Defying Convention

Being the height of the swinging ’60s, there was nothing unusual in that. But this group of mild-mannered, good-looking, young musicians did something that had never been done before.

Inspired by traditional rural rhymes, melodies and ballads, they fused pop with English roots music – and invented British folk-rock.

Bass player Ashley Hutchings, guitarists Simon Nichol and Richard Thompson, and drummer Shaun Frater called themselves Fairport Convention – taking their name from Nichol’s family home in Muswell Hill where they convened. And what had begun as a playful jam session evolved into one of rock’s most enduring sagas.

Now based in North Oxfordshire, the band are not only still here – but are as strong as ever.

Next month the band, their friends and some of their best-loved former members, will line up, as they do every summer, for their own festival.

Fairport’s Cropredy Convention – still known to fans as simply Cropredy – is a gathering of the folk-rock tribes. A chance to hear what’s hot in the world of folk and to catch up with a few favourites, its highlight remains the headline set by the bunch who founded it.

And the Fairporters can’t wait to get back and celebrate yet another milestone.

“For all the members of Fairport, past and present, any excuse for an anniversary is a good thing,” says Ashley, who left the band in 1969 but will be rejoining them at Cropredy next month.

“While this is not a massive landmark anniversary, we are happy to celebrate, and still enjoy doing what we did when we were young.”

Hutchings, who went on to form the Albion Band and Steeleye Span, is still a regular at Cropredy, and he says he looks forward to each appearance.

“What it does is force me to think about Fairport and what we’ve achieved,” he adds.

And it is quite a story. The nascent band’s first gig, at a church hall in Golders Green in 1967, has been followed by a roller-coaster ride of fame, rock ’n’ roll glamour and tragedy.

And that's not to mention the succession of line-up changes, the first of which came after that first gig, when Frater was replaced on the sticks by a member of the audience, Martin Lamble, and singer Judy Dyble was recruited – only to be subsequently replaced by the great Sandy Denny after the release of their eponymous debut album.

Other faces to come and go included singer Iain Matthews and fiddle player Dave Swarbrick.

Tragedy struck in May 1969 when, after a gig in Birmingham, the band’s van crashed on the motorway, killing Martin as well as Richard Thompson’s girlfriend Jeannie Franklyn.

Injured and traumatised, the band broke up – Matthews going on to form Matthews Southern Comfort. But they weren’t out of the game for long, and with the addition of drummer Dave Mattacks and Swarbrick joining as full-time fiddler, they regrouped, retreated to a country house in Hampshire, and released one of the most influential albums ever made – the exhilarating and groundbreaking folk-rock classic Liege & Lief.

The album was a turning point.

Inspired by his growing love of traditional folk, Hutchings left, as did Denny – forming the band Fotheringay. Coming the other way through Fairport’s revolving doors was guitarist Dave Pegg, now the longest-standing member. Thompson also left, Mattacks rejoined – then dropped out, and Denny did the same – dying shortly after of injuries suffered after falling down a flight of stairs.

This time the band finally decided to call it a day – staging a farewell concert at Cropredy in 1971.

That they, and the festival, are still here, says everything about their enduring appeal.

“Trying to recall the best parts of nearly 20 years of playing is almost impossible,” says Mattacks. “But the early US tours and the Cropredy Festival stand out.”

And the best memories?

"Those very rare times on stage or in the studio where everything fell into place and everyone transcended just playing music,” he answers.

And none of them thought the band would go on so long.

“How long a musical relationship will last is rarely my first thought when I enter into one,” he says with honesty.

Dave Swarbrick, however, is even more forthright.

“I am 71,” he says. “I never thought I would last this long – never mind the band!”

‘Swarb’ has strong feelings about his experiences as a Fairporter.

“The best moments were playing Sydney Opera House and the Carnegie Hall,” he says. “The worst was getting mugged in a sauna in Tucson, Arizona. My proudest achievement was (1971 rock opera) Babbacombe Lee, and my most enduring memory is of Sandy Denny.”

All agree that the secret to the band’s longevity, and its continuing existence as a fully-functioning extended family of musicians, is down to its strong mix of personalities and shared sense of respect.

“We were friends and we still are,” says Richard Thompson, who has gone on to be a successful solo artist living in Los Angeles and is regarded as one of the world’s greatest guitarists.

“I meet so many bands where people hated each other that I realise now how precious it is to have been in such a supportive environment.”

And the highlights?

“I’d pick a couple of playback moments, listening back to songs we’d just recorded in the control room,” he says. “Percy’s Song at Sound Techniques and A Sailor’s Life at Olympic. It’s always good when it sounds bigger and better than when you played it.”

And the lowlights?

“They are best forgotten,” says Ashley.

He adds: “I’m getting on with life and Fairport is not my day-to-day world, like it is for the current members, but every few years I get into a Fairport mood and listen to the albums, and take stock.

“And I never fail to enjoy listening to the record we made and am always moved by what we achieved, which was to come up with a new genre of music.

“There are lots of talented, technically-adept folk musicians in this country, and I’d bet you a good number have been influenced by what we did, which is marrying the old and new.

“We were all excited at doing what we were doing,” he goes on. “But it was me who pushed hard to make it our mission to do this.

“I eventually left, but that time with Fairport, despite the death crash, was unsurpassed because of what we did, achieved and enjoyed.”

And their connection to their adopted county remains as strong as ever.

“My heart is in Oxfordshire,” says Ashley, who used to live in the county. “I enjoy going back to Cropredy and playing with the current band, and I’ll be doing just that next month.”

And he won’t be alone. The festival is remarkable for its capacity to attract loyal followers back year after year.

“Young people have come along as babes in arms,” says Ashley. “And we’ve seen them growing up and bringing their own families.”

Among the new generation of Cropredy-goers will be Ashley’s own son, the guitarist and actor Blair Dunlop, 20.

“This year my own son will be guesting with Fairport on the Saturday night – which makes me so proud, but also sums up what the festival is about,” he says.

“It’s a good example of what the greater family of Fairport is all about. And that isn’t just limited to the offspring of band members. The audience are also part of the family.”

* Fairport’s Cropredy Convention is on August 9-11.

Weekend tickets are £105.

Go to fairportconvention.com Other acts include Joan Armatrading, Squeeze, Bellowhead, Saw Doctors, Big Country, Dennis Locorriere and Richard Thompson