Simon Nicol (Musician) - Pics, Videos, Dating, & News Simon Nicol Male Born Oct 13, 1950 Simon John Breckenridge Nicol is an English guitarist, singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He was a founding member of British folk rock group Fairport Convention and is the only founding member still in the band. He has also been involved with the Albion Band and a wide range of musical projects, both as a collaborator, producer and as a solo artist. He has received several awards for his work and career.… Read More related links Air Rage WomanÃ¢â¬â¢S Drunken Rampage Shields Gazette Google News - Aug 18, 2011 '<mark>Simon Nicol</mark> defending, said the case was exceptional, because of her diagnosed and acute fear of flying, and she only travelled by air as it was the only practical way to get to and from Greece.

She had taken valium, prescribed by her doctor,' Stars Ready For Fairport's Annual Cropredy Festival Northampton Chronicle & Echo Google News - Aug 09, 2011 'Guitarist and singer <mark>Simon Nicol</mark> said: âThe festival originally started because there were two of the band members who lived in Cropredy and we were just asked to perform at the end of the tombola. âWe had no idea it would go on to become a music' Teens Get A Kick Out Of Beating Aussies The Daily Post Google News - Jul 30, 2011 'VICTORS: Rotorua&#39;s Charlie Peato, 17, and <mark>Simon Nicol</mark>, 15, have recently competed in a kickboxing tournament in Australia and come home with wins.

Photo / Andrew Warner 280711aw2 Rotorua teenage kickboxers Charlie Peato and <mark>Simon Nicol</mark> have come back' Frank Zappa Memorial Pancake Breakfast Keskisuomalainen Google News - Jul 24, 2011 'Nykyinen kokoonpano ollut kasassa 90-luvulta, ja siinÃ¤ soittavat rumpali Gerry Conway, yhtyeen perusjÃ¤seniin kuulunut laulaja ja kitaristi <mark>Simon Nicol</mark>, vokalisti ja mandoliininsoittaja Chris Leslie, viulisti Ric Sanders ja basisti Dave Pegg' Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of Simon Nicol. CHILDHOOD 1950 Birth Born on October 13, 1950. TEENAGE 1964 13 Years Old Born in Muswell Hill, North London, Nicol was the son of a GP, who died in 1964. … Read More He began to play guitar at age 11 and left school at 15.

Read Less 1966 15 Years Old In 1966 he was asked to join local band the Ethnic Shuffle Orchestra by bass guitarist Ashley Hutchings, and soon left his job at a local cinema to play full-time. 1967 16 Years Old They rehearsed above his father's old surgery in Fairport house, which gave its name to the band he and Hutchings formed with Richard Thompson and Shaun Frater as Fairport Convention in 1967. … Read More As Thompson emerged as the lead guitarist, Nicol moved towards rhythm duties and occasional backing vocals. After some line-up changes the band enjoyed a degree of commercial success in their early years, with three albums and appearing on Britain's most popular music programme Top of the Pops in 1969 with the single "Si Tu Dois Partir", which reached number 21 in the UK Charts. Nicol contributed his first composition to the band for the second album What We Did on Our Holidays, the short instrumental 'End of a Holiday'. Besides contributing rhythm guitar and backing vocals to this album Nicol also played the autoharp on some songs.

Read Less 1969 18 Years Old Nicol was injured in the accident that killed drummer Martin Lamble on 12 May 1969, but when he and the band were recovered they recorded what is usually considered their masterpiece and the most important single album in British folk rock, Liege and Lief (1969), which is credited as the key recording in the creation of the electric folk genre and which helped institute a major surge of interest in British folk music. … Read More Almost immediately after the release of the album Hutchings and vocalist Sandy Denny left the band, which was then joined full-time by Dave Swarbrick on fiddle and by bassist Dave Pegg. While Swarbrick, with his knowledge of traditional music, emerged as the leading figure in the band, Nicol had to shoulder a larger share of the vocal duties on the next album Full House (1970). When Thompson left soon after, Nicol also had to take over lead guitar duties. Although never entirely happy with this role, it was generally thought at the time that he acquitted himself well. He also demonstrated that he was a multi-instrumentalist playing bass guitar, viola and dulcimer.

He began song writing on the next two albums Angel Delight and Babbacombe Lee (both 1971). 'Breakfast in Mayfair' on the latter was his first solo song composition with the band and one of the tracks that made it onto the History of Fairport Convention compilation album (1972). Read Less TWENTIES 1971 20 Years Old He also took over some of the production duties on Babbacombe Lee, but his efforts were not well received by the band and this, together with unhappiness with having to fill Thompson's shoes, led him to decide to move on and in 1971 he left the band, the last of the original members to do so. … Read More Just about the time that Nicol left Fairport Convention, Hutchings had also quit Steeleye Span and began to work on the first incarnation of the Albion Country Band to provide backing for his then wife Shirley Collins. Nicol joined the long list of musicians, including former Fairport members Richard Thompson and Dave Mattacks, to contribute to No Roses (1971), often considered one of the most important electric folk albums.

Read Less 1972 21 Years Old In 1972 Simon Nicol was part of the by now reduced six-piece-line up of the Albion Country Band featuring vocalists Royston Wood and Steve Ashley, Sue Draheim on fiddle, Ashley Hutchings on bass guitar and Dave Mattacks on drums. This band played a session for BBC Radio 1 and contributed one lengthy song to Steve Ashley's debut album. Along with Dave Mattacks, Ashley Hutchings, singer Royston Wood andsinger and multi-instrumentalist Steve Ashley and American fiddler Sue Draheim Nicol then teamed up with Richard Thompson and Linda Peters (later Linda Thompson) to form the trio Hokey Pokey in 1973. … Read More In 1974 this trio expanded into the band Sour Grapes that was assembled to tour in support of the Thompsons' I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight album. Later that year Nicol played on and co-produced the Thompsons' Hokey Pokey album. Read Less Show Less In 1973 he played on what is often considered one of the seminal folk/jazz albums of all time, John Martyn's Solid Air.

When Hutchings tried to reform the Albion Band for an album in 1973, Nicol joined again, but the resulting work, Battle of the Field was not released until 1976. … Read More Nicol took part in some of sessions for Hutchings' next project the Etchingham Steam Band, but never formally joined the group. Instead, he added electric guitar and occasional drums to Hutchings' and accordionist John Kirkpatrick's project The Compleat Dancing Master which collects excerpts of English literature and both acoustic and electrified traditional dance music. Read Less 1974 23 Years Old In 1974-5 he played guitar on Cat Stevens' Numbers (1975) and also formed a band with Chris Spedding, Pat Donaldson, Gerry Conway. … Read More However, this 'supergroup' proved abortive before any recordings were made. Nicol also produced the album Rough Diamonds (1975) for the highly regarded Jack the Lad, and began to play with Swarbrick and Pegg in a low key trio, Three Desperate Mortgages, which toured student venues across Britain.

