Fairport Convention

It is no stretch to say that Britain’s Fairport Convention were the key band in the development and popularisation of Folk-Rock. Boasting one of the great electric guitarists in Richard Thompson, the band formed in 1967 with their self-titled debut album appearing the following year. Soon their folk-rock (with more Californian influence than Celtic) was infiltrated by UK folk influences as Sandy Denny replaced Judy Dyble as key vocalist. As the sixties ended, the Fairport sound came together brilliantly on 1969’s Liege And Lief, considered by many to be the finest example of British folk-rock. The merging of rock energy (and instrumentation) with a deep appreciation of English folk was fresh and beguiling, and still offers much.

Band membership was always a complex dance. Richard Thompson left for solo shores in 1970 after the excellent Full House, following Sandy Denny who had departed (for the first time) after Liege And Lief (she returned for 1975’s Rising For The Moon, having sung on “The Battle of Evermore”, a Led Zeppelin IV highlight). Later versions of Fairport revolved around bass guitar and mandolin player Dave Pegg, fiddle player Dave Swarbrick, drummer Dave Mattacks, and other musicians, some of whom were not named Dave. (Two vital non-Daves are Simon Nicol, guitarist, and Rick Sanders). Fairport is a family that still convenes periodically to this day.