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Sophie Bancroft grew up in a musical family in Edinburgh, Scotland. Surrounded by an exciting generation of young jazz and folk musicians Sophie soon formed her own bands receiving much acclaim from the press. In the early part of her career she performed as a jazz vocalist around Britain and Europe at major jazz festivals and clubs, and on regular broadcasts for BBC Radio 2 and Radio Scotland.
She then moved south to take up post as Britains first Jazz Education Development Officer, during which time she honed her skills as a songwriter and a music educator. On her return back to Scotland in 1993, Sophie has gone on to have a highly successful career as a singer-songwriter performing, broadcasting and recording her own compositions with a unique blend of jazz, folk, country and pop influences.
A collaboration with electronic band Spylab and dance label Guidance Records in Chicago, US, led to one of Sophie's songs being used on major hit TV series Six Feet Under' and several reaching top 10 slots in various dance charts as well as a performance at the esteemed South By Southwest Music Festival 2001 in Texas.
A publishing deal with Bug Music in Los Angeles and various song representation contracts with other labels and music libraries in the USA have followed. Sophie has released 4 albums to critical acclaim on her own label, LisaLeo Records with the most recent, Handwritten', being released in June 2008. Songs from Sophie's CD Hot And Cold' have recently been used on the DVD of the US TV series of Everwood and on NBC's series 'Life' and several top vocalists, including award-winning singer Liane Carrol, are now recording and performing some of Sophie's songs.
Having collaborated with various other top singer-songwriters including Boo Hewerdine, Riley Briggs from band Aberfeldy, Emily Smith, David Scott from The Pearlfishers, Marc Pilley from Hobotalk, Nicki King and Geoff Martyn during the first Burnsong festival, a Tune-Up tour of of the collaborative work followed in 2006 and 2 of the resulting co-writes were recorded on the CD 'Handwritten' released in June 2008. Sophie is currently co-writing with lyricist Dave Gill and poet Gaia Holmes (check out ww.myspace.com/lyricaljunction)
As well as concerts under her own name, Sophie's performance work also includes gigs with accordionist virtuoso Martin Green’s innovative band The Green Machine, has supported guitar legend Bert Jansch at the ABC in Glasgow tours and worked in the compelling duo The Two Tall Girls with Canadian cellist, Christine Hanson, whilst maintaining her connection with the jazz world singing alongside award-winning jazz vocalists Liane Caroll and Barbara Morrison as well as the jazz legend Fionna Duncan, during the Glasgow and Edinburgh International Jazz Festivals.
Sophie is one of the most in-demand jazz vocal teachers in Britain, with a very busy private tuition schedule as well as being a regular tutor at the RSAMD, City Of Edinburgh Music School, University of Strathclyde, University of Newcastle and one of the main workshop leaders in the Fionna Duncan Vocal Jazz Workshops and the Mediterranean Jazz School. She also leads song-writing workshops in secondary schools around Scotland.
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