Dave Swarbrick
Encyclopedia
Dave Swarbrick is an English folk
musician
and singer-songwriter
. He has been described by Ashley Hutchings
as 'the most influential [British] fiddle player bar none' and his style has been copied or developed by almost every British, and many World folk violin players that have followed him. He was one of the most highly regarded musicians produced by the second British folk revival, contributing to some of the most important groups and projects of the 1960s, he became a much sought after session musician
, which has led him throughout his career to work with many of the major figures in folk and folk rock music. His work for the group Fairport Convention
from 1969 is usually credited with leading them to produce their seminal album Liege and Lief (1969) which initiated the electric folk
movement. This, and his subsequent career, helped create greater interest in British traditional music
and was highly influential within mainstream rock. After 1970 he emerged as Fairport Convention's leading figure and guided the band through a series of important albums until its disbandment in 1979. Since then he has played in a series of smaller, acoustic units and engaged in solo projects which have maintained a massive output of recordings, a significant profile and have made a major contribution to the interpretation of traditional British music.
, now in Greater London, his family soon moved to Birmingham where he grew up. He learned to play the basics of violin from a local fiddler and he attended Birmingham College of Art (now absorbed into the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design
) in the late 1950s, with the intention of becoming a printer. He began performing as a guitar player in Beryl Marriot's Ceilidh Band. Marriot encouraged him to take up the fiddle again and he soon evidenced an obvious talent.
He joined the Ian Campbell Folk Group
in 1960 and embarked on his long and prolific recording career, playing on one single, three EPs and seven albums with the group over the next few years. He also played on recordings for the three most important figures in the British folk movement of the time A.L. Lloyd, Ewan MacColl
his wife Peggy Seeger
as well as part of several collections to which the Ian Campbell Group contributed.
From 1965 he began to work with the rising star of English folk, the guitarist and singer Martin Carthy
, supporting him on his eponymous first album. The association was such a success that the next recording, Second Album (1966), gave them equal billing. They produced another four highly regarded recordings between 1967 and 1968, including Byker Hill (1967), whose innovative arrangements of traditional songs made it one of the most influential folk albums of the decade. Swarbrick also played on albums by Julie Felix, A. L. Lloyd and on The Radio Ballads, and had become perhaps the most highly regarded interpreter of traditional material on the violin and certainly one of the most sought after session musicians.
, the manager of rising folk rock group Fairport Convention, in 1969, originally to undertake some over-dubs on their cover of the Bob Dylan track 'Cajun Woman'. Fairport had decided to play a traditional song 'A Sailor's Life
', which was probably already known to Swarbrick and he was asked to contribute violin to the session. The result was an eleven minute mini-epic that appeared on the 1969 album Unhalfbricking
and which marked out a new direction for the band.
Subsequently, Swarbrick was asked to contribute to what became the group's most important album, Liege and Lief (1969). His energetic fiddle style was essential to the new sound and direction of the band, most marked on the medley of four jigs and reels that Swarbrick arranged for the album and which were to become an essential part of almost every subsequent Fairport performance. Before the album was released, key members of the band, founder Ashley Hutchings and singer, guitarist and songwriter Sandy Denny
left, and Swarbrick joined the band full time, excited by the possibilities of performing traditional music in a rock context. His greater maturity, knowledge of folk song, reputation and personality meant that he soon emerged as the leading force in the band and continued to be so for the next decade, encouraging the band to bring in Dave Pegg
, another graduate of the Ian Campbell Folk Group, on bass. However, he was already beginning to suffer the hearing problems that would dog the rest of his career.
The first album of this new line up, Full House (1970), although not as commercially successful as Liege and Lief, sold relatively well, and remains highly regarded. Like Liege and Lief it contained interpretations of traditional tunes, including the epic 'Sir Patrick Spens
' and another instrumental arranged by Swarbrick, 'Dirty Linen', but also contained songs jointly penned by Swarbrick and guitarist Richard Thompson, including what would become their opening live song 'Walk Awhile', and the anti-war anthem 'Sloth'. The partnership produced another three songs on the next album Angel Delight
(1971), however the collaboration was ended when Thompson departed the band soon after.
As ex-Fairport Convention members embarked on their own careers, Swarbrick was often called upon to provide musical support, as he did for albums by Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson. He also played on some of the most significant folk albums of the era, including work by John Renbourn
, Al Stewart
and Peter Bellamy
. In the second half of the 1970s he would begin to release a series of solo albums.
Without Thompson Swarbrick now shouldered even more responsibility for leadership, writing and singing and the result was a remarkably ambitious folk-rock opera album Babbacombe Lee
, largely written and sung by Swarbrick. The result gained the band some mainstream attention, including a BBC TV programme devoted to the work, but was a mixed artistic achievement, with critics noting the lack of variety in the album. When Simon Nicol quit the band in 1971, Swarbrick was the longest standing member and responsible for keeping the group afloat through a bewildering series of line-up changes and problematic projects.
The next album 'Rosie' is chiefly notable for the title track, written by Swarbrick, which is perhaps the song most closely associated with him, but overall it was not a critical success. The following release Nine
(1974), relied heavily on the writing partnership between Swarbrick and new member Trevor Lucas, but it perhaps lacked the vitality of previous collaborations. The fortunes of the band rallied when Denny rejoined in 1974 and on the resulting album Rising for the Moon
Swarbrick took more of a back seat in writing and singing.
