Fairport Convention changed it all….
Fairport Convention was the first band to electrify British folk music–both literally and figuratively. Starting in the late 1960s Fairport energetically and innovatively embraced traditional British music and used it as a foundation for its own energetic and innovative originals. The band was among the first, and, arguably, the best in England, to fuse folk music and rock. (Bob Dylan did a simlar service in the United States.) For over forty years Fairport and its expansive lineup of talented musicians have been at the heart of the British folk-rock scene. A clear highlight has always been guitar wizard and extraordinary songwriter Richard Thompson, whose guitar innovations propelled Fairport from British folk fest band to genius superstars. We’ll all bow in reverence to the spirit of early Fairport singer and songwriter Sandy Denny, who we’ll also learn about this week.
The video in this post is an early psychedelic Fairport song, circa 1968.
