BOWTIE & PETAL

The sentence that possibly best sums up Bowtie & Petal is the following:

“A little bit classy, a little bit jazzy and sometimes a little bit silly.”

Whether you’re there for the music, the lyrics or the warm-hearted dialogue everyone gets something from this delightful and inspiring duo.

With a repertoire covering: the American songbook, instrumental jazz standards, original songs, show tunes, folk, classical, comedy and pop – Bowtie & Petal make each and every song their own.

Catherine’s exceptional clarinet playing skills are supported by Ralph’s superb rhythm abilities on tenor-guitar and ukuleles. And, in contrast, when Ralph is belting out a singalong classic or crooning a 1940’s favourite, Catherine’s clarinet hangs back to converse playfully with his voice before taking over to elicit a scintillating solo.

And it doesn’t end there. Other musical skills include Ralph’s flair on the chromatic harmonica and wailing blues harp. And Catherine is also known for a bit of wailing. She does her wailing on soprano and alto saxophones. That is when she’s not playing some form of percussion. For in Catherine’s hands even the lowly triangle is liable to take centre stage, invoking laughter amidst the music.

This well-balanced and professional act offers a show to fit festival and theatre stages, as well as music for private events and parties in all types of venue.

If you require well-played live music that manages to be a little bit classy, a little bit jazzy and sometimes… a little bit silly, hire Bowtie & Petal.

The “Bowtie” part of Bowtie & Petal is Ralph Shaw. Showman extraordinaire, Ralph has toured widely in the USA, Canada and Australia as “The King of the Ukulele”.

His career began by crooning classics from the early 20th Century and moved on to write hilarious original songs and other more modern material. His acclaimed performances, ukulele workshops and Ukulele Entertainer books have reached thousands in his 25+ years of performances and teaching.

Catherine Embleton is a proud Geordie who often gets called Petal. She plays clarinet and saxophone for orchestral and dance band shows (such as The Northern Swing Orchestra).

Alongside her work with Ralph she teaches, conducts and likes hitting things (she’s also a percussionist). In recent years Catherine has discovered another calling as an award winning abstract visual artist. Her colourful and vibrant works are often described as beautiful, joyful and inspiring.

Ralph and Catherine are featured for their Folk Jam musical holidays in the HF Magazine: Summer 2025 edition.

By going to page 22 you can read the article here.

Walkington Uke Festival 2025 —
Review by Gary Hughes

Bowtie and Petal (Ralph Shaw and Catherine Embleton) provided a stunning finale as our headline act in the Saturday afternoon concert.

It really was a delightful musical extravaganza from two multi-talented entertainers.

The new pairing played like they had been performing together for years and provided a flawless show to a very receptive audience.

Ralph’s energy knows no bounds, and this combined so well with Catherine’s musical and artistic prowess. It was the first time we had seen the clarinet combined with the ukulele and this worked so well. Expert triangle playing was also on show and we loved the humour throughout the act.

It was a highly enjoyable show from two very accomplished musicians.

Indeed, many audience members were spotted still singing, humming and whistling the songs they had just heard, as they left the Village Hall. This is always the sign of a first-class act.

Care Home Review:

What a fantastic afternoon we’ve had here at Grange Court!  A huge thank you to Bowtie & Petal Musical Entertainers — Ralph & Catherine — for their outstanding performance. Ralph’s tenor guitar and beautiful singing, together with Catherine’s magical clarinet playing, filled the room with music. Our residents joined in with lots of singing participation, and the atmosphere was just wonderful. Can’t describe how amazing they were — a truly unforgettable afternoon full of joy! Watch Video