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Fotheringay
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Fotheringay was a short-lived British folk rock group, formed in 1970 by singer-songwriter and musician Sandy Denny on her departure from Fairport Convention. The band drew its name from her 1968 composition "Fotheringay" about Fotheringhay Castle, in which Mary, Queen of Scots had been imprisoned. The song originally appeared on the 1969 Fairport Convention album, What We Did on Our Holidays, Denny's first album with that group. The original Fotheringay released one self-titled album but disbanded at the start of 1971 as Denny embarked on a solo career. Forty-five years later, a new version of the band re-formed featuring the three original surviving members together with other musicians, and toured in 2015 and 2016.
Key Information
Career
[edit]Two former members of Eclection, guitarist Trevor Lucas and drummer Gerry Conway, and two former members of Poet and the One Man Band, Jerry Donahue (guitar) and Pat Donaldson (bass), completed the line-up responsible for what was intended to be the quintet's first album.[1] This folk-based set included several Denny original compositions, notably "Nothing More", "The Sea" and "The Pond and The Stream", as well as versions of Gordon Lightfoot's "The Way I Feel" and Bob Dylan's "Too Much of Nothing".[1] Though during the year of its original release the album featured in two of the UK's music papers' Top 20s (Melody Maker and NME), it did not meet commercial expectations, and pressures on Denny to undertake a solo career increased.[1] She had been voted Britain's number 1 singer for two consecutive years in Melody Maker's readers poll.[1] The album peaked at No. 18 in the UK Albums Chart.[2]
A special live performance by Fotheringay was recorded at Gruga-Halle in Essen, Germany, on 23 October 1970. The concert tapes were re-mastered by Fotheringay guitarist Jerry Donahue and the album released in 2011.
Fotheringay disbanded in January 1971 during sessions for a projected second album.[3] The album remained unfinished after Denny announced that she was leaving the group and producer Joe Boyd left to take up a job at Warner Brothers in California. Denny would later blame Boyd's hostility towards the group for its demise.[4]
Some of the songs originally earmarked for the second Fotheringay album surfaced on Denny's 1971 debut solo album, The North Star Grassman and the Ravens.[1] Meanwhile, Lucas, Conway and Donahue joined Fairport Convention in 1972 to record that band's Rosie album, on which some Fotheringay material was also used.[1] However, Conway played on three tracks only and began session work afterwards. Both Conway and Donaldson have worked with Fairport's Richard Thompson, amongst many others. Lucas and Donahue stayed with Fairport for another couple of years, the album Nine being released in 1973, while Denny rejoined in 1974. This line-up recorded two additional albums: Fairport Live Convention (re-titled A Movable Feast in the US) and Rising for the Moon. Denny, along with Donahue and Lucas, left Fairport in December 1975. Conway eventually joined a reformed Fairport in 1997.
In 2007, the BBC announced that Donahue would be attempting to complete the abandoned projected second Fotheringay album, which he accomplished using previously unheard takes from the original archived tapes. Completed by the summer of the following year, Fotheringay 2 was released by Fledg'ling Records on 29 September 2008.[5]
A four-disc collection, Nothing More: The Collected Fotheringay, was released on 30 March 2015. This is the most comprehensive compilation of the group’s recordings, and contains, in addition to all the tracks on Fotheringay and Fotheringay 2 as both final studio versions and demos/alternate takes, the complete live concert set from Rotterdam in 1970 (including several previously unreleased tracks), seven Fotheringay tracks recorded in session for BBC radio (which had previously circulated only as bootlegs), plus a DVD disc containing 4 performances by Fotheringay recorded for the German "Beat-Club" TV series in 1970, which considerably augment the otherwise sparse known TV footage of Sandy Denny in particular.
In June 2015, the three surviving members of the original band - Jerry Donahue, Gerry Conway and Pat Donaldson - reunited and played 12 tour dates in England over the next 12 months, followed by gigs in Germany and the Netherlands in September, 2016. They were joined by Kathryn Roberts (Equation, KR & Sean Lakeman), Sally Barker (The Poozies, ‘The Voice’) and PJ Wright (The Dylan Project and Little Johnny England) to provide the harmonious vocals in the absence of Denny and Lucas.[6] They played at Wolverhampton on 28 June 2016.[7]
Discography
[edit]- Fotheringay (Island/A&M, 1970)
- Fotheringay 2 (Fledg'ling Records, 2008)
- Fotheringay Essen 1970 (Thor's Hammer Records, 2011)
- Nothing More: The Collected Fotheringay (Universal Music, 2015)
Bibliography
[edit]- Mick Houghton. I've Always Kept a Unicorn – The Biography of Sandy Denny. Faber & Faber, 2015; ISBN 0571278914
- Clinton Heylin. No More Sad Refrains – The Life and Times of Sandy Denny. London, Helter Skelter, 2002; ISBN 1-900924-35-8
- Clinton Heylin. Gypsy Love Songs & Sad Refrains – The Recordings of Richard Thompson and Sandy Denny. Labour of Love Productions, 1989.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 898. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 209. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 222. CN 5585.
- ^ "Sandy Denny interview in Rolling Stone, 21 June 1973". Sandydenny.org.uk. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ Ward, Philip, "Into the Light", R2 (Rock'n'Reel), 2(13), January/February 2009, pp37-39.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "The Guide"; The Guardian, 25 June 2016, p. 10
External links
[edit]Fotheringay
View on GrokipediaHistory
Formation and early career
Sandy Denny departed Fairport Convention in late 1969, shortly after contributing vocals and songwriting to their seminal album Liege & Lief, with the aim of establishing greater creative autonomy in her music career.[4] This move was also influenced by her burgeoning personal and professional relationship with Australian folk musician Trevor Lucas, whom she had met during her time with Fairport. Denny's prior experience as Fairport's lead singer had positioned her as a commanding presence in the British folk-rock scene, providing the foundation for her to lead a new project. In early 1970, Denny formed the band Fotheringay in London, naming it after her 1968 composition "Fotheringay," which had appeared on Fairport Convention's album What We Did on Our Holidays and evoked the history of Fotheringhay Castle.[5] Teaming up with her partner Lucas on guitar and vocals, Denny recruited a lineup of accomplished musicians to complement her vision: Jerry Donahue on lead guitar, an American-born player who had immersed himself in the transatlantic folk circuit after moving to England; Gerry Conway on drums, a veteran of the group Eclection where he had previously collaborated with Lucas; and Pat Donