Artist Bio:
No other British folk outfit has combined medieval themes and rock 'n' roll with the class and style of England's legendary Steeleye Span. With just a few breaks, the group has been going strong for more than 35 years. The group has toured around the world and has recorded almost two dozen full albums and even had a few pop chart hits in the U.K.
Steeleye Span's history begins with discussions between Ashley Hutchings, Maddy Prior and Tim Hart at a British folk festival in 1969. Hutchings had become enamored of traditional music after playing on Fairport Convention's seminal Liege & Lief project and wanted to explore that further in a new band. His idea was to put together a band of folk musicians playing electric instruments—a radical concept then. Hutchings, Prior and Hart were joined by the Irish duo Gay and Terry Woods for formed the first lineup of Steeleye Span, which made one album, Hark! The Village Wait, a solid collection of traditional ballads, before splitting up. This began the series of personnel and musical shifts that Steeleye Span endured throughout its history.
To replace the Irish duo Steeleye Span's remaining members brought in singer-guitarist Martin Carthy (already well known on the folk circuit for his solo work and duo with fiddler Dave Swarbrick) and violinist Peter Knight. This lineup recorded two albums, played live and even participated in theatrical productions, and it was this version of Steeleye Span that developed the precise multipart vocal harmony singing style that became a band trademark. But Hutchings wanted to pursue music that was even more strictly inspired by English traditions and left Steeleye Span to pursue that interest, and Carthy left to restart his solo career.
These departures led to major changes for the group, since Carthy and Hutchings' replacements, Bob Johnson (vocals, guitar) and Rick Kemp (bass, vocals) had extensive rock experience. The music became more orchestrated and formal. There was still no drummer, so Kemp's bass not only filled out the bottom but also provided most of the rhythmic drive. But on the 1972 release Below the Salt, Steeleye Span was still fairly sedate. But with Parcel of Rogues, which came out in early 1973, the rockier side of Steeleye Span began to emerge. Still without a drummer, the band's tempos started speeding up and loud electric guitar breaks started to appear on tracks like "Alison Gross."
With its bigger and heavier sound, Steeleye Span decided it was time to hire a full-time drummer, and thus Nigel Pegrum joined up later in 1973. This lineup made Now We Six with Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson producing. That album included Steeleye Span's classic interpretation of the epic ballad "Thomas the Rhymer." This incarnation of the group stayed together for several years of touring and recording. The group's sound became ever rockier, and some arrangements leaned more heavily on pop song construction, with steady danceable beats and catchy, repeating choruses. In fact, the title track from Steeleye Span's 1975 LP All Around My Hat was a chart hit in the U.K. and got the group on to Top of the Pops, a British television program, for the second time.
Bob Johnson and Peter Knight left to work on a concept album based on The King of Elfland's Daughter. To replace them, Martin Carthy returned and was accompanied by accordion and melodeon master John Kirkpatrick. This lineup toured but only produced two albums: Storm Force Ten and Live at Last. Carthy and Kirkpatrick's style brought Steeleye Span back to a more folk-based sound, though the rhythm section still gave the proceedings some heft at the low end. Kirkpatrick's jaunty accordion brought in a different flavor to what had been a guitar-and-violin-led band.
Though this version of Steeleye created fascinating music and had great potential, Carthy and Kirkpatrick left in 1978 and went to back to a lower key style of performing. But Steeleye Span didn't fade away after that departure either, although it wasn't until 1980 that a new recording, Sails of Silver, appeared. This LP reunited the mid-1970s Steeleye Span and harkened back to the group's most pop-oriented sound. Tim Hart left after this album was released and produced one solo album of his own.
Steeleye Span took a rest at this point but reemerged a few years later as a tight five piece. The next album, Back in Line, appeared in 1986 and successfully married the group's tougher rock side with its folk roots. Since then, Steeleye Span has remained active, albeit with the usual number of comings and goings. Gay Woods rejoined for a years in the mid-1990s and even Maddy Prior left for a few years during which time Woods became the lead singer. Bob Johnson departed in the early 2000s and was replaced by Ken Nicol. Woods left for the second time and Prior is back, leading her band into the 21st century. —Ken Roseman