After Denny's final departure from the band, Swarbrick managed to steer it through three more studio albums, turning a solo project into a Fairport album Gottle O'Geer
(1976) and two albums for Vertigo; The Bonny Bunch of Roses
(1977) and Tipplers Tales
(1978), which sold poorly, but have since been seen as containing some of Swarbrick's best fiddle work. However, all this was done amid financial and contractual difficulties and Swarbrick's hearing problems were becoming severe and were aggravated by amplified performances. In 1979 the band played a farewell concert in Cropredy Oxfordshire and disbanded.
(1985) and made public his dislike of the project, refusing to play the material at the next Cropredy Festival. When the band reformed in 1986 it did so without him, although he has played with them on several occasions, particularly at the Cropredy Festival.
By the time of the Fairport reformation Swarbrick was already occupied with his next project as part of a quartet under the name Whippersnapper
, with the highly regarded musicians Martin Jenkins, Chris Leslie and Kevin Dempsey. The group produced four albums between 1985 and 1989. From this point Swarbrick left to renew his partnership with Martin Carthy, but after two albums: Life And Limb (1990) and Skin And Bone (1992), he decided to emigrate to Australia in 1994.
There he formed a new partnership with guitarist and singer-songwriter Alistair Hulett
. They produced one album in Australia, Saturday Johnny and Jimmy The Rat (1996) and following Swarbrick's return soon after, made two more. In this period Swarbrick guested on projects some of the most highly regarded figures in folk rock, including Steve Ashley, John Kirkpatrick
, and Bert Jansch
as well as continuing to record and tour with Martin Carthy.
. There was considerable embarrassment for the Daily Telegraph newspaper in 1999 when it published a premature obituary for Swarbrick after he was admitted to hospital with a chest infection.
Dave and Christine Pegg launched the SwarbAid, including a fund-raising concert at Birmingham's Symphony Hall in July 1999, and a limited-edition EP recorded live, in order to raise funds for Swarbrick whilst his poor health was preventing him from working. After a relapse they launched SwarbAid II with a similar concert in 2004.
Swarbrick was fortunate enough, in October 2004, to receive a double lung transplant and has since enjoyed a new lease of life. He has resumed his career with fervour, back on the road globally as a solo performer and annually on tour in the UK every Autumn with Martin Carthy. Swarbrick is also linked with Canadian reggae legend Jason Wilson and his band. Swarbrick's highly acclaimed album "raison d'être" was released in July 2010.
and Kevin Dempsey as the aptly named Swarb's Lazarus, producing the album Live and Kicking (2006); and appearing at the Cropredy Festival
. On 10 August 2007, Swarbrick joined the 1969 Fairport Convention line up, with Chris While
standing in for the late Sandy Denny, to perform the whole of the album Liege and Lief.
In 2008 Whippersnapper reformed and played a short 5 date tour. There is a possibility of a live album and a further reunion in 2009.
In 2009, Swarbrick played a two-show "Ballads, Reels & One-Drops" swing with a pair of well-known Canadian artists: award-winning folk singer David Francey
and reggae/jazz innovator Jason Wilson, on 8 May at Hugh's Room in Toronto, Canada and the following evening in Wakefield, Quebec at the Blacksheep Inn.
On 14 August 2010 Swarbrick joined Fairport Convention on stage for an impromptu performance of Sir Patrick Spens
.
During 2010 he also joined with another veteran British Folk artist Martin Carthy to play at the Cornwall Folk Festival in Wadebridge.
He made a guest appearance with Fairport at the Town Hall, Birmingham March 2011 and on 31st July 2011 Swarbrick and Carthy celebrated their 70th birthdays on stage at Sidmouth Folk Week.
and the 'Gold Badge of Merit' by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters. In 2004 he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards
. At the 2006 Folk Awards he shared with current and past Fairport Convention members when 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 awards Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick won the 'Best Duo' Award.
With the Ian Campbell Folk Group
On Ewan MacColl, A.L. Lloyd and Peggy Seeger albums
On Ewan MacColl and A.L. Lloyd albums
With various artists
On Martin Carthy albums
With Martin Carthy
On Julie Felix albums
On A.L. Lloyd albums
With Martin Carthy and Diz Dizley
On Nigel Denver albums
On Vashti Bunyan albums
On John Renbourn albums
On Sandy Denny albums
On Al Stewart albums
On Brian Maxine
albums
On Lorna Campbell albums
On Richard Thompson albums
On Peter Bellamy albums
Solo albums
On Bat McGrath albums
With Simon Nicol
With Whippersnapper
On Voice of the Beehive albums
On Leon Rosselson albums
On Band of Hope albums
On Pete Hawkes albums
With Alistair Hulett
On Keith Hancock albums
Collaboration with Eureka!