Read Less 1976 25 Years Old In 1976 Nicol also was the main guitarist on Ashley Hutchings' second Morris dance revival project, Son of Morris On. … Read More This album also featured Morris tunes Nicol had already played with the Albion Country Band in 1972.<br /><br /> Nicol came back to work with Fairport as a sound engineer on what was originally a solo project for Swarbrick, album Gottle O' Geer (1976). He played some guitar along with contributions from members of Fairport Convention and it was eventually released as a Fairport album to complete contractual obligations. Enjoying being with a band again, Nicol rejoined, but the times were inauspicious as Gottle Oâ Geer was not highly regarded. Along with much of Fairport in this period he played on Julie Covington's eponymous album (1977) including the surprise hit single 'Only Women Bleed', which reached number twelve in the UK single charts in 1978.

Read Less 1977 26 Years Old In 1977 Nicol joined Hutchings' reformed Albion Dance Band for the album The Prospect Before Us and in 1978 as The Albion Band they produced arguably the finest album of the group's history, Rise Up Like the Sun (1978). … Read More In contrast the next two Fairport albums, The Bonny Bunch of Roses (1977) and Tipplers Tales (1978), although well produced and played, and generally thought to have benefited from Nicol's growing guitar technique and confidence in singing, sold so poorly that the record label Vertigo paid the band off. They eventually decided to disband and played a final concert at Cropredy in Oxfordshire on 4 August 1979.<br /><br /> As the members of the group went their separate ways, Nicol returned to the Albion Band to record two albums in 1983. Read Less 1979 28 Years Old He toured and recorded with Richard and Linda Thompson from 1979 to 1982 and then with Richard Thompson in 1983 and 1984.

… Read More He also formed an acoustic duo with Dave Swarbrick, with whom he recorded three albums. He also continued to take part in annual reunions with Fairport at what was now the Cropredy Festival to growing crowds. Read Less THIRTIES 1985 34 Years Old In 1985 he joined in the recording of the Fairport album Gladys' Leap, on which, as well as playing guitar, Nicol shared production credits, contributed the song 'Wat Tyler', arranged traditional tunes and acted as lead singer for the first time. … Read More The album was well received and led to the reformation of the band a year later. Read Less 1986 35 Years Old The period 1986â97 was perhaps the busiest in Nicol's career. … Read More With Swarbrick absent he finally became the front man for the new Fairport. Most commentators have tended to feel that his developing baritone voice was more than adequate for the task and his vocals on songs like 'The Hiring Fair' have been particularly praised.

Although Fairport embarked on regular recording and touring, Nicol produced two solo albums in this period: Before Your Time (1987) and Consonant Please Carol (1992). From 1991â6 he played on three albums by Richard Thompson. From 1993 he rejoined the Albion Band in a new acoustic line-up, recorded three highly regarded albums, the first of which, Acousticity (1993), he produced, touring extensively in Europe and America. Read Less 1988 37 Years Old He also continued to undertake work with a wide variety of artists, including a tour with Art Garfunkel in 1988 and playing on albums by Beverley Craven and Beth Nielsen Chapman. 1990 39 Years Old In 1990 he released a video of Singing Games for Children with his wife Sylvia.

FORTIES 1997 46 Years Old In 1997 he left the Albion Band and began to focus more directly on Fairport Convention, but able to share vocal duties with Chris Leslie and taking over some of the responsibility for organising the Cropredy Festival from 2005. … Read More He regularly rejoins the now suspended Albion Band for their Albion Christmas tours and continues to record with Fairport and other artists. Read Less FIFTIES 2002 51 Years Old As part of Fairport Convention, Nicol received the 'Lifetime achievement award' at the 2002 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. 2006 55 Years Old At the 2006 Folk awards he shared in the award for 'Most influential folk album of all time' voted by Radio 2 listeners for Liege and Lief. 2007 56 Years Old At the 2007 awards he received an award with Fairport, along with the late Sandy Denny, for âFavourite folk track of all timeâ for âWho Knows Where the Time Goes? … Read More '.

For Fairport Convention see Fairport Convention discography For the Albion Band see The Albion Band discography <br /><br /> As solo artist <br /><br /> With Matthews' Southern Comfort <br /><br /> On Vashti Bunyan albums <br /><br /> On Mike Heron albums <br /><br /> On John Martyn albums <br /><br /> On John Kirkpatrick and Ashley Hutchings albums <br /><br /> On Steve Ashley albums <br /><br /> With Hokey Pokey <br /><br /> On Richard and Linda Thompson albums <br /><br /> On Shirley Collins albums <br /><br /> On Cat Stevens albums <br /><br /> On Al Stewart albums <br /><br /> On Dave Swarbrick albums <br /><br /> On Royston Wood & Heather Wood albums <br /><br /> On Julie Covington albums <br /><br /> With Dave Swarbrick <br /><br /> On Art Garfunkel albums; <br /><br /> On Beverley Craven albums <br /><br /> With Sylvia Nicol <br /><br /> On Murray Head albums <br /><br /> On Richard Thompson albums <br /><br /> On Beth Nielsen Chapman albums <br /><br /> On Linda Thompson albums

 <br /><br /> On Sandy Denny albums <br /><br /> On Phil Pickett albums <br /><br /> On Alan Simon albums Read Less 2009 58 Years Old Nicol recently reunited with original Fairport Convention vocalist Judy Dyble, playing on two tracks on her 2009 album, Talking with Strangers.

… Read More In the same year he performed in Alan Simon's rock opera Anne de Bretagne, playing the role of King Edward IV of England.<br /><br /> Like Richard Thompson, Nicol uses a hybrid picking technique that uses a pick between thumb and forefinger and remaining fingers to pluck the higher strings, the pick can then be used to strum. Nicol described his technique as 'percussive'. Although Nicol openly admits he lacks Thompson's exceptional lead technique, he is considered one of the most reliable and versatile rhythm players available, as testified by his large number of credits with a wide variety of artists from different genres. In the view of Dave Mattacks, his fellow Fairport member for many years 'he is the best acoustic supportive player I know.' Read Less Original Authors of this text are noted on . The Alchemist of Electric Morris - Ashley Hutchings. A Guide Ashley Hutchings. A Guide Battle of the Field The Alchemist of Electric Morris Ashley Hutchings (born January 26, 1945) is a folk musician. Hutchings was born in Southgate, London but moved to Muswell Hill while still a child.

