Artist Bio:
Few bands claim to have started a genre, but Fairport Convention has a lock as the first band to take traditional British music, electrify it and rock it up. But when the group first began in 1967, it was influenced by what was going on in the United States by the likes of Bob Dylan and the Byrds. In fact, Fairport Convention's self-titled debut consisted entirely of contemporary material, with no hint of what was to come.
However, by the time the group had begun work on its second LP, What We Did on Our Holidays, original lead vocalist Judy Dyble had been replaced by Sandy Denny. Denny had been performing on the London folk circuit, and she brought a repertoire of traditional ballads to the band, which also featured Ashley Hutchings, Simon Nicol and Richard Thompson. Two of those, "Nottamun Town" and "She Moves Through the Fair," appeared on What We Did on Our Holidays.
Major upheavals hit Fairport in 1969. Drummer Martin Lamble died in a highway crash and was replaced by Dave Mattacks, and Dave Swarbrick joined as a full-time member. This new lineup created Liege & Lief, the first album consisting entirely of either new adaptations of traditional tunes or new songs that sounded as if they were hundreds of years old, such as the opening "Come All Ye." As great as this lineup was, it did not last long. Denny left to focus on contemporary material, while Hutchings stayed focused on the traditional material and formed Steeleye Span. And so the template was set for Fairport's ever-changing membership, and next few years saw more comings and goings.
In 1979, it looked like Fairport was finally going to call it a day. But the group reformed to play what was thought to be a one-off concert in the tiny village of Cropredy, Oxfordshire. Fairport did that a few more times, and from that tiny seed a mighty tree did grow into an annual festival.
In 1985, a core trio of Simon Nicol (vocals, guitar) Dave Pegg (bass, vocals) and Dave Mattacks (drums, keyboards) began recording Gladys's Leap assisted by guest players Ric Sanders (violin) and Cathy LeSurf (vocals). The album turned out well, and the Ralph McTell ballad "Hiring Fair" featured one of Nicol's best vocal performances, A real gigging band was needed so Ric Sanders joined, followed by multi-instrumentalist Maartin Allcock. This incarnation was one of Fairport's longest lasting, staying together for 11 years. This incarnation not only hosted the annual festival, it also toured regularly and released a series of well-received albums. Sanders and Allcock not only contributed their instrumental virtuosity, they also added original compositions to the band's repertoire.
As usual with Fairport, changes were coming, and in the late 1990s Mattacks and Allcock left the band. Gerry Conway came in on drums, and Chris Leslie, a singer and instrumentalist (fiddle, mandolin) with deep connections to English folk culture, replaced Allcock. His tradition-inspired pieces are highlights of the band's most recent tours and recordings. —Ken Roseman