Compilations including other artists
Collaboration with Dave Swarbrick and Fairport Convention
On Steve Ashley albums
On Roy Bailey albums
On John Kirkpatrick albums
On Bert Jansch albums
With Swarb's Lazarus
With The Jason Wilson Band
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. He has been described by Ashley Hutchings
Ashley Hutchings
Ashley Stephen Hutchings is an English bassist, vocalist, songwriter, arranger, band leader, writer and record producer. He was a founder member of three of the most noteworthy English folk-rock bands in the history of the genre; Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and The Albion Band...
as 'the most influential [British] fiddle player bar none' and his style has been copied or developed by almost every British, and many World folk violin players that have followed him. He was one of the most highly regarded musicians produced by the second British folk revival, contributing to some of the most important groups and projects of the 1960s, he became a much sought after session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
, which has led him throughout his career to work with many of the major figures in folk and folk rock music. His work for the group Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
from 1969 is usually credited with leading them to produce their seminal album Liege and Lief (1969) which initiated the electric folk
Electric folk
Electric folk is the name given to the form of folk rock pioneered in England from the late 1960s, and most significant in the 1970s, which then was taken up and developed in the surrounding Celtic cultures of Brittany, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man, to produce Celtic rock and its...
movement. This, and his subsequent career, helped create greater interest in British traditional music
Traditional music
Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
and was highly influential within mainstream rock. After 1970 he emerged as Fairport Convention's leading figure and guided the band through a series of important albums until its disbandment in 1979. Since then he has played in a series of smaller, acoustic units and engaged in solo projects which have maintained a massive output of recordings, a significant profile and have made a major contribution to the interpretation of traditional British music.
Early Career to 1968
Born in 1941 in New MaldenNew Malden
New Malden is a town and shopping centre in the south-western London suburbs, mostly within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and partly in the London Borough of Merton, and is situated from Charing Cross...
, now in Greater London, his family soon moved to Birmingham where he grew up. He learned to play the basics of violin from a local fiddler and he attended Birmingham College of Art (now absorbed into the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design
Birmingham Institute of Art and Design
The Birmingham Institute of Art and Design is the largest British university art and design teaching and research centre outside London. It is a faculty of Birmingham City University and the largest, most successful department of the university.-History:BIAD dates back, in various incarnations, to...
) in the late 1950s, with the intention of becoming a printer. He began performing as a guitar player in Beryl Marriot's Ceilidh Band. Marriot encouraged him to take up the fiddle again and he soon evidenced an obvious talent.
He joined the Ian Campbell Folk Group
Ian Campbell Folk Group
The Ian Campbell Folk Group were one of the most popular and respected folk groups of the British folk revival of the 1960s. The group made many appearances on radio, television, and at national and international venues and festivals. They performed a mixture of British traditional folk music and...
in 1960 and embarked on his long and prolific recording career, playing on one single, three EPs and seven albums with the group over the next few years. He also played on recordings for the three most important figures in the British folk movement of the time A.L. Lloyd, Ewan MacColl
Ewan MacColl
Ewan MacColl was an English folk singer, songwriter, socialist, actor, poet, playwright, and record producer. He was married to theatre director Joan Littlewood, and later to American folksinger Peggy Seeger. He collaborated with Littlewood in the theatre and with Seeger in folk music...
his wife Peggy Seeger
Peggy Seeger
Margaret "Peggy" Seeger is an American folksinger. She is also well known in Britain, where she lived for more than 30 years with her husband, singer and songwriter Ewan MacColl.- The first American period :...
as well as part of several collections to which the Ian Campbell Group contributed.
From 1965 he began to work with the rising star of English folk, the guitarist and singer Martin Carthy
Martin Carthy
Martin Carthy MBE is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon and later artists such as Richard Thompson since he emerged as a young musician in the early days...
, supporting him on his eponymous first album. The association was such a success that the next recording, Second Album (1966), gave them equal billing. They produced another four highly regarded recordings between 1967 and 1968, including Byker Hill (1967), whose innovative arrangements of traditional songs made it one of the most influential folk albums of the decade. Swarbrick also played on albums by Julie Felix, A. L. Lloyd and on The Radio Ballads, and had become perhaps the most highly regarded interpreter of traditional material on the violin and certainly one of the most sought after session musicians.
Fairport Convention 1969-79
It was as a session musician that Swarbrick was called in by Joe BoydJoe Boyd
Joe Boyd is an American record producer and former owner of the Witchseason production company. Boyd was instrumental in launching the careers of Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, and The Incredible String Band.-Career:...
, the manager of rising folk rock group Fairport Convention, in 1969, originally to undertake some over-dubs on their cover of the Bob Dylan track 'Cajun Woman'. Fairport had decided to play a traditional song 'A Sailor's Life
A Sailor's Life
"A Sailor’s Life" is an English language folk song which describes the attempt of a young woman to find her lover, a sailor. Eventually she hears that he has drowned and mourns him.-History:...
', which was probably already known to Swarbrick and he was asked to contribute violin to the session. The result was an eleven minute mini-epic that appeared on the 1969 album Unhalfbricking
Unhalfbricking
The band's male vocalist Iain Matthews left during the recordings for Unhalfbricking to make his own album Matthews' Southern Comfort, after recording just one track, "Percy's Song". Sandy Denny sang lead vocals on all the other songs, including her own compositions, "Autopsy", and "Who Knows Where...
and which marked out a new direction for the band.