His father, Leonard, was a pianist with his own dance band - Leonard Hutchings and His Embassy Five He formed several groups, including "Dr K's Blues Band" in 1964. When he met guitarist Simon Nicol, they rehearsed on the floor above Nicol's father's medical practice. The house was called "Fairport" and lent its name to the group they formed together.Hutchings has quite possibly founded more groups than any other bass-player. The most famous are Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span (formed after he left Fairport in 1970) and the ever-changing Albion Bands (formed after leaving Steeleye in 1971)and the Etchingham Steam Band. He has made several thematic albums with session musicians gathered from across the traditional and folk-rock spectrum, with himself credited as the producer. A series of albums called The Guv'nor collect rare recordings from several Hutchings-related groups. In 2004 Hutchings retired the Albion band and in 2005 he returned as part of a quartet, called Rainbow Chasers.

Ashley Hutchings' remarkable and incredible contribution to the British Folk Revival has often been compressed into the shorthand, that goes something like this: Father of Folk-Rock, Alchemist of Electric Morris, The Guv'nor, founder-member of Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, the many Albion Bands, The Ashley Hutchings All-Stars, The Ashley Hutchings Big Beat Combo,The Ashley Hutchings Dance Band, and his many solo albums, though even these have many members of the various bands associated with Ashley. This, however, does not even begin to detail the full scope of his accomplishments. Ashleys' enormous importance and contribution, as band-leader, arranger, musician, and above all popularist of English-based folk music is centred upon his own particular blend of tradition and innovation. During the early sixties he led a number of short-lived groups - the Still Waters, the Blue Reeds, Dr. K's Blues Band, Tim Turner's Narration and the Ethnic Shuffle Orchestra. Skiffle, R'n'B and the singer-songwriters of North America provided the repertoire for the early bands that eventually became Fairport Convention, or as rumour had it, very nearly, Electric Rhutabaga.......

2008 continues to see AH touring both with Rainbow Chasers and The Lark Rise Band plus his seasonal aggragate The Albion Christmas Band, there's certainly no sign of him slowing down. (partly sourced from Wikipedia) Ashley Hutchings Ashley Hutchings and The Albion Band Ashley Hutchings was the co-founder of Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span. Also the founder of the Albion Band. As such he has been involved in the formation of three of the biggest bands in English folk music. As a teenager he began playing the 'wash tub' or 'tea chest' type of home-made bass, but soon (wisely) changed to an electric bass guitar, which is the instrument he has continued to play ever since. In 1966, he formed the Ethnic Shuffle Orchestra with Simon Nicol. This evolved into Fairport Convention formed in 1967. He is said to have liked the album Liege and Lief, and wanted to keep Fairport Convention on the same style of Folk-rock with a repertoire based on traditional music, but there were indications that other members of the group did not want to follow that path, and wanted to include more original material.

He left Fairport Convention in 1969 and formed Steeleye Span. In late 1971 he formed the Albion Country Band to back Shirley Collins who was then his wife. The line-up included Simon Nichol, Richard Thompson and John Kirkpatrick. The album No Roses is regarded as a major landmark in English folk music. Morris On Soon afterwards, in 1972, Morris On was released with some of the same band members. As well as Ashley Hutchings it includes John Kirkpatrick, Richard Thompson, Dave Mattacks and Barry Dransfield. John Kirkpatrick is the principal performer on the album and it could have been portrayed as his album. Guitars and fiddle are present but not especially evident. It was then one of only a few commercial recordings of morris music, and has proved to have an enduring popularity, and especially much loved by those who bought the original vinyl album at the time. However it is a bit dated and has a short playing time. I would suggest that newcomers to the 'family' buy it's Grandson instead (see below).

Tracks on this CD: Morris call, Greensleeves, Nutting girl, Medley:( Old woman tossed up in a blanket, Shepherd's hey, Trunkles ), Staines Morris, Medley:( Lads a Bunchum, Young Collins ), Vandals of Hammerwich, Medley:( Willow tree, Bean setting, Shooting ), I'll Go and Enlist for a Sailor, Princess Royal, Cuckoo's Nest, Morris off. Actually Morris On is not so much of a morris album as is suggested by the name. True, it makes much use of the morris repertoire of tunes, and uses various squeezeboxes, but it also has quite a number of songs. Only perhaps about half the album is instrumental, and some is in a more general ceili style or like scottish ceili music. There are just a few notable tracks which reproduce typical morris music. Lads a Bunchum and Young Collins have the sounds of sticks and even the dance calls. The Albion Band The Albion Band gradually formed from a number of related projects. In January 1974 the Etchingham Steam Band emerged from some of the members of the Albion Country Band and Shirley Collins. They did not release any recordings.

The Albion Dance Band was formed in 1975 with Simon Nicol and others. It lasted until 1977. In 1978, Hutchings formed the Albion Band, which notably included Ric Sanders on violin, who later joined Fairport Convention to replace Dave Swarbrick. The Albion Band has endured ever since, but has gone through numerous changes of personnel, and some changes of musical style. Each of their albums seems to be a varied mixture of different types of songs and some instrumentals. According to the official Albion Band site, they split up in Autumn 2002 with "no current plans" to continue. Past members include (as listed on their site, and in alphabetical order) Phil Beer, Martin Carthy, Shirley Collins, John Kirkpatrick, Chris Leslie, Cathy Lesurf, Dave Mattacks, Julie Matthews, Simon Nicol, Ric Sanders, John Tams, Richard Thompson and Chris While. Descendants of Morris On Son of Morris On was released in 1976 following the same theme of a mix of songs and tunes based on the morris repertoire and as good as Morris On itself, though seems to have been less popular.

Different personnel, only Hutchings and Dave Mattacks remain from Morris On and it notably included Simon Nichol, Martin Carthy and John Tams. It has distinctly more guitar than Morris On. Tracks on Son of Morris On: Winster Processional, Monck's March, Old Hog or None, As I was Going To Banbury, The Happy Man, Medley:( Fieldtown Processonal / Glorishears ), Bob and Joan, Ladies of Pleasure, Bring Your Fiddle, Medley:( Jockey to the Fair / Room for the Cuckolds ), Saturday Night, Medley:( Roasted Woman / Rigs Of Marlow / Getting Upstairs ), Medley:( Ye Wild Morris / The Wild Morris, The Postman's Knock, Ring O Bells, The Gallant Hussar, Bonnets So Blue, Old Hog or None (reprise), Y'Acre of Land (CD only), Cotswold Tune (CD only). Note that although there are a large number of tracks, some are very short novelty items including some spoken word. Much later, in 2003 came Grandson of Morris On.

