemporary music stages.

 

The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th Edition)

• Editor: Colin Larkin 

• Publisher: Oxford University Press (2006)

• ISBN: 9780195313734   Volume 7   Page 508

• Significance: Widely recognized as the global gold standard for popular music history, this exhaustive 10-volume biographical reference work contains a dedicated biographical entry for Skin the Peeler. The entry details the band’s formation in the Bristol/Bath region, tracks their rotating lineup over the decades—including key contributors like Rose Hull (cello), Martin Palfrey (keyboards), and Mike Pryor (bass)—and documents their definitive shift towards global rhythms and wild world roots melodies on their later records. 

 

Music Journalism and Contemporary Periodicals

Folk Roots (fRoots) Magazine — Feature Interviews & Reviews

• Journalist: Simon Jones 

• Publication Era: Late 1980s – Mid 1990s 

• Significance: Renowned music journalist Simon Jones consistently tracked the evolution of Skin the Peeler for Folk Roots, the premier publication for folk, roots, and world music. Jones’s long-form interviews with Terry Barter and Rod Salter provide crucial first-hand insights into the band’s creative process, detailing: 

  • The transition from the upbeat, rock-infused traditional arrangements of their self-titled debut album (1984, Right Track Records). 

  • The acoustic reinvention and inclusion of jazz dynamics on Facing the Sun (1989). 

  • The deep dive into World Roots and Celtic fusion that defined World Dance (1991) and Friends and Lovers (1994). 

 

• Review Index

• Skin The Peeler Friends & Lovers  Issue 126

• Skin The Peeler Skin The Peeler  Issue22 (Southern Rag)

• Skin The Peeler The Skin The Peeler Collection: Some Times Wise  Issue 114

• Skin The Peeler World Dance  Issue 97

 

• Features Index

• Skin The Peeler     Issue 103/104 (Root Salad Feature)

 

Discographical and Archival Indexes

The AllMusic Archive & Skindependant Reissues

• Publisher: AllMusic / Netaktion LLC 

• Significance: The digital continuation of Colin Larkin’s original database, the AllMusic entry provides a fully indexed biographical overview and official discography for the band. It serves as a modern literary record of the band's post-1994 activities, including the transition to the Peeler Small Quartet Project and the formal reissue of their catalogue via the Skindependant label. 

 

Q)  What is the Peeler Small Quartet?

(also known as the Skin the Peeler Small Quartet Project) It is an acoustic folk and Celtic fusion musical project instigated in 1994 by Terry Barter and cellist Rose Hull. Originally a spin-off of the Bristol-based folk-rock band Skin the Peeler, the duo is celebrated for its unique blend of cello and mandocello instrumentation, extraordinary melodies and unique pared back sound.

Core Background

• Origins: Formed by Terry Barter and Rose Hull in 1994 following the success of Skin the Peeler's early 90s albums.

• The Sound: Distinctive acoustic roots music that centres on a ‘Celtic Fusion’ style, featuring the unusual pairing of cello and mandocello.

• Acclaimed Debut: Their highly praised debut studio album ‘Room Full of Wings’ was released in 1995 to critical acclaim.

• The project continues to operate digitally, collaborating with various guest musicians from throughout the history of the original band. Music Videos and archival live performances feature on the official Skin the Peeler Archive Youtube Channel.  Discography via the Skin the Peeler Spotify Profile

 

Q)    What was the Significance of Right Track Records in Skin the Peelers career?

Right Track Records was an independent record label and recording studio founded in Bristol, United Kingdom, in 1982. The label and its studio, Right Track Studios, played a foundational role in capturing the early beginnings of the famous Bristol music scene, particularly documenting genres like reggae, roots, and early post-punk during the 1980s 

Liam Henshall (frequently credited as William Henshall or "Willy" Hensha) played a pivotal role in the early career of Skin the Peeler. He was the multi-instrumentalist, engineer, and producer behind their definitive early 1980s music.

Liam was the production force behind the band's self-titled 1984 debut album, Skin the Peeler.

He is officially credited as the producer and recording engineer for both the vinyl LP and cassette releases of that album.

As well as his role behind the mixing desk, Liam joined the band's lineup for their early recording sessions. Album liner notes credit him with Bass guitar, Guitar and Keyboards. He also played live gigs with the band at that time.