Subsequently, Swarbrick was asked to contribute to what became the group's most important album, Liege and Lief (1969). His energetic fiddle style was essential to the new sound and direction of the band, most marked on the medley of four jigs and reels that Swarbrick arranged for the album and which were to become an essential part of almost every subsequent Fairport performance. Before the album was released, key members of the band, founder Ashley Hutchings and singer, guitarist and songwriter Sandy Denny
Sandy Denny
Sandy Denny , born Alexandra Elene Maclean Denny, was an English singer and songwriter, perhaps best known as the lead singer for the folk rock band Fairport Convention...
left, and Swarbrick joined the band full time, excited by the possibilities of performing traditional music in a rock context. His greater maturity, knowledge of folk song, reputation and personality meant that he soon emerged as the leading force in the band and continued to be so for the next decade, encouraging the band to bring in Dave Pegg
Dave Pegg
Dave Pegg is an English multi-instrumentalist and record producer, arguably most visible as a bass guitarist. He is the longest-serving member of the pre-eminent electric folk band Fairport Convention and has been bassist with a number of important folk and rock groups including The Ian Campbell...
, another graduate of the Ian Campbell Folk Group, on bass. However, he was already beginning to suffer the hearing problems that would dog the rest of his career.
The first album of this new line up, Full House (1970), although not as commercially successful as Liege and Lief, sold relatively well, and remains highly regarded. Like Liege and Lief it contained interpretations of traditional tunes, including the epic 'Sir Patrick Spens
Sir Patrick Spens
"Sir Patrick Spens" is one of the most popular of the Child Ballads , and is of Scottish origin.-Historicity:The events of the ballad are similar to, and may chronicle, an actual event: the bringing home of the Scottish queen Margaret, Maid of Norway across the North Sea in 1290...
' and another instrumental arranged by Swarbrick, 'Dirty Linen', but also contained songs jointly penned by Swarbrick and guitarist Richard Thompson, including what would become their opening live song 'Walk Awhile', and the anti-war anthem 'Sloth'. The partnership produced another three songs on the next album Angel Delight
Angel Delight (album)
Angel Delight is the sixth album by the British folk rock band Fairport Convention. This was the first Fairport Convention album without guitarist Richard Thompson, and the lineup consisted of Simon Nicol , Dave Swarbrick , Dave Pegg , and Dave Mattacks .The title derives from "The Angel" in...
(1971), however the collaboration was ended when Thompson departed the band soon after.
As ex-Fairport Convention members embarked on their own careers, Swarbrick was often called upon to provide musical support, as he did for albums by Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson. He also played on some of the most significant folk albums of the era, including work by John Renbourn
John Renbourn
John Renbourn is an English guitarist and songwriter. He is possibly best known for his collaboration with guitarist Bert Jansch as well as his work with the folk group Pentangle, although he maintained a solo career before, during and after that band's existence .While most commonly labelled a...
, Al Stewart
Al Stewart
Al Stewart is a Scottish singer-songwriter and folk-rock musician.Stewart came to stardom as part of the British folk revival in the 1960s and 1970s, and developed his own unique style of combining folk-rock songs with delicately woven tales of the great characters and events from history.He is...
and Peter Bellamy
Peter Bellamy
Peter Franklyn Bellamy was an English folk singer. He was a founding member of The Young Tradition but also had a long solo career, recording numerous albums and touring folk clubs and concert halls...
. In the second half of the 1970s he would begin to release a series of solo albums.
Without Thompson Swarbrick now shouldered even more responsibility for leadership, writing and singing and the result was a remarkably ambitious folk-rock opera album Babbacombe Lee
Babbacombe Lee (album)
Babbacombe Lee is the seventh album by English folk rock group Fairport Convention, and was released in 1971. It tells the life story of John "Babbacombe" Lee, a Victorian-era murderer who, although condemned to death, was reprieved after the gallows failed on three occasions to work properly...
, largely written and sung by Swarbrick. The result gained the band some mainstream attention, including a BBC TV programme devoted to the work, but was a mixed artistic achievement, with critics noting the lack of variety in the album. When Simon Nicol quit the band in 1971, Swarbrick was the longest standing member and responsible for keeping the group afloat through a bewildering series of line-up changes and problematic projects.
The next album 'Rosie' is chiefly notable for the title track, written by Swarbrick, which is perhaps the song most closely associated with him, but overall it was not a critical success. The following release Nine
Nine (Fairport Convention album)
Nine is the ninth album by the British folk rock group Fairport Convention and, according to Allmusic, is their most uneven.-Side one:#"The Hexhamshire Lass" – 2:31...
(1974), relied heavily on the writing partnership between Swarbrick and new member Trevor Lucas, but it perhaps lacked the vitality of previous collaborations. The fortunes of the band rallied when Denny rejoined in 1974 and on the resulting album Rising for the Moon
Rising for the Moon
Rising for the Moon is a Fairport Convention album. It reached number 52 in the UK albums charts. This was the last Fairport album to feature Sandy Denny....
Swarbrick took more of a back seat in writing and singing.
After Denny's final departure from the band, Swarbrick managed to steer it through three more studio albums, turning a solo project into a Fairport album Gottle O'Geer
Gottle O'Geer
Gottle O'Geer is the eleventh studio album by English folk rock band Fairport Convention...
