British people singer Maddy Prior co-founded Steeleye Span in 1969 and rose to fame because the band’s proficient lead vocalist. She’s now considered one among people’s main lights and has loved a diverse solo profession, guesting with each Mike Oldfield and Ian Anderson, amongst others. In 2021, Prior instructed Prog about her youth and appears forward to Steeleye’s future.
“I are likely to plough my very own furrow. I’m targeted on what I’m doing and never evaluating it with what different individuals are doing,” says Maddy Prior. Perhaps due to that outlook, she’s one of the recognisable voices in people and people rock music. And her face is fairly recognisable too, after a string of hits within the early 70s with Steeleye Span set them up as staples of TV reveals akin to High Of The Pops.
From an early age Prior beloved to sing, and was inspired to take action and participate in competitions. Within the late 50s the household relocated from Blackpool because of her father’s job – drama author Allan Prior co-created Z-Automobiles and later Howard’s Manner – and Prior discovered herself within the Roman city of St Albans, a people epicentre with a thriving musi scene.
Assembly like-minds akin to Donovan and Mac MacLeod within the native golf equipment, in 1965 she teamed up with guitarist/vocalist Tim Hart, professionally and romantically, and shaped a duo that went on to launch two albums on TeePee Information, Folks Songs Of Previous England volumes 1 and a couple of. By 1969 they wished a change, and it got here within the type of former Fairport Conference founder and bassist Ashley Hutchings.
Collectively they created an electrical people band, Steeleye Span, whose recognition stays intact immediately, largely due to their huge, resonant 1975 hit All Round My Hat. Whereas in Steeleye Span, Prior would meet her future husband, bassist Rick Kemp, who changed the departing Hutchings in 1972 (he was off to kind The Albion Band).
Prior has launched solo albums, joined June Tabor because the duo Foolish Sisters, performed with The Carnival Band and guested with Jethro Tull, Mike Oldfield and Standing Quo. In 2001, she was awarded an MBE for companies to people music. Passing on the torch, she runs Stones Barn arts centre in Cumbria, the place she holds weekend singing courses and residential workshops in people music, typically together with her daughter, singer-songwriter Rose Kemp.
At this time, in Ye Previous Preventing Cocks pub in St Albans, Prior has been filming a function about Steeleye Span, and pondering their 50-plus years. A tour is deliberate
for 2022, however within the meantime, a doc of the band’s life thus far exists in Est’d 1969, that includes the present line-up of Prior, Liam Genockey (drums), Julian Littman (guitar, mandolin, keyboards, vocals), Jessica Might Sensible (violin, vocals), Andrew ‘Spud’ Sinclair (guitar, vocals), Benji Kirkpatrick (bouzouki, guitar, mandolin, banjo, vocals) and Roger Carey (bass, vocals).
“I’ve been very grateful to have been a working musician for years,” Prior displays, now aged 74. “I had every week working in a Wimpy Bar whereas on vacation on the finish of faculty for which I earned £10, and on the similar time I’d carried out one gig with a band for £8. I assumed, ‘I’ll do that for a dwelling.’”
You have been born in Blackpool, however discovered your self being uprooted to Hertfordshire at a younger age. What was that like?
I used to be 11 once we moved from Blackpool to St Albans, which has simply acquired to be one of many largest tradition shocks you’ll be able to come throughout. The Harpenden grammar college women couldn’t perceive me, nor I them! However I caught on fast and shortly talked [over-the-top posh accent] “like that.”
How did music enter your life?
Again in Blackpool, my father had realised that I might sing, so he took me to somebody on his paper, the Blackpool Gazette – he was a reporter earlier than he grew to become a drama author – who did music critiques. They mentioned, “Oh, we’ve acquired a bit songbird right here!” In order that they despatched me off to affix the Co-op choir, which was run by Miss Whiteside, the place I realized a variety of songs. You didn’t be taught approach at that age, only a little bit of repertoire, and also you’d enter these competitions, at which I used to be completely ineffective!
So you may sing – however what about instrumentation?
