Robin Williamson | Artist

Robin Williamson is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and storyteller born 1943 in Edinburgh Scotland. One of the UK's most revered folk artists, Williamson was a founding member of The Incredible String Band and, more recently, has led a distinguish career as a soloist and band leader of Robin Williamson and His Merry Band. Leaving school at the age of 15 to become a professional musician, Williamson performed in local jazz bands with Gerard Dott (later to be a member of the Incredible String Band) before turning to traditional music as a singer and guitarist. By 1961 he had met and begun sharing a flat with Bert Jansch and in 1963 they traveled to London to play the folk circuit. By 1965 he had returned to Edinburgh and formed a duo with Clive Palmer specialising in fiddle and banjo arrangements of traditional Scottish and Irish songs. Joe Boyd signed them to Elektra Records in 1966, by which time they had hired a third member, Mike Heron. As resident band at Clive's Incredible Folk Club in Glasgow, they called themselves the Incredible String Band. Williamson released his first solo album, Myrrh, in 1971 when still a member of the Incredible String Band. With an eclectic mix of styles including celtic folk, blues, bluegrass, and French chanson, the album successfully kicked off his solo career at a time when ISB were running out of steam after releasing 13 albums. After ISB split in 1974, Williamson began living in Los Angeles and, for a while turned his attention to writing an espionage novel The Glory Trap. By 1976 he had returned to music, forming The Merry Band with Sylvia (Celtic harp), Jerry McMillan (fiddle), and Chris Caswell (flute, harp). They toured extensively for three years throughout the US, Canada, and Europe, and released three albums: Journey's Edge, American Stonehenge, and A Glint at the Kindling. In 1981 Williamson delivered one of his finest solo albums, Songs of Love and Parting, featuring his artistry of the steel-strung harp, and exhibiting emergent new-age musical directions. Williamson has gone on to release 48 studio albums in total, including several excellent collaborations with the likes of John Renbourn, Clive Palmer, Mike Heron, and his wife Bina Williamson. Standout albums include Myrrh (1972), American Stonehenge (1978), A Glint at the Kindling (1979), Songs of Love and Parting (1981) and Just Like The River And Other Songs With Guitar (2008). Williamson has also released works with musical accompaniment to the poems of Dylan Thomas, William Blake, and Walt Whitman.

Artist Website: pigswhiskermusic.co.uk

Featured Albums: Robin Williamson,

Related Artists: Incredible String Band, Mike Heron, Robin Williamson & His Merry Band