(1976) and two albums for Vertigo; The Bonny Bunch of Roses
The Bonny Bunch of Roses
"The Bonny Bunch of Roses" , also called "Bonaparte's Retreat", is an English folk song.The earliest known version of the tune is in William Christie's "Tradition Ballad Airs" , but there is another tune, of Irish origin. There is an obvious difficulty in identifying the narrator's voice...
(1977) and Tipplers Tales
Tipplers Tales
Tipplers Tales is a 1978 album by Fairport Convention; recorded in only ten days, it was the last album the band recorded for Vertigo. Simon Nicol later wrote Dave Pegg would later say...
(1978), which sold poorly, but have since been seen as containing some of Swarbrick's best fiddle work. However, all this was done amid financial and contractual difficulties and Swarbrick's hearing problems were becoming severe and were aggravated by amplified performances. In 1979 the band played a farewell concert in Cropredy Oxfordshire and disbanded.
Return to the folk circuit from 1980
Apart from occasional reunions, particularly at the Cropredy Festival, Swarbrick's performing career since 1980 has focused on small venues and acoustic performances. His first project was a highly regarded duo with former Fairport guitarist Simon Nicol, which produced three albums. In 1984 Swarbrick decided to move to Scotland, while Nicol remained in Oxfordshire and the partnership dissolved. This also meant that he was unavailable when Fairport regrouped to record the album Gladys' LeapGladys' Leap
Gladys' Leap is a folk rock album by Fairport Convention originally released in August 1985. It was recorded in April and May 1985 at Woodworm Studios, Barford St. Michael, Oxfordshire, UK...
(1985) and made public his dislike of the project, refusing to play the material at the next Cropredy Festival. When the band reformed in 1986 it did so without him, although he has played with them on several occasions, particularly at the Cropredy Festival.
By the time of the Fairport reformation Swarbrick was already occupied with his next project as part of a quartet under the name Whippersnapper
Whippersnapper (band)
Whippersnapper was an English folk band formed in 1984, consisting of Dave Swarbrick , Chris Leslie , Kevin Dempsey and Martin Jenkins ....
, with the highly regarded musicians Martin Jenkins, Chris Leslie and Kevin Dempsey. The group produced four albums between 1985 and 1989. From this point Swarbrick left to renew his partnership with Martin Carthy, but after two albums: Life And Limb (1990) and Skin And Bone (1992), he decided to emigrate to Australia in 1994.
There he formed a new partnership with guitarist and singer-songwriter Alistair Hulett
Alistair Hulett
Alistair Hulett, was a Scottish acoustic folk singer and revolutionary socialist, best known as the singer of the folk punk band, Roaring Jack.-Early life:...
. They produced one album in Australia, Saturday Johnny and Jimmy The Rat (1996) and following Swarbrick's return soon after, made two more. In this period Swarbrick guested on projects some of the most highly regarded figures in folk rock, including Steve Ashley, John Kirkpatrick
John Kirkpatrick
John Kirkpatrick is an English player of free reed instruments.-In London :John Kirkpatrick was born 8 August 1947 in Chiswick, west London. As a child he sang in the choir and played piano. In 1959 he joined the Hammersmith Morris Men, in the second week of their existence, beginning a...
, and Bert Jansch
Bert Jansch
Herbert "Bert" Jansch was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s, as an acoustic guitarist, as well as a singer-songwriter...
as well as continuing to record and tour with Martin Carthy.
Health and premature obituary
For many years Swarbrick suffered steadily worsening health due to emphysemaEmphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
. There was considerable embarrassment for the Daily Telegraph newspaper in 1999 when it published a premature obituary for Swarbrick after he was admitted to hospital with a chest infection.
Dave and Christine Pegg launched the SwarbAid, including a fund-raising concert at Birmingham's Symphony Hall in July 1999, and a limited-edition EP recorded live, in order to raise funds for Swarbrick whilst his poor health was preventing him from working. After a relapse they launched SwarbAid II with a similar concert in 2004.
Swarbrick was fortunate enough, in October 2004, to receive a double lung transplant and has since enjoyed a new lease of life. He has resumed his career with fervour, back on the road globally as a solo performer and annually on tour in the UK every Autumn with Martin Carthy. Swarbrick is also linked with Canadian reggae legend Jason Wilson and his band. Swarbrick's highly acclaimed album "raison d'être" was released in July 2010.
Recent work
In 2006 Swarbrick started touring again with ex-Fairporter Maartin AllcockMaartin Allcock
Maartin Allcock , also known as Martin Allcock, is a multi-instrumentalist musician and record producer.-Biography:...
and Kevin Dempsey as the aptly named Swarb's Lazarus, producing the album Live and Kicking (2006); and appearing at the Cropredy Festival
Cropredy Festival
Fairport's Cropredy Convention is an annual festival of folk and rock music held on the edge of the village of Cropredy in Oxfordshire, England. It has taken place in August since 1976....