I wished to play the violin, and once we got here down south we acquired one – we took it or employed it from the varsity. However on the finish of a 12 months of me scraping away my father mentioned, “Can we wish to play the violin? We’re not getting wherever.” It will need to have been nice for him as a author having that occurring! In order that acquired shelved and I began to play the banjo, then guitar. However that’s six strings and I by no means acquired on with six strings. I used to be passionate in regards to the banjo however then Tim [Hart] picked it up and performed for 2 months. He was so a lot better than me so I put it down once more – and so did he, which was actually annoying!
it was cool on the time to be desirous about people music – however not significantly English people music
What have been you listening to whenever you began singing people songs?
I began with American materials – folks like Woody Guthrie and Joan Baez. There was an excellent document store in St Albans, Mark Greene’s File Room, and he’d been round for a very long time. He was good with younger folks; there have been cubicles to take a seat in and hearken to music and he knew fairly a bit about music. It made an enormous distinction to the St Albans scene. [The Zombies and Donovan shopped there too – Record Shops Ed.]
Folks music was within the pop charts then, wasn’t it?
Sure, with Joan Baez you had Bob Dylan and others crossing over into the mainstream. it was cool on the time to be desirous about people music – however not significantly English people music. My buddies would include me to people golf equipment. They didn’t at all times prefer it; it did rely upon who was on. There was a variety of humour within the people golf equipment, a variety of comedians as a result of it was like stand-up with music.
From there you get Mike Harding, Jasper Carrott…
And Billy Connolly!
So these golf equipment have been your social hubs the place musicians met?
Sure, we knew Donovan that manner, and Mac MacLeod who performed with Donovan, then was within the band Hurdy Gurdy – he was Donovan’s Hurdy Gurdy Man! Donovan lived in Welwyn Backyard Metropolis however came visiting right here rather a lot as a result of there was a variety of music. There was The Cock, The Peahen, The Crimson Lion and The Goat. They have been all very outdated, darkish Victorian locations, very dusty.
With the Roman ruins, the Abbey, the attractive metropolis and gardens, St Albans will need to have been fairly inspiring?
It was – Blackpool was fairly flat and the intense lights have been for vacationers. We got here right here and located these outdated, outdated buildings and bushes that have been upright, not blown at an angle by north-west winds! It was one other world. I beloved it. You’d wander round with your mates and sit within the close by park [Verulamium, a former Roman city and the site of the ruins] and sit and play music. We had a good time, very informal… and some medicine, however nothing untoward. I wasn’t into that – I’ve at all times been a drinker!
The folks scene was, and nonetheless is, fairly political.
The folks scene has a left-wing bias. Guthrie was an enormous voice, and spoke of the problems of the time in my world. If there was a difficulty I might discover a track that was outdated that mirrored it, like Laborious Occasions Of Previous England – which we’re taking a look at once more, sadly; it by no means goes away. We’d have a look at outdated songs about new points akin to Blackleg Miner, which we sang right through the Miners’ Strike [in 1984-85]. Once I first sang it was an fascinating historic doc from about 1844. Now it’s an fascinating historic doc once more.
How did you meet Tim Hart and begin gathering songs?
He was a part of the gang so we acquired to know one another. I used to be in a duo with Mac MacLeod [Mac & Maddy] but in addition working as a roadie, driving American musicians round. A duo, Sandy and Jeanie Darlington, mentioned to me, “It’s best to cease singing with an American accent – you’re shit at it.” They gave me a great deal of people tapes to hearken to, and initially it was like, “Oh God, all these boring outdated guys!” Then ultimately I acquired my ear in, which you do with music. I listened and listened, and ultimately you hear the track and get previous the presentation.
What have been the primary songs in your repertoire?
The primary track we acquired out of [Thomas D’Urfey’s 18th century song book] Drugs To Purge Melancholy was Lengthy George, which was impolite, in fact! Our tunes typically had nothing to do with what’s written on the web page; we form of made a stab at it and put in phrases that we appreciated. We additionally went to Cecil Sharp Home and listened to roughly the entire library. It took us about 4 weeks. I heard a variety of materials and a variety of singers and kinds.
The fabric was working and also you have been getting widespread whenever you performed reside. So what occurred subsequent?
Tim and I made two albums – and it was actually uncommon for folks artists right here to have an album. Tony Pike got here alongside and picked us up for Teepee Information. We made the data in his kitchen, on a Revox, in his home in Putney. That was the primary album, Folks Songs Of Previous England; and for Quantity 2 the funds went up and we had two Revoxes! So we might overdub. It took us as lengthy to make it because it took to play it. The albums gave us a variety of kudos and publicity.
