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An overview
As
the visualisation below shows the transition of a rock band playing folk songs
into a new genuine form of electrified folk music provided a musical stimulus to
UK folk that became a springboard for many artists. Fairport Convention
had been playing electric covers of modern folk songs over the course of their
first three albums but on the song 'A Sailor's Life' traditional folk musician
Dave Swarbrick had joined them on electric violin and their musical chemistry
had produced a new dynamic form of folk music. Dave Swarbrick had been
recording in solo and with follow musician Martin Carthy and in 1969 released
'Prince Heathen' a turning point for them exploring a darker, stark folk music.
In an interesting side note Ashley Hutchings had seen Nick Drake early in his
career and mentioned him to Joe Boyd who sought and signed him from where he
became a musical legend after his unfortunate early death. Judy Dyble
had been the original singer prior to Sandy Denny joining and on leaving she
formed part of the duo Trader Horne who released one excellent album,
Judy went on to release another in her own name and has sung live with Fairport
Convention again a few years ago.
In
1969 Fairport Convention were returning from a gig when they had a terrible
crash which resulted in the early death of their drummer Martin
Lamble and the
girlfriend of Richard Thompson. Over a period of recuperation the whole
future of the band was thrown into doubt. They came back together and
determined to do something unique building on their growing interest in
traditional folk music. With Dave Mattacks originally of 'Andy and
the Marksmen' now on drums and Dave Swarbrick fully in the band along with the
traditional singer Sandy Denny they took time to research and rehearse a set of
songs that would prove pivotal to UK folk music. This became the 'Liege and
Lief' album released in 1969 which proved a huge
success.
After this album Ashley Hutchings wanted to carry on his interest in traditional
folk music but Sandy Denny had already done this before joining so wanted to
move into new compositions. Ironically this resulted in their both
leaving, Sandy Denny forming a band around her with husband Trevor Lucas of
Eclection called Fotheringay. After Fotheringay Lucas
and
Dave Pegg the 'Ian Campbell Group' would go on to
become a mainstays of Fairport Convention. Fairport Convention would
continue releasing the excellent but transitional 'Full House' and then moving
more into electrified jigs and reels led by Dave Swarbrick. Richard
Thompson was also leave in due course releasing the seminal 'Henry The Human
Fly' and then working with his wife Linda before they split and both went solo.
Linda releasing her first solo album in 2002 and Richard Thompson going on to be
a UK folk rock legend.
Ashley Hutchings was in discussion with a broad range of UK folk musicians
about bringing alive traditional folk songs in sympathetic modern settings.
This included many established artists in their own right. Tim Hart and
Maddy Prior had recorded two albums of traditional English folk song, Bobb and
Carole Pegg from Yorkshire and Toni and Davy Arthur had all released albums.
From Ireland the legendary band Sweeney's Men was falling apart and Terry Woods
of the band with his wife was interested in a new venture. The first line
up of Steeleye Span formed but immediately hit tensions through the partnerships
of Tim Hart and Maddy Prior continuing their solo careers clashing with Terry
and Gay Woods. The band recorded one album and fell apart. In the
interim Ashley Hutchings was in discussion and working with Bobb and Carole Pegg
about forming another band, this seemed certain until the call to reform
Steeleye Span came.
Bobb and Carole formed Mr Fox and released two wonderful albums although still
bitter about being dropped by the restless spirit of Hutchings. After two
albums the band and their marriage dissolved and they both started solo careers.
Carole released one album under the name 'Carolanne Pegg' and Bobb released a
number of adventurous albums in the 1970s and also wrote two books on British
folklore.
Terry and Gay Woods left Steeleye Span after the first album and formed The
Woods Band releasing one excellent album. They carried on as a duo and
Terry later formed and played in The Pogues revitalising Irish folk music with a
punk verve.
For the second Steeleye Span line-up Martin Carthy joined having released his
musical partner previously to play with Hutchings in Fairport Convention.
He had also married Norma Waterson of the definitive recording traditional folk
band in England, The Watersons. The family had been recording since the mid sixties
unaccompanied but were now venturing out into accompanied music and even folk
rock. Lal and Mike Waterson recorded the legendary 'Bright Phoebus' with
the support of almost all the musicians mentioned so far and many more this
perfectly married traditional music with electrification. The Watersons
continued and eventually called themselves 'Waterson Carthy' recognising the
Carthy name as important. They still record and their daughter Eliza is
playing a key role in developing a modern vital form of folk music solo and
working in the family band.