. On 10 August 2007, Swarbrick joined the 1969 Fairport Convention line up, with Chris While
Chris While
Chris While is an award-winning songwriter, singer and musician, known particularly for her powerful and moving vocals and the quality of her compositions and live performances. She has enjoyed success both as a solo artist, a songwriter and as a member of a number of notable and influential...
standing in for the late Sandy Denny, to perform the whole of the album Liege and Lief.
In 2008 Whippersnapper reformed and played a short 5 date tour. There is a possibility of a live album and a further reunion in 2009.
In 2009, Swarbrick played a two-show "Ballads, Reels & One-Drops" swing with a pair of well-known Canadian artists: award-winning folk singer David Francey
David Francey
David Francey is a Canadian folk singer-songwriter. Born in 1954 in Ayrshire, Scotland, Francey immigrated to Canada with his family at age 12. After spending much of his life doing labour such as carpentry, he began a career in folk music, quickly making a name for himself on the folk festival...
and reggae/jazz innovator Jason Wilson, on 8 May at Hugh's Room in Toronto, Canada and the following evening in Wakefield, Quebec at the Blacksheep Inn.
On 14 August 2010 Swarbrick joined Fairport Convention on stage for an impromptu performance of Sir Patrick Spens
Sir Patrick Spens
"Sir Patrick Spens" is one of the most popular of the Child Ballads , and is of Scottish origin.-Historicity:The events of the ballad are similar to, and may chronicle, an actual event: the bringing home of the Scottish queen Margaret, Maid of Norway across the North Sea in 1290...
.
During 2010 he also joined with another veteran British Folk artist Martin Carthy to play at the Cornwall Folk Festival in Wadebridge.
He made a guest appearance with Fairport at the Town Hall, Birmingham March 2011 and on 31st July 2011 Swarbrick and Carthy celebrated their 70th birthdays on stage at Sidmouth Folk Week.
Awards
In 2003, he was awarded a 'Gold Badge' by the English Folk Dance and Song SocietyEnglish Folk Dance and Song Society
The English Folk Dance and Song Society was formed in 1932 when two organisations merged: the Folk-Song Society and the English Folk Dance Society. The EFDSS, a member-based organisation, was incorporated as a Company limited by guarantee in 1935 and became a Registered Charity The English Folk...
and the 'Gold Badge of Merit' by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters. In 2004 he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards
BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards
The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards celebrate outstanding achievement during the previous year within the field of folk music. The awards have been given annually since 2000 by British radio station BBC Radio 2....
. At the 2006 Folk Awards he shared with current and past Fairport Convention members when 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 awards Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick won the 'Best Duo' Award.
Discography
With Fairport Convention see Fairport Convention discographyFairport Convention discography
This is a list of recordings by the folk rock group Fairport Convention, usually credited as the first English electric folk band. Founded in 1967 and initially covering songs by artists such as Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, they developed a devoted niche following by providing electrified and...
With the Ian Campbell Folk Group
- Ceilidh at the Crown (EP) (Topic, 1962)
- Songs of Protest (EP) (Topic, 1962)
- The Sun Is Burning / The Crow and the Cradle (single) (Topic, 1963)
- This Is The Ian Campbell Folk Group (Transatlantic, 1963)
- Across the Hills (Transatlantic, 1964)
- The Ian Campbell Folk Group (Decca, 1964)
- Presenting the Ian Campbell Folk Group (Contour, 1964)
- Coaldust Ballads (Transatlantic, 1965)
- A Sample of The Ian Campbell Folk Group (Transatlantic, 1966)
- Contemporary Campbells (Transatlantic, 1966)
- Four Highland Songs (EP) (Transatlantic, 1966)
- The Ian Campbell Folk Group, This Is The Ian Campbell Folk Group / Across the Hills (Castle Music, 1996)
- Contemporary Campbells / New Impressions (Castle Music, 1997)
- The Times They Are A-Changin (Castle Music, 2004)
On Ewan MacColl, A.L. Lloyd and Peggy Seeger albums
- Whaler Out of New Bedford (Folkways, 1962)
- The Big Hewer (The Radio Ballads Vol 4) (Argo, 1967)
- The Fight Game (The Radio Ballads Vol 7) (Argo, 1967)
- The Travelling People (The Radio Ballads Vol 8) (Argo, 1968)
On Ewan MacColl and A.L. Lloyd albums
- A Sailor's Garland (Prestige, 1962)
With various artists
- Edinburgh Folk Festival Vol. 1 (Decca, 1963)
- Edinburgh Folk Festival Vol. 2 (Decca, 1964)
- Farewell Nancy: Sea Songs and Shanties (Topic, 1964)
- The Bird in the Bush: Traditional Erotic Songs (Topic, 1966)
- The Best of British Folk Music (Transatlantic, 1966)
- Nice Enough to Eat (Island, 1969)
- El Pea (Island, 1971)
- Clogs (Peg Records, 1972)
- Club Folk Volume 1 (Peg Records, 1972)
- Club Folk Volume 2 (Peg Records, 1972)
- Rave On (B&C/Mooncrest, 1974)
- The Camera and the Song (Super Beeb, 1975)
- The Electric Muse (Island/Transatlantic, 1975)
- Rosin the Bow: An Introduction to the World of Fiddle Music (Transatlantic, 1977)
- The Best of Irish Folk (1978)
- Transatlantic - The Vintage Years (Transatlantic, 1978)
- 40 Folk Favourites (Pickwick, 1979)
- Chants de Marins IV: Ballades, Complaintes et Shanties des Matelots Anglais (Le Chasse-Marée, 1984)
- Flash Company - A Celebration of the First 10 Years of Fellside Recordings (Fellside, 1986)
- Island Life: 25 Years of Island Record (Island, 1988)
- Blow the Man Down: A Collection of Sea Songs and Shanties (Topic, 1993).
- Club Sandwich (cassette) (Musikfolk, 1993)
- Tanz- & Folkfest Rudolstadt 1992 (HeiDeck, 1993)
- The World Is a Wonderful Place (Hokey Pokey, 1993)
- Undefeated (cassette) (Fuse, 1993)
- Folk Routes (Island, 1994)
- Troubadours of British Folk, Vol. 1: Unearthing the Tradition, (Rhino, 1995)
- Troubadours of British Folk, Vol. 2: Folk into Rock (Rhino, 1995)
- Various Artists, The Bird in the Bush: Traditional Songs of Love and Lust (Topic, 1996)
- Georgia on Our Mind (Deep Sea, 1997)
- New Electric Muse II (Castle Music, 1997)
- Bold Sportsmen All (Topic, 1998)
- The Rough Guide to English Roots Music (World Music Network, 1998)
- Various Artists, English Originals (Topic, 1999)
- The Fiddle Collection Volume One (Hands On Music, 1999)
- The Folk Collection (Topic, 1999)
- Heart of England: In Aid of Teenage Cancer Trust (Teenage Cancer Trust, 2001)
- Flash Company - A Celebration of 25 Years of Fellside Recordings (Fellside, 2001)
- Raise Your Banners: Festival of Political Song (Raise Your Banners Festival, 2001)
- The Acoustic Folk Box (Topic, 2002)
- Red Roots (Red Planet, 2002)
- Heart of England 2: In Aid of Teenage Cancer Trust (Teenage Cancer Trust, 2002)
- Strangely Strange But Oddly Normal: An Island Anthology 1967-1972 (Universal/Island, 2005)
- Anthems in Eden: An Anthology of British & Irish Folk 1955-1978 (Castle, 2006)
- The Fairport Companion: Loose Chippings from the Fairport Family Tree (Castle Music, 2006)
- Garden of Delight (Discothèque, 2006)
- Scarborough Fair (Castle Music, 2006)
- Various Artists, White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s (Fledg'ling, 2006)
- Folk Awards 2007 (Proper Folk, 2006)
On Martin Carthy albums
- Martin CarthyMartin Carthy (album)Martin Carthy is the debut solo album by English folk musician Martin Carthy, originally released in 1965 by Fontana Records and later re-issued by Topic Records...
(Fontana, 1965) - Martin Carthy, This is ... Martin Carthy: The Bonny Black Hare and Other Songs (Philips, 1971)
- Martin Carthy, The Carthy Chronicles (Free Reed, 2001)
With Martin Carthy
- Second Album (Fontana, 1966)
- Byker Hill (Fontana, 1967)
- No Songs (EP) (Fontana, 1967)
- But Two Came By (Fontana, 1968)
- Prince Heathen (Fontana, 1969)
- Selections (Pegasus, 1971)
- Life And Limb (Special Delivery, 1990)
- Skin And Bone (Special Delivery, 1992)
- Both Ears and the Tail: Live at the Folkus Folk Club, Nottingham, 1966 (Atrax, 2000)
- Straws In The Wind (Topic, 2006)
On Julie Felix albums
- Changes (Fontana, 1966)
On A.L. Lloyd albums
- First Person (Topic, 1966)
- Leviathan! Ballads and Songs of the Whaling Trade (Topic, 1967)
- The Great Australian Legend: A Panorama of Bush Balladry and Song (Topic, 1971)
- Classic A. L. Lloyd (Fellside, 1994)
- A.L. Lloyd, The Old Bush Songs (Larrikin, 1994)
With Martin Carthy and Diz Dizley
- Rags, Reels & Airs (Polydor, 1967)
On Nigel Denver albums
- Rebellion! (Decca, 1967)
On Vashti Bunyan albums
- Just Another Diamond DayJust Another Diamond DayJust Another Diamond Day is the debut album of English singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan.In the mid to late 1960s, Bunyan was under contract to Andrew Oldham, which saw her release two singles. However, Bunyan found the experience frustrating, and decided to head for the Scottish islands in search of...
(Philips, 1970)
On John Renbourn albums
- The Lady and the Unicorn (Transatlantic, 1970)
On Sandy Denny albums
- SandySandySandy may refer to:* Characteristic of sand* Sandy , including a list of people with the name* Sandy brown, a shade of brown- Places :* Sandy, Bedfordshire, England* Sandy, Carmarthenshire, Wales* Sandy, Oregon, United States...
(Island, 1972) - Who Knows Where the Time Goes? (Island, 1986)
- The Best of Sandy Denny (Island, 1987)
- No More Sad Refrains: The Anthology (Island, 2000)
- A Boxful of TreasuresA Boxful of Treasures- Disc two :- Disc three :- Disc four :- Disc five :- References :* *...
