Fairport Convention | Artist
Fairport Convention is a British folk rock band formed 1967 in London by founding members Ashley Hutchings (bass, vocals), Simon Nicol (guitar, vocals), Richard Thompson (guitar, vocals), Martin Lamble (drums) and Judy Dyble (vocals). Friends Hutchings and Nicol began rehearsing on the floor above Nicol's father's medical practice in a house called "Fairport" on Fortis Green in Muswell Hill – the same street on which Ray and Dave Davies of the Kinks grew up. Thompson, Lamble and Dyble soon joined and the group got regular gigs at underground venues such as UFO and The Electric Garden, which later became the Middle Earth Club. They had many lineup changes over their long history including the addition of Ian Matthews, Sandy Denny, Dave Swarbrick, Dave Pegg and Trevor Lucas. Their first album, Fairport Convention, recorded in late 1967 and released in June 1968, was modelled on the US folk-rock sounds of Dylan, Joni Mitchell and The Byrds. Shortly before the album's release, a crash on the M1 motorway tragically killed drummer Martin Lamble and Jeannie Franklyn, Thompson's girlfriend. This resulted in the group ditching their old material and turning entirely towards British folk music for their seminal album Liege & Leaf, released the same year. This style has been the band's focus ever since. The year 1969 saw the band find their own distinctive voice and release three classic albums in the same year: What We Did In Our Holidays, Unhalfbricking and Liege & Lief. 1970 saw the temporary departure of Sandy Denny, to form Fotheringay with future husband Trevor Lucas, and the increased involvement of fiddle player Dave Swarbrick, whose influence can be heard on the album Full House. Richard Thompson left the band in 1971 after Full House, and does not appear on any further Fairport albums from that point. In 1972, Australian guitarist and vocalist Trevor Lucas joined the band and remained an integral part of their new sound until left in 1976. Fairport are widely regarded as a key group in the English folk rock movement, who are still playing and have released a total of 31 studio albums. Outstanding albums include the quartet of classic releases between 1969-1970 which included Richard Thompson: What we did on our Holidays (1969), Unhalfbricking (1969), Leige & Lief (1969) and Full House (1970). Also their 1968 self-titled debut album, and the compilations The History of Fairport Convention (1972), and Heyday: BBC Radio Sessions: 1968-69 (1987), are highly recommended. Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson each released many excellent solo releases after leaving Fairport. The band continues to perform and record to the present day, in particular at their own annual Fairport Cropredy Festival. The present day lineup consists of Simon Nichol, Dave Pegg, Gerry Conway, Rick Sanders and Chris Leslie. At the 2006 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards they received an award when their seminal album Liege & Lief was voted 'Most Influential Folk Album of All Time' by Radio 2 listeners. At the 2007 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Fairport Convention received an award recognising the late Sandy Denny and the band for "Favourite Folk Track of All Time" for "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?"
Artist Website: fairportconvention.com
Featured Albums: Fairport Convention
Related Artists: Richard Thompson, Sandy Denny, Fotheringay, Dave Swarbrick, Trevor Lucas, Ian Matthews, Simon Nicol, The Albion Band