Something of the same formula of including a mix of songs and instrumental dance tunes, but quite different in musical style, perhaps largely because of the different personnel. It also stands taller than its relatives at about 55 minutes. I prefer it to the others, it has a higher standard of musicianship and is better sound quality than the previous two. The main instrument is the melodeon, highly appropriate for morris, and most is ably played by Simon Care who must be regarded as the principal performer on the album replacing the role of John Kirkpatrick on Morris On. It has an all-star list of contributors including 3 great fiddlers, Rick Sanders, Phil Beer, and Chris Leslie, some of whom sing a bit. Martin Brinsford (pictured) is also present and there's a rare opportunity to hear him perform solo. There is some particularly stylish melodeon playing in typical morris style which appears on two tracks (Tom Long's Post and The Snake) and is by little-known players Mark Rogers and Sharon Kilyon. Another notable track is Gloucester Hornpipe played as an acoustic guitar duet by Phil Beer and Jon Moore.

Whilst I consider this to be a very good album, it has missed the opportunity of being a GREAT album, because it seems that insufficient time was allowed for rehearsal and recording re-takes. Some electric guitar hints at being a touch of genius, but at times becomes incongruous, and some tracks are faded out which gives an impression of salvaging a presentable track from one which went wrong. However, the long playing time makes up for it at there is plenty of good music here. Tracks on Grandson of Morris On: The Blue Eyed Stranger / The Curly-headed ploughboy, Le Halle Place, The Life of a Fool, The Quaker's Wife, Shepherds' Hey / Orange in Bloom, Tom Long's Post, Jupiter's Return / Bold Eric / Tailor's Buttons, Little Johnny England, Hi-ho-fiddle-dee-dee, Black Joke, Gloucester Hornpipe / Mr Trill's Song, Sweet Jenny Jones, Horatio, Garland Gay, Saturday Night / Bobbing Joe / Beaux Badby, He sits there, Glorishears, The Snake, This is the Morris my Friend, Four Up, Four Up (Reprise).

Great Grandson of Morris On lacks the really big names of its 'parent', but perhaps for other reasons it is not up to the high standard of its predecessors. Tracks on Great Grandson of Morris On: At The May Day Celebrations, Swaggering Boney, Banbury Bill / Shepherds' Hey, Winster Morris Reel, London Pride, Now Mind You This, Highland Mary, The Field And The Farm, The Devil's Details / The Low Down, Comes The Morris Dancer In, Bonny Green Garters, Every Year When The Wakes Come Along, First Day At T'Mill, The Godley Hill Set, Happy The Age, The Rose, Jack-In-The-Green On Saturday Night, Under The Old Myrtle Tree / Morning Star / Billy Boy / Banks Of The Dee, Washing Day. Diversity and Variety in the Albums Diversity and variety are a common feature of many of the albums from Ashley Hutchings and the Albion Band. They have proved to be successful and popular, so perhaps it is what people want. As a personal preference I regard diversity as something of a disadvantage. It is as if they are presenting a 'showcase' for what the band can do, rather than an end-product.

I prefer to play a whole album to reflect or create a mood and so prefer a consistency of style throughout. Links: The Official Ashley Hutchings web page: The Official Albion Band web page: This page is part of: Fairport Convention - Ashley Hutchings. A Guide Ashley Hutchings. A Guide Fairport Convention Fairport Convention played their first concert at St Michael's Church Hall in Golders Green , North West London on 27 May 1967. Based in suburban north London, the group had coalesced around a bass guitar player and bandleader named Ashley 'Tyger' Hutchings. The musicians convened for rehearsals at a house named Fairport, in Muswell Hill , North London the family home of rhythm guitarist Simon Nicol. Thus was born the name of a band that has endured for over four decades. As well as Hutchings and Nicol, there was lead guitarist Richard Thompson and Shaun Frater on drums. However, that initial line-up only played the one gig. A young drummer, Martin Lamble, was in the church hall audience and he convinced the band that he could do a better job than the incumbent. It was the first of a flurry of line-up changes that characterised Fairport's first fifteen years.

The group soon augmented its line-up with a female singer, Judy Dyble (born Judy Aileen Dyble, 13 February 1949, in Wood Green, North London), which set it apart from the dozens of other bands springing up from the fast-moving youth culture of that summer. Fairport found no shortage of work and was soon a regular act at underground venues such as The Electric Garden, Middle Earth and UFO. The band had only been playing a few months when they caught the ear of Joe Boyd who secured them a contract with Polydor Records. Boyd suggested they augment the line-up with another male vocalist and so Iain Matthews (who had changed his surname from MacDonald and was spelling his forename 'Ian' at the time) joined the band and the first album, Fairport Convention, was recorded in late 1967 and released in June 1968. Later the band would play with guitarist and singer Nick Drake, who also had connections with Joe Boyd. At this early stage, Fairport looked to America (Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan) for material and inspiration.

"The two lead vocalist approach appealed to us," Matthews recalls, "and because of our name and onstage presence, lots of people thought we were American, and we were not about to attempt to dispel that presumption." This led to the band being dubbed 'the British Jefferson Airplane'. The album did not sell many copies, and Boyd got them signed to Island Records. By the time the second LP, What We Did On Our Holidays, was released Judy Dyble had been replaced by Sandy Denny, a folk singer who had previously recorded as a soloist and with Strawbs. The third album, Unhalfbricking, featured a guest appearance by Birmingham folk fiddler Dave Swarbrick. This album, like its predecessor, mixed original material with contemporary songs by artists such as Mitchell and Dylan. Radio DJ John Peel was a staunch champion of Fairport's music. He played the band's albums on his influential BBC shows. Peel also recorded a number of BBC sessions which were later released as the album Heyday. Rock journalist Richie Unterberger writes in his book Eight Miles High: "Prior to 1968, rather incredibly, there was not a single British rock group that played electric folk-rock consistently and well.

It is thus not too surprising that the band to become roundly acclaimed as the best British folk-rock group, Fairport Convention, took its initial inspiration from American folk-rock, particularly the guitar-oriented California sort." Although folk-rock was well-established in the USA by 1968, Fairport Convention was the first English band to concentrate on bringing rock instruments and rock arrangements to traditional songs. Initially, the British press (and Fairport Convention's members) titled this mixture electric folk but the term 'folk-rock' soon became the norm, although it is a broader category than electric folk. Therefore, although other bands in the UK were experimenting with the folk-rock genre (including Strawbs and Pentangle), Fairport Convention are widely credited with 'inventing' English folk-rock. However, Fairport Convention was also developing in other ways. As as well as revivals of traditional material with modern instrumentation and rhythms, bandmembers were increasingly composing original material and Richard Thompson had developed into a talented and inventive guitarist. Fairport Convention even entered the singles charts with "Si Tu Dois Partir", a French-language version of Bob Dylan's "If You Gotta Go".

The record just missed the top twenty but got the band (with guest triangulist, John Peel) a slot on Top Of The Pops, Britain's most popular television pop music programme at the time. On 12 May 1969, Fairport's van crashed on the M1 motorway on the way home from a gig in Birmingham. Martin Lamble - just 19 years old - and Jeannie Franklyn, Richard Thompson's girlfriend, were killed. The rest of the band suffered injuries of varying severity. The young musicians nearly decided to disband. But they didn't, and once recovered they went back into the studio. Matthews had left the band by then and Dave Mattacks took over the vacant drum stool. The resulting LP, Liege & Lief , was a classic. This was arguably Fairport Convention's finest album and it established British folk-rock as a distinct and influential genre, reaching number 17 in the UK album chart, where it spent fifteen weeks. Despite the triumph of Liege & Lief, Ashley Hutchings, quit to form Steeleye Span . To compound Fairport's problems, Sandy Denny also left the band.

Dave Pegg took over on bass guitar and has been in the band ever since, an unbroken stint of 34 years. Sandy Denny was essentially irreplaceable, so the band decided to continue without a female singer. The Ashley Hutchings Website Simon Nicol - The Full Wiki The Full Wiki More info on Simon Nicol Wikis Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles . Related top topics From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Simon Nicol Track , Island , Vertigo , Woodworm, Matty Grooves Associated acts 1962 Fender Stratocaster Simon Nicol is a noted guitarist, singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He was a founder member of the influential British folk rock , or electric folk group Fairport Convention and is the only founding member still in the band. He has also been involved with the influential Albion Band and a wide range of musical projects, both as a collaborator, producer and as a solo artist. He has received several awards for his work and career.

Contents Advertisements Early career Born 13 October 1950, Muswell Hill , North London , Nicol was the son of a GP , who died in 1964. He began to play guitar at age 11 and left school at 15. In 1966 he was asked to join local band the Electric Shuffle Orchestra by bass guitarist Ashley Hutchings , and soon left his job at a local cinema to play full time. They rehearsed above his father’s old surgery in Fairport house, which gave its name to the band he and Hutchings formed with Richard Thompson and Shaun Frater as Fairport Convention in 1967. [1] Fairport Convention 1967-71 As Thompson emerged as the lead guitarist, Nicol moved towards rhythm duties and occasional backing vocals. After some line-up changes the band enjoyed a degree of commercial success in their early years, with three albums and appearing on Britain’s most popular music programme Top of the Pops in 1969 with the single " Si Tu Dois Partir ", which reached number 21 in the UK Charts.

[2] Nicol contributed his first composition to the band for the second album What We Did on Our Holidays , the short instrumental ‘End of the Holiday’. [3] Nicol was injured in the accident that killed drummer Martin Lamble on 12 May 1969, but when he and the band were recovered they recorded what is usually considered their masterpiece and the most important single album in British folk rock, Liege and Lief (1969), which is credited as the key recording in the creation of the electric folk genre and which helped institute a major surge of interest in British folk music. [4] Almost immediately after the release of the album Hutchings and vocalist Sandy Denny left the band, which was then joined full-time by Dave Swarbrick on fiddle and by bassist Dave Pegg . [5] While Swarbrick, with his knowledge of traditional music, emerged as the leading figure in the band, Nicol had to shoulder a larger share of the vocal duties on the next album Full House (1970). [6] When Thompson left soon after, Nicol also had to take over lead guitar duties. Although never entirely happy with this role, it was generally thought at the time that he acquitted himself well.

[7] He also demonstrated that he was a multi-instrumentalist playing bass guitar, viola and dulcimer. [8] He began song writing on the next two albums Angel Delight and Babbacombe Lee (both 1971). ‘Breakfast in Mayfair’ on the latter was his first solo song composition with the band and one of the tracks that made it onto the History of Fairport Convention compilation album (1972). He also took over some of the production duties on Babbacombe Lee, but his efforts were not well received by the band and this, together with unhappiness with having to fill Thompson's shoes, led him to decide to move on and in 1971 he left the band, the last of the original members to do so. [9] Albion Band, playing and production 1972-6 Just about the time that Nicol left Fairport Convention, Hutchings had also quit Steeleye Span and began to work on the first incarnation of the Albion Country Band to provide backing for his then wife Shirley Collins .

Nicol joined the long list of musicians, including former Fairport members Richard Thompson and Dave Mattacks, to contribute to No Roses (1971), often considered one of the most important electric folk albums. [10] Nicol then teamed up with Richard Thompson and Linda Peters (later Linda Thompson ) to form the trio Hokey Pokey in 1973. In 1974 this trio expanded into the band Sour Grapes that was assembled to tour in support of the Thompson's I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight album. Later that year Nicol played on and co-produced the Thompson's Hokey Pokey album. [11] In 1973 he played on what is often considered one of the seminal folk/jazz albums of all time, John Martyn's Solid Air . [12] When Hutchings tried to reform the Albion Band for an album in 1973, Nicol joined again, but the resulting work, Battle of the Field was not released until 1976. [13] Nicol took part in some of sessions for Hutchings' next project the Etchingham Steam Band , but never formally joined the group.

In 1974-5 he played guitar on Cat Stevens ' Numbers (1975) and also formed a band with Chris Spedding , Pat Donaldson , Gerry Conway . However, this ' supergroup ' proved abortive before any recordings were made. [14] Nicol also produced the album Rough Diamonds (1975) for the highly regarded Jack the Lad , and began to play with Swarbrick and Pegg in a low key trio, Three Desperate Mortgages, which toured student venues across Britain. [15] Return to Fairport 1976-9 Nicol came back to work with Fairport as a sound engineer on what was originally a solo projects for Swarbrick, album Gottle O' Geer (1976). He played some guitar along with contributions from members of Fairport Convention and it was eventually released as a Fairport album to complete contractual obligations. Enjoying being with a band again, Nicol rejoined, but the times were inauspicious as Gottle O’ Geer was not highly regarded.

[16] Along with much of Fairport in this period he played on Julie Covington 's eponymous album (1977) including the surprise hit single ' Only Women Bleed ', which reached number twelve in the UK single charts in 1978. [17] In 1977 Nicol joined Hutchings' reformed Albion Dance Band for the album The Prospect Before Us and in 1978 as The Albion Band they produced arguably the finest album of the group's history, Rise Up Like the Sun (1978). [18] In contrast the next two Fairport albums, The Bonny Bunch of Roses (1977) and Tipplers Tales (1978), although well produced and played, and generally thought to have benefited from Nicol's growing guitar technique and confidence in singing, sold so poorly that the record label Vertigo paid the band off. They eventually decided to disband and played a final concert at Cropredy in Oxfordshire on 4 August 1979.

[19] Albion Band, Richard and Linda Thompson, Nicol and Swarbrick 1979-85 As the members of the group went their separate ways, Nicol returned to the Albion Band to record two albums in 1983. He toured and recorded with Richard and Linda Thompson from 1979 to 1982 and then with Richard Thompson in 1983 and 1984. [11] He also formed an acoustic duo with Dave Swarbrick, with whom he recorded three albums. [20] He also continued to take part in annual reunions with Fairport at what was now the Cropredy Festival to growing crowds. [21] In 1985 he joined in the recording of the Fairport album Gladys' Leap , on which, as well as playing guitar, Nicol shared production credits, contributed the song 'Wat Tyler', arranged traditional tunes and acted as lead singer for the first time. The album was well received and led to the reformation of the band a year later.

[22] Reformations and Reunions 1986-present The period 1986-97 was perhaps the busiest in Nicol's career. With Swarbrick absent he finally became the front man for the new Fairport. Most commentators have tended to feel that his developing baritone voice was more than adequate for the task and his vocals on songs like 'The Hiring Fair' have been particularly praised. [23] Although Fairport embarked on regular recording and touring, Nicol produced two solo albums in this period: Before Your Time (1987) and Consonant Please Carol (1992). From 1991-6 he played on three albums by Richard Thompson. From 1993 he rejoined the Albion Band in a new acoustic line-up, recorded three highly regarded albums, the first of which, Acousticity (1993), he produced, touring extensively in Europe and America. He also continued to undertake work with a wide variety of artists, including a tour with Art Garfunkel in 1988 and playing on albums by Beverley Craven and Beth Nielsen Chapman .

In 1990 he released a video of Singing Games for Children with his wife Sylvia. [24] In 1997 he left the Albion Band and began to focus more directly on Fairport Convention, but able to share vocal duties with Chris Leslie and taking over some of the responsibility for organising the Cropredy Festival from 2005. [25] He regularly rejoins the now suspended Albion Band for their Albion Christmas tours and continues to record with Fairport and other artists. [26] Nicol recently reunited with original Fairport Convention vocalist Judy Dyble , playing on two tracks on her 2009 album, Talking With Strangers. Guitar Technique Like Richard Thompson, Nicol uses a hybrid picking technique that uses a pick between thumb and forefinger and remaining fingers to pluck the higher strings, the pick can then be used to strum. Nicol described his technique as 'percussive'. [14] Although Nicol openly admits he lacks Thompson’s exceptional lead technique, he is considered one of the most reliable and versatile rhythm players available, as testified by his large number of credits with a wide variety of artists from different genres.

In the view of Dave Mattacks, his fellow Fairport member for many years 'he is the best acoustic supportive player I know.' [7] Recognition As part of Fairport Convention, Nicol received the coveted ‘Lifetime achievement award’ at the 2002 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards . At the 2006 Folk awards he shared in the award for 'Most influential folk album of all time' voted by Radio 2 listeners for Liege and Lief. [27] At the 2007 awards he received an award with Fairport, along with the late Sandy Denny, for ‘Favourite folk track of all time’ for ‘ Who Knows Where the Time Goes? ’.

[28] Discography For the Albion Band see The Albion Band discography As solo artist Before Your Time (Woodworm, 1987) Consonant Please Carol (Woodworm, 1992) Before Your Time/Consonant Please Carol (Woodworm, 1998) With Matthews' Southern Comfort On John Kirkpatrick and Ashley Hutchings albums The Compleat Dancing Master (Island 1974) On Steve Ashley albums and The Albion Band Ashley Hutchings was the co-founder of Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span. Also the founder of the Albion Band. As such he has been involved in the formation of three of the biggest bands in English folk music. As a teenager he began playing the 'wash tub' or 'tea chest' type of home-made bass, but soon (wisely) changed to an electric bass guitar, which is the instrument he has continued to play ever since. In 1966, he formed the Ethnic Shuffle Orchestra with Simon Nicol. This evolved into Fairport Convention formed in 1967.

He is said to have liked the album Liege and Lief, and wanted to keep Fairport Convention on the same style of Folk-rock with a repertoire based on traditional music, but there were indications that other members of the group did not want to follow that path, and wanted to include more original material. He left Fairport Convention in 1969 and formed Steeleye Span. In late 1971 he formed the Albion Country Band to back Shirley Collins who was then his wife. The line-up included Simon Nichol, Richard Thompson and John Kirkpatrick. The album No Roses is regarded as a major landmark in English folk music. Also around this time Morris On was released. One of the only commercial recordings of morris music, and proving to have an enduring popularity. In January 1974 the Etchingham Steam Band emerged from some of the members of the Albion Country Band and Shirley Collins. They did not release any recordings. The Albion Dance Band was formed in 1975 with Simon Nicol and others. It lasted until 1977.

In 1978, Hutchings formed the Albion Band, which notably included Ric Sanders on violin, who later joined Fairport Convention to replace Dave Swarbrick. The Albion Band has endured ever since, but has gone through numerous changes of personnel, and some changes of musical style. The Official Ashley Hutchings web page: The Official Albion Band web page: Simon Nicol : definition of Simon Nicol and synonyms of Simon Nicol (English) History Early career Born in Muswell Hill , North London , Nicol was the son of a GP , who died in 1964. He began to play guitar at age 11 and left school at 15. In 1966 he was asked to join local band the Electric Shuffle Orchestra by bass guitarist Ashley Hutchings , and soon left his job at a local cinema to play full time. They rehearsed above his father’s old surgery in Fairport house, which gave its name to the band he and Hutchings formed with Richard Thompson and Shaun Frater as Fairport Convention in 1967. [1] Fairport Convention 1967-71 As Thompson emerged as the lead guitarist, Nicol moved towards rhythm duties and occasional backing vocals.

After some line-up changes the band enjoyed a degree of commercial success in their early years, with three albums and appearing on Britain’s most popular music programme Top of the Pops in 1969 with the single " Si Tu Dois Partir ", which reached number 21 in the UK Charts. [2] Nicol contributed his first composition to the band for the second album What We Did on Our Holidays , the short instrumental ‘End of the Holiday’. [3] Nicol was injured in the accident that killed drummer Martin Lamble on 12 May 1969, but when he and the band were recovered they recorded what is usually considered their masterpiece and the most important single album in British folk rock, Liege and Lief (1969), which is credited as the key recording in the creation of the electric folk genre and which helped institute a major surge of interest in British folk music. [4] Almost immediately after the release of the album Hutchings and vocalist Sandy Denny left the band, which was then joined full-time by Dave Swarbrick on fiddle and by bassist Dave Pegg .