(Fledg'ling, 2004)
On Al Stewart albums
- Past, Present & Future (CBS, 1973)
On Brian Maxine
Brian Maxine
Brian Maxine , known as 'Goldbelt', was a professional wrestler and cabaret artist. He held the British Welterweight Championship from 1969 to 1971. He won the British middleweight championship in 1971 and by briefly holding the two belts simultaneously he became the first champion at two weights...
albums
- Ribbon of Stainless Steel (Columbia, 1974)
On Lorna Campbell albums
- Adam's Rib (Transatlantic, 1976)
On Richard Thompson albums
- (guitar, vocal)(guitar, vocal)is a 1976 album by Richard Thompson. It was released by Island Records as a career retrospective after he and his wife Linda had gone into semi-retirement from the business of making and performing music following the release of Pour Down Like Silver .Most tracks are unreleased recordings from...
(Island, 1976) - Watching the Dark - The History of Richard Thompson (Hannibal, 1993)
- RT: The Life and Music of Richard Thompson (Free Reed, 2006)
On Peter Bellamy albums
- The Transports (Free Reed, 1977)
- Both Sides Then (Topic, 1979)
Solo albums
- Swarbrick (Transatlantic, 1976)
- Swarbrick 2 (Transatlantic, 1977)
- Lift The Lid and Listen (Sonet, 1978)
- The Ceilidh Album (Sonet, 1978)
- SmiddyburnSmiddyburnSmiddyburn is a 1981 folk album recorded by Dave Swarbrick and named after the farm in Aberdeenshire where Swarbrick lived at the time. The tracks are mostly renditions of traditional folk tunes, and Swarbrick is assisted by his erstwhile colleagues from Fairport Convention as well as his early...
(Logo, 1981) - Flittin (Spindrift, 1983)
- When the Battle is Over [compilation from: Swarbrick (1976); Swarbrick 2 (1977); Smiddyburn (1981)] (Conifer, 1986)
- Live At Jackson's Lane (Musikfolk, 1996)
- Dave Swarbrick, Swarb! (Free Reed, 2002)
- English Fiddler: Swarbrick plays Swarbrick (Naxos World, 2003)
- It Suits Me Well:The Transatlantic Anthology (Castle Music, 2004)
- raison d'être (Shirty, 2010)
On Bat McGrath albums
- Whatever Happened to Jousting? (Manana, 1980)
With Simon Nicol
- Live at the White Bear (White Bear, 1981)
- In the Club (cassette)(1982)
- Close to the Wind (WoodwormWoodworm RecordsWoodworm Records was a record label created in 1979 to enable the British folk-rock band Fairport Convention to release their album Farewell Farewell. The album was a recording of performances taken from the band's 1979 farewell tour...
, 1984) - Close to the White Bear (Woodworm, 1998)
- Another Fine Mess: Live in New York '84 (Atrax, 2002)
- When We Were Very Young (Talking Elephant, 2010)
With Whippersnapper
- Promises (WPS, 1985)
- Tsubo (WPS, 1987)
- These Foolish Strings (WPS, 1988)
- Fortune (WPS, 1989)
On Voice of the Beehive albums
- Let It Bee (London, 1988)
On Leon Rosselson albums
- Wo sind die Elefanten? (Fuse Records, 1992)
On Band of Hope albums
- Rhythm & Reds (Musikfolk, 1994)
On Pete Hawkes albums
- Secrets, Vows & Lies (Select Records, 1996)
- Unspoken Riddles (Select Records, 1996)
With Alistair Hulett
- Saturday Johnny and Jimmy The Rat (Red Rattler, 1996)
- The Cold Grey Light of Dawn (Musikfolk, 1998)
- Red Clydeside (Red Rattler, 2002)
On Keith Hancock albums
- Born BlueBorn BlueBorn Blue is a young adult novel by award winning author Han Nolan in 2001.Born Blue follows the life of Janie, a young adult trying to fulfill her dream to become a famous singer...
(Nico's Records, 1997)
Collaboration with Eureka!
- With Gypsy (Word of Mouth, 1998)
Compilations including other artists
- Folk on 2: Dave Swarbrick's 50th Birthday Concert (Cooking Vinyl, 1996)
- Dave Pegg and Friends, Birthday Party (Woodworm, 1998)
- Swarb (box set) (2003)
- It Suits Me Well (2004)
Collaboration with Dave Swarbrick and Fairport Convention
- SwarbAid (1999)
On Steve Ashley albums
- Stroll On - Revisited (Market Square, 1999)
On Roy Bailey albums
- Coda (Fuse, 2000)
On John Kirkpatrick albums
- Mazurka Berserker (Fledg'ling, 2001)
On Bert Jansch albums
- Edge of a DreamEdge of a DreamEdge of a Dream is the twenty-second album by Scottish folk musician Bert Jansch, released in 2002.The title track is given a rock treatment, and two tracks are baroque instrumentals. The remaining songs are roughly equally divided between bluesy numbers and folky ones. The album features Bernard...
(Sanctuary, 2002)
With Swarb's Lazarus
- Live and Kicking (Squiggle, 2006)
With The Jason Wilson Band
- The Peacemaker's Chauffeur (Wheel, 2008)