Sandy Denny: An Anniversary Tribute
Programmed Event - 20th April 2008
Doors 8pm
SOLD OUT
With Linda Thompson, Joe Boyd, Martin Carthy, Linde Nijland, Kamila Thompson, Lisa Knapp, Karl Dallas and Vikki Clayton.
On the eve of the thirtieth anniversary of her death, in one of the clubs where she made her name, a celebration of the legendary singer-songwriter in words and music.
The late SANDY DENNY (1947-1978) is revered as the pre-eminent British folk-rock singer. She emerged in the mid Sixties while still a teenager, performing on the folk revival scene where she displayed her mastery of traditional singing and interpretation. Whether in her solo recordings or as a member of bands such as the Strawbs, Fotheringay or – most famously – Fairport Convention, her voice speaks to us still in all its resonating purity. Her songwriting, too, shows a unique and personal vision, and endures as a timeless expression of her importance and innovation as an artist. Over a ten-year career Sandy Denny left an impressive legacy as one of the most accomplished singer-songwriters England has ever produced and she remains a source of inspiration to many. Though she was always admired in her day by the rock cognoscenti, in the years since her death her music has been slowly rediscovered by the wider audience it so richly deserves.
www.myspace.com/sandydenny
www.sandydenny.blogspot.com
LINDA THOMPSON became one of the most recognisable names and voices in the British folk-rock movement of the Seventies and Eighties, in collaboration with her former husband and fellow British folk-rock legend, guitarist Richard Thompson, and later, as a solo artist. Her recent albums Fashionably Late and Versatile Heart have won her widespread praise and many new admirers. Linda’s close friendship with Sandy Denny began in their early days together at the Troubadour. www.myspace.com/lindathompsonmusic
American-born JOE BOYD was the eminence grise of late-Sixties music in Britain. As a record producer he was instrumental in launching the careers of Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, Fairport Convention and The Incredible String Band. Nowadays he is more active on the World music scene, but in his widely-acclaimed autobiography White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s he gives his fullest account yet of the joys and frustrations of working with Sandy Denny.
www.joeboyd.co.uk
For more than 40 years MARTIN CARTHY has been one of folk music's greatest innovators. Trailblazing musical partnerships with, amongst others, Steeleye Span, Dave Swarbrick and his wife Norma Waterson and daughter Eliza Carthy have resulted in more than 40 albums. His settings of traditional songs with guitar have influenced a generation of artists on both sides of the Atlantic. Martin’s connections with the Troubadour go back to the early Sixties, when he once shared the stage with a young Bob Dylan.
www.watersoncarthy.com
LINDE NIJLAND has been singing and recording for over 15 years as part of harmony-singing duo Ygdrassil, one of the strong components of folk music in The Netherlands. Recently, accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Bert Ridderbos, she has toured the UK and on the Continent with her show ‘Linde Nijland Sings Sandy Denny’, a homage to her favourite singer. Her album of the same title is available now on Rounder Records.
www.lindenijland.nl
KAMILA THOMPSON, third and youngest child of Richard and Linda, is a singer and songwriter based in London/New York, whose debut album Love Lies is slated for release in the first half of 2008. She has toured with Bonny Prince Billy, Teddy Thompson, Sean Lennon and others. Her appearance alongside friends Rufus and Martha Wainwright at the Wainwrights’ Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert earned her a glowing mention in the New York Times.
www.myspace.com/kamilathompson
LISA KNAPP was hailed as one of Brit folk's brightest new young stars following the release of her debut album, Wild and Undaunted, in 2007 (Mojo’s ‘Folk Album of the Year’). Knapp's unusually charged singing is redolent of older singers like Anne Briggs, yet the modern arrangements and subtle use of technology also hit a chord with young audiences. This year she has appeared with Shirley Collins at the South Bank Centre and will play Cambridge Folk Festival.
www.myspace.com/lisaknappmusic
Esteemed journalist, playwright and peace activist KARL DALLAS has been writing and performing for 50 years. He appeared at Theatre Workshop with Ewan MacColl, who recorded one of his songs. As folk music critic for Melody Maker in the Sixties and Seventies, he followed every event in Sandy Denny’s life from her debut to her funeral, and was a close friend. His books include Singers of an Empty Day, The Cruel Wars and The Electric Muse.
www.karldallas.com
VIKKI CLAYTON makes a speciality of singing Sandy Denny’s repertoire. She has appeared many times at the Cropredy Festival with Fairport Convention, toured with her own band and supported Fairport and John Martyn on tour. As well as several albums mixing her own songs with traditional material – most recently Looking At The Stars – she has released It Suits Me Well: The Songs of Sandy Denny. Vikki will be joined by long-time collaborator Chris Conway.
www.vikkiclayton.co.uk