[5] While Swarbrick, with his knowledge of traditional music, emerged as the leading figure in the band, Nicol had to shoulder a larger share of the vocal duties on the next album Full House (1970). [6] When Thompson left soon after, Nicol also had to take over lead guitar duties. Although never entirely happy with this role, it was generally thought at the time that he acquitted himself well. [7] He also demonstrated that he was a multi-instrumentalist playing bass guitar, viola and dulcimer. [8] He began song writing on the next two albums Angel Delight and Babbacombe Lee (both 1971). ‘Breakfast in Mayfair’ on the latter was his first solo song composition with the band and one of the tracks that made it onto the History of Fairport Convention compilation album (1972). He also took over some of the production duties on Babbacombe Lee, but his efforts were not well received by the band and this, together with unhappiness with having to fill Thompson's shoes, led him to decide to move on and in 1971 he left the band, the last of the original members to do so.

[9] Albion Band, playing and production 1972-76 Just about the time that Nicol left Fairport Convention, Hutchings had also quit Steeleye Span and began to work on the first incarnation of the Albion Country Band to provide backing for his then wife Shirley Collins . Nicol joined the long list of musicians, including former Fairport members Richard Thompson and Dave Mattacks, to contribute to No Roses (1971), often considered one of the most important electric folk albums. [10] Nicol then teamed up with Richard Thompson and Linda Peters (later Linda Thompson ) to form the trio Hokey Pokey in 1973. In 1974 this trio expanded into the band Sour Grapes that was assembled to tour in support of the Thompson's I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight album. Later that year Nicol played on and co-produced the Thompson's Hokey Pokey album. [11] In 1973 he played on what is often considered one of the seminal folk/jazz albums of all time, John Martyn's Solid Air .

[12] When Hutchings tried to reform the Albion Band for an album in 1973, Nicol joined again, but the resulting work, Battle of the Field was not released until 1976. [13] Nicol took part in some of sessions for Hutchings' next project the Etchingham Steam Band , but never formally joined the group. In 1974-5 he played guitar on Cat Stevens ' Numbers (1975) and also formed a band with Chris Spedding , Pat Donaldson , Gerry Conway . However, this ' supergroup ' proved abortive before any recordings were made. [14] Nicol also produced the album Rough Diamonds (1975) for the highly regarded Jack the Lad , and began to play with Swarbrick and Pegg in a low key trio, Three Desperate Mortgages, which toured student venues across Britain. [15] Return to Fairport 1976-9 Nicol came back to work with Fairport as a sound engineer on what was originally a solo project for Swarbrick, album Gottle O' Geer (1976).

He played some guitar along with contributions from members of Fairport Convention and it was eventually released as a Fairport album to complete contractual obligations. Enjoying being with a band again, Nicol rejoined, but the times were inauspicious as Gottle O’ Geer was not highly regarded. [16] Along with much of Fairport in this period he played on Julie Covington 's eponymous album (1977) including the surprise hit single ' Only Women Bleed ', which reached number twelve in the UK single charts in 1978. [17] In 1977 Nicol joined Hutchings' reformed Albion Dance Band for the album The Prospect Before Us and in 1978 as The Albion Band they produced arguably the finest album of the group's history, Rise Up Like the Sun (1978). [18] In contrast the next two Fairport albums, The Bonny Bunch of Roses (1977) and Tipplers Tales (1978), although well produced and played, and generally thought to have benefited from Nicol's growing guitar technique and confidence in singing, sold so poorly that the record label Vertigo paid the band off.

They eventually decided to disband and played a final concert at Cropredy in Oxfordshire on 4 August 1979. [19] Albion Band, Richard and Linda Thompson, Nicol and Swarbrick 1979-85 As the members of the group went their separate ways, Nicol returned to the Albion Band to record two albums in 1983. He toured and recorded with Richard and Linda Thompson from 1979 to 1982 and then with Richard Thompson in 1983 and 1984. [11] He also formed an acoustic duo with Dave Swarbrick, with whom he recorded three albums. [20] He also continued to take part in annual reunions with Fairport at what was now the Cropredy Festival to growing crowds. [21] In 1985 he joined in the recording of the Fairport album Gladys' Leap , on which, as well as playing guitar, Nicol shared production credits, contributed the song 'Wat Tyler', arranged traditional tunes and acted as lead singer for the first time. The album was well received and led to the reformation of the band a year later.

[22] Reformations and reunions 1986-present The period 1986-97 was perhaps the busiest in Nicol's career. With Swarbrick absent he finally became the front man for the new Fairport. Most commentators have tended to feel that his developing baritone voice was more than adequate for the task and his vocals on songs like 'The Hiring Fair' have been particularly praised. [23] Although Fairport embarked on regular recording and touring, Nicol produced two solo albums in this period: Before Your Time (1987) and Consonant Please Carol (1992). From 1991-6 he played on three albums by Richard Thompson. From 1993 he rejoined the Albion Band in a new acoustic line-up, recorded three highly regarded albums, the first of which, Acousticity (1993), he produced, touring extensively in Europe and America. He also continued to undertake work with a wide variety of artists, including a tour with Art Garfunkel in 1988 and playing on albums by Beverley Craven and Beth Nielsen Chapman .

In 1990 he released a video of Singing Games for Children with his wife Sylvia. [24] In 1997 he left the Albion Band and began to focus more directly on Fairport Convention, but able to share vocal duties with Chris Leslie and taking over some of the responsibility for organising the Cropredy Festival from 2005. [25] He regularly rejoins the now suspended Albion Band for their Albion Christmas tours and continues to record with Fairport and other artists. [26] Nicol recently reunited with original Fairport Convention vocalist Judy Dyble , playing on two tracks on her 2009 album, Talking with Strangers . In the same year he performed in Alan Simon 's rock opera Anne de Bretagne, playing the role of King Edward IV of England . Guitar technique Like Richard Thompson, Nicol uses a hybrid picking technique that uses a pick between thumb and forefinger and remaining fingers to pluck the higher strings, the pick can then be used to strum. Nicol described his technique as 'percussive'.

[14] Although Nicol openly admits he lacks Thompson’s exceptional lead technique, he is considered one of the most reliable and versatile rhythm players available, as testified by his large number of credits with a wide variety of artists from different genres. In the view of Dave Mattacks, his fellow Fairport member for many years 'he is the best acoustic supportive player I know.' [7] Recognition As part of Fairport Convention, Nicol received the ‘Lifetime achievement award’ at the 2002 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards . At the 2006 Folk awards he shared in the award for 'Most influential folk album of all time' voted by Radio 2 listeners for Liege and Lief. [27] At the 2007 awards he received an award with Fairport, along with the late Sandy Denny, for ‘Favourite folk track of all time’ for ‘ Who Knows Where the Time Goes? ’.

[28] Discography For the Albion Band see The Albion Band discography As solo artist Before Your Time (Woodworm, 1987) Consonant Please Carol (Woodworm, 1992) Before Your Time/Consonant Please Carol (Woodworm, 1998) With Matthews' Southern Comfort On John Kirkpatrick and Ashley Hutchings albums The Compleat Dancing Master (Island 1974) On Steve Ashley albums Ashley Hutchings | Download Music, Tour Dates & Video | eMusic Biography All Music Guide All Music Guide: Ashley "Tyger" Hutchings first achieved recognition as a co-founder of Fairport Convention in 1967, but his work and his musical influences predate Fairport Convention by several years, and he has since gone on to found and lead numerous other notable groups, including Steeleye Span, and the various Albion Bands. In many respects, he is to English folk-rock the rough equivalent of what John Mayall is to British blues, except that his recordings have remained interesting for far longer.

Ashley Hutchings started his musical life as a fan of skiffle, a highly rhythmic British answer to American folk and R&B, played at its most basic level on acoustic guitars, washtub bass, and washboard percussion, which became popular in England in the mid- and late '50s. He also had an appreciation for "trad," a British form of Dixieland jazz that had become popular in Britain at the beginning of the 1950s. He listened to a lot of early English and American rock & roll, but by the early '60s had developed a deep and abiding love for folk music as well. He began singing and playing bass in a skiffle band, and later graduated from the washtub version of the instrument to a proper upright bass. In 1966, he formed the Ethnic Shuffle Orchestra with Simon Nicol (guitar), Steve Airey (guitar), and Bryan King (washboard), which played a mixture of English skiffle, American R&B, and folk music from the British Isles.

Their work together led Hutchings (who was known then as "Tyger," a nickname he'd picked up because of his aggressiveness on the football field), Nicol, and new colleague Richard Thompson to form Fairport Convention in 1967, with Martin Lamble (succeeded, after his death in a car crash, by Dave Mattacks) and Judy Dyble (later replaced by Sandy Denny) added to the lineup. Fairport Convention performed a similar mix of traditional English folk, original songs, and American singer/songwriter material. After three albums structured along those lines, the band recorded Liege and Lief, a record drawn largely from traditional folk material. When it became clear to Hutchings, however, that future albums would include far more original material, he exited the lineup and began organizing a new band, Steeleye Span. Formed by Hutchings, Tim Hart, Maddy Prior, and Peter Knight, with Martin Carthy coming in as the fifth member, Steeleye Span in its original form (and for several lineup changes after) was devoted to purely traditional music, adapted to the forces of a five-piece band with a growing arsenal of electric instruments.

Ultimately they shared the limelight with Fairport Convention, vying for the greater loyalty of folk music fans and even reaching out for a time to rock audiences -- the decision to go almost fully electric and the addition of a full-time drummer toughened their sound considerably, and they became associated with Jethro Tull, opening for the chart-topping band on an American tour and getting the services of Ian Anderson as producer for one album. Before that point, Hutchings was gone, having exited after the recording of the group's third album, Below the Salt. In late 1971, he became a member of the Albion Country Band, formed to back his then-wife, Shirley Collins, on one of her albums, and decided to keep the studio ensemble together under that name. The initial lineup included his ex-Fairport bandmates Simon Nicol (guitar) and Richard Thompson (guitar), along with vocalist/concertina players John Kirkpatrick and the late Royston Wood, and the group subsequently had upwards of 26 musicians in it at various times.

This Albion lasted in various lineups: Kirkpatrick exited the original lineup very quickly, to return later on, while Wood was gone after October of 1972; Steve Ashley joined on harmonica, along with ex-Fairport drummer Dave Mattacks; Linda Thompson came in on vocals; and fiddle and banjo player Sue Draheim came into the fold for a time. In January of 1974, the Albion Country Band evolved into the Etchingham Steam Band, with Hutchings on acoustic bass guitar, Shirley Collins on vocals, Ian Holder on accordion, and Terry Potter on mouth organ. Nicol, Mattacks, and Hutchings' Steeleye Span bandmate Martin Carthy all passed through this lineup, which lasted into 1975. The group's next incarnation, lasting from 1975 until 1977, was the Albion Dance Band, with Hutchings (back on electric bass) and Nicol still at the core. Finally, in 1978, Hutchings formed the Albion Band, with a lineup that included future Fairport Convention member Ric Sanders on violin.

This group, with some lineup changes (including Nicol and Mattacks passing through) lasted into the 1990s, recording numerous albums and also becoming the subject of a BBC documentary. Hutchings also recorded several quasi-solo projects during the 1970s and '80s, including Kickin' Up the Sawdust, A Word in Your Ear, The View from Pa's Piano Stool, and By Gloucester Docks; The Compleat Dancing Master with John Kirkpatrick; Rattlebone and Ploughjack (credited to Ashley Hutchings & Chums); and Morris On, Son of Morris On, and Sway with Me (Hutchings and Judy Dunlop). He appeared on numerous albums by other artists throughout the 1970s and '80s, including work with Ian Matthews, the Bunch (a rock showcase album by a group of English folkies), Shirley Collins, Royston and Heather Wood, Ray Fisher, Richard Thompson (Henry the Human Fly), Mike and Lal Waterson, Martin Carthy, the Kipper Family, and Polly Bolton.

With so many associations in his past, Hutchings has turned up on numerous compilation albums and box sets devoted to such artists as Richard Thompson and Sandy Denny, among others. During the 1980s, Hutchings also wrote and performed his own one-man show about folk song collector Cecil Sharp, which he took throughout England beginning in 1984, and resulted in the album An Hour with Cecil Sharp and Ashley Hutchings. In the 1990s, he also put together Ashley Hutchings' Big Beat Combo, a revival group specializing in skiffle, trad, and early English rock & roll. By now one of the grand old men of English folk-rock, Hutchings has been a major force for nearly 40 years, fostering the foundation of more than his share of legendary and important bands. His skills as a bassist have placed him in demand beyond the boundaries of typical folk bands, but the most important aspect of his contribution to music, apart from the bands he has organized, is his ability to take traditional music, long predating the 20th and 21st centuries, and transmute it into something accessible to young, modern listeners, without violating its spirit wholesale.

He also has a sense of humor that radiates as brightly as his musical ability on most every project he has ever participated in.

Question: Ashley Hutchings, Simon Nicol and Richard Thompson were three of the founder members in 1967 of which British folk-rock group?
Answer: Fairport Convention