John Philip "Jake" Thackray was a folk singer-songwriter from the north of England. Best known for his comedy songs, his work ranged from broad comedy and topical satire to sentimental, observational and pastoral songs. He sang in a lugubrious baritone voice, accompanying himself on a nylon-strung guitar in a style that was part classical, part jazz. His witty lyrics and clipped delivery, combined with his strong Yorkshire accent and the northern setting of many of his songs, led to him being described as the "North Country Noël Coward", a comparison Thackray resisted, although he acknowledged his lyrics were in the English tradition of Coward and Flanders and Swann "who are wordy, funny writers". However, his tunes derived from the French chansonnier tradition, and he claimed Georges Bras