And Ye Previous Preventing Cocks’ exterior was used on the entrance cowl. Do you do not forget that day?
I do – it was a really chilly day and we had sizzling buttered rum by the fireplace. We picked this place as a result of it’s “Previous English.” It’s supposedly the oldest licensed public home in England.
You bought to know the influential folklorist and singer Bert Lloyd, didn’t you?
We did. He was an inspiration to the entire of the folks revival, together with Ewan MacColl. He was the founder and creative director of [influential folk label] Subject Information; the releases have essentially the most superb covers and names. He was actually good with phrases. He introduced an class to the revival, and a light-weight contact. Though he was a communist he wasn’t banging a loud drum. He introduced Tim and I songs like The Gardener, which Steeleye recorded on Est’d 1969.
Tim had mentioned there was a glass ceiling for the progress of people musicians. Have been you bold?
You don’t go into British people music with ambition, actually, however we have been. We’d been taking part in the golf equipment as a duo for 3 or 4 years. We have been restricted by the quantity of individuals within the venues, the quantity of individuals within the band – and we wished to play louder. Everybody had been speaking about going electrical as Dylan had. There was this dialog about who was gonna do it. None of us had the funds for it. However Ashley [Hutchings] had a document firm behind him…
When did you encounter Ashley?
We’d performed on competition phases with Fairport Conference, and Tim and I have been round north London after they have been getting Liege & Leif collectively. One evening, once we have been dwelling in Whitehall Park, Archway, he got here to dinner with [Irish folk duo] Terry & Homosexual Woods. We have been sat round a desk they usually mentioned, “Do you wish to be part of a band?” We mentioned, “We’ll have a try-out tomorrow,’” and that went fairly properly.
We have been all about being electrical, proper from the beginning… We’d not have been superb at the start
When did you truly change into a gaggle?
Autumn 1969. We rehearsed in a pal’s home in Wiltshire and have been “getting it collectively within the nation” – which was a horrible concept. We spent three months doing it. Ashley had been in an accident [Fairport’s tour van had crashed that May] and wasn’t on a fair keel. Two {couples} – Terry and Homosexual and me and Tim – as referees was not the best way to run a band.
How did you arrive at Steeleye Span’s identify?
We got here house rather a lot and we have been in St Albans, at Tim’s home, which was the vicarage. [Folk artist and Dave Swarbrick collaborator] Martin Carthy was staying there and searching by means of some books, late at evening with Tim – as ordinary. a ebook of Norfolk songs [and one called Horkstow Grange from 1760], Martin says, “Have a look at this: ‘Pity them that undergo, pity poor outdated Steeleye Span.’ Isn’t that an excellent identify?” Tim mentioned, “That’s the identify of our band.”
Martin went on to affix Steeleye, didn’t he?
Sure, we made the primary album [Hark! The Village Wait] in March 1970 after which Terry and Homosexual left they usually assumed it will all collapse. That didn’t occur. We re-formed with Martin on guitar and keys and Peter Knight on strings and keys. Then we did some gigs – that first line-up by no means gigged.
Was there any resistance from the folks purists to you plugging in and rocking out?
We have been all about being electrical, proper from the beginning. Martin Carthy was one of many loudest electrical gamers I do know. Some folks didn’t prefer it. We’d not have been superb at it proper at the start. We have been loud and toppy with our twin reverbs, audio system to tear your head off. Combine my voice with a fiddle… Folks mentioned they couldn’t hear us; the noise was unbelievable!
You bought so widespread that you just attracted some celebrities. How did you get Peter Sellers on Commoners Crown?
We’re sitting round and somebody mentioned, “What this wants is a ukulele.” I do not know why; on the time the ukulele was fully unknown instrument. We mentioned, “Does anybody know anybody who has a ukulele?” Then Bob [Johnson, guitar] mentioned, “Peter Sellers does.” So we acquired in contact and he mentioned sure. He was so delighted to be requested, but in addition terrified. We sat in with him at Morgan Studios, and he was sensible – and likewise relieved that we have been followers.
How did David Bowie get collared for his contribution to Now We Are Six?