Ashley Hutchings and Martin Carthy both left the second line up of Steeleye Span
after two albums. Tim Hart and Maddy Prior continued and made the band a
popular worldwide charting rock band with folk elements similar to The Strawbs.
Steeleye Span in this line up became known for having part of their show with
live Morris dancing which was very popular. This led to the formation of a
specialist Morris troupe known as the 'Albion Morris' who have themselves gone
on to release albums of their music. Ashley Hutchings now wanted a band to
explore a purely English form of folk music and had a growing interest in Morris
dance music that was captured on the albums 'Morris On' and 'The Complete
Dancing Master'. Both of these albums bought together a wide range of
acoustic musicians with his former colleagues in Fairport Convention.
Hutchings'
wife was the important folk singer Shirley Collins who was
recording an album called 'No Roses' that required a broader musical palette so
he formed an impromptu backing band naming it 'The Albion Country Band'
intended for only that album.. Around this time Ashley was exploring
traditional English music further and wanted to form an electric band who could
deliver this in a contemporary way. So after
completing this wonderful album he started to form the band properly but much
to her annoyance did not ask his wife Shirley. Simultaneously traditional
singer Royston Wood who had been part of the unaccompanied traditional trio 'The
Young Tradition' with Heather Wood and Peter Bellamy was also looking to form a
similar outfit. These would eventually come together as the first line-up
of the 'Albion Country Band'. This band comprised Ashley and Royston, Dave
Mattacks and Simon Nicol (Ashley's former Fairport Convention fellow band
members), USA musician Sue Draheim on violin and singer/songwriter/guitarist
Steve Ashley. Steve and Royston did the vocals and this pivotal line-up
played live creating a huge impression throughout 1972. The line-up
was not to endure and was broken up by Ashley with Richard and Linda Thompson
plus a revolving door of others coming in to help play live.
Steve Ashley would found Ragged Robin, an
electric folk-rock band who would provide the excellent backing on Anne
Brigg's second album. His second solo album 'Stroll On' would define
folk-rock in 1974 winning Folk Review's contemporary album of the year
award. It is also notable for a fantastic version of 'Lord Bateman'
on which Steve bought the Albion line-up back together on their only
issued studio recording. Steve would continue on albums such as 'Speedy's
Return' right up to recent albums like 'Everyday Lives' (Topic Records,
2001).
In 1973 Ashley Hutchings was to make three albums, a morris dancing folk
rock, a folklore audio documentary and the first studio recording by the
'Albion Country Band' (already on their third line-up). This line-up saw
Hutchings reunited with Nicol of Fairport Convention and Martin Carthy
of Steeleye Span oined by John Kirkpatrick, the traditional Morris accordionist and his new
American wife Sue Harris. This band recorded one album that went
unreleased at the time in 1973 but was eventually released in 1976 due to
enduring fan requests. John
Kirkpatrick would record with his wife and now continues as a solo artist.
With the premature disbandment of the Albion Country Band Ashley Hutchings and
Shirley Collins formed an acoustic traditional band to play live and keep some
money coming in during the time of industrial unrest called the
'Etchingham Steam Band' named after where they lived. This band released
on atmospheric live album before Hutchings got together the Albion band again
this time focusing on English traditional dance music as 'The Albion Dance Band'
where it achieved considerable success and launched the careers of Phil Beer and
John Tams. As the band's musical policy broadened it became 'The Albion
Band' then the 'Albion Dance Band' which Shirley joined. Outside the band Hutchings continued releasing his first archival
solo album 'Rattlebone and Ploughjack' in 1976 (recorded in 1973) and continuing into the present
on a huge range of releases.
Shirley Collins and Ashley Hutchings split up but Shirley continued to record
with her sister Dolly until the late 1970s when Dolly unfortunately died.
In the early 1980s Shirley gave up live performance but has done some limited
recording in the 90s with Current 93. She continues to live in Sussex and
to speak about traditional English music.
In
the late 1970s the impetus of UK folk-rock seemed to disappear and punk swept
much music perceived as too old or grand away (as defined by them) in the popular imagination.
So progressive rock, pub rock, folk rock all suffered by being seen as outdated.
The traditional folk music continued but within it's core audience and would
slowly re-establish itself particularly from the late 1980s onwards as new bands
like The Oyster Band and The Battlefield Band would develop.
Further Reading
'The Guvnor' (about Ashley Hutchings and UK folk rock) by Brian Hinton and Geoff
Wall.
The UK Folk-Rock Lineage - The Fairport
Convention Branch
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