Rick Kemp had been in a band with Mick Ronson in Hull and he requested in the event that they have been round whereas we have been recording. He mentioned sure, so Ian Anderson acquired in contact with him, as he was producing the document. That was day within the studio – nonetheless, when Ian set Bowie off to play this blistering saxophone solo he hadn’t pressed the document button, so we needed to ask him to do it once more!
We did 5 nights with Jethro Tull, 18,000 folks an evening. I used to be terrified… however I needed to. it was thrilling
You have been label-mates with Tull, weren’t you?
That’s proper. We joined in 1972 and have been the primary band to be signed to Chrysalis who they didn’t handle. Tull have been on the label they usually put us on tour with them. We did 5 nights in America on the LA Discussion board – 18,000 folks an evening. I used to be terrified the entire time. My mum mentioned, “I don’t know why you do it” – however I had to. It was thrilling.
What was the reception like for you within the US?
Actually good – we’d begin with Ian becoming a member of us for Lyke-Wake Dirge, the place we have been all wearing ribbons, and we had mummers onstage with us.
Did the Individuals perceive it?
No, they didn’t! Jethro Tull have been additionally doing Monty Python sketches and had these lengthy idiosyncratic asides. There have been no guidelines – there was nobody method to do issues then.
Britain joined the European Financial Group in ’73 and an 11-day competition celebrated the very fact. You performed an evening, the Fanfare For Europe Gala. What do you keep in mind about that?
It was on the Albert Corridor and [then-Prime Minister] Edward Heath was there and we shook fingers. It was gig, however in society there was a hoo-ha about “have been we going to change into unBritish?” and concepts like that. And now the alternative has occurred with Brexit.
You’ve had a diverse profession outdoors of Steeleye; you collaborated with June Tabor, sung with Jethro Tull, Mike Oldfield and Standing Quo… is there anybody you’d prefer to work with in future?
I’ll collaborate with anybody! It’s at all times extra scary than working with Steeleye, although. I did one thing with Nancy Kerr and James Fagan at Cambridge Folks Competition, and sang with Richard Thompson at his seventieth, however I tread that line between being terrified and being thrilled by it. Lengthy might that proceed.
It’s greater than 50 years since Steeleye shaped. How does that really feel?
After we began we didn’t even know we have been going to reside for 50 years, by no means thoughts being in a band for that point. I by no means deliberate something. I at all times thought-about that we staggered from track to track, however Bob had a manner of planning issues conceptually. Our early years went very quick – our contract was 10 albums in 5 years. We rehearsed on the Irish Membership in Eton Sq., then a spot known as The Black Gap, which describes it completely. We grew to become considerably cavalier with the recording course of – there are some issues on albums that we remorse. We’d run out of concepts. We’d have 4 or 5 good songs then we’d have to drag one thing collectively like The Drunkard. It might have been higher if we had concertina’d just a few collectively.
Ian Anderson mentioned, ‘You didn’t cost for that efficiency. I’ve taken that to coronary heart.’ David Bowie mentioned, “Didn’t I receives a commission?”
With Est’d 1969 you have been reunited with Ian Anderson and it’s the primary time he’d performed on a Steeleye album.
He did a fantastic job, and free of charge! This goes again to Now We Are Six when David Bowie didn’t ask for a charge. Ian instructed me a few time he met David once more, taking part in a TV present. He knocked on David’s dressing-room door and mentioned, “Hi there, we did that Steeleye Span factor. The one factor I took away from that’s that you just didn’t cost for that cameo efficiency. I’ve taken that to coronary heart – I don’t ask for cash for cameo performances.” And Bowie shot him a glance and mentioned, “Didn’t I receives a commission?!” Then he smiled – he was simply winding Ian up!
What’s the place of Steeleye as a band immediately?
I take into consideration Steeleye as a household agency lately. It’s acquired that high quality. Benji’s the son of our pal and former member Jon Kirkpatrick, and he’s labored with Bellowhead so he is aware of the style properly. Liam Genockey’s been within the band for 30 years, and Julian Litmann’s been in it whereas. We needed to discover a manner of bringing the others in, however as a seven-piece, it’s actually rocking. We wish to keep the tune, however we attempt to fill the room with noise. I do prefer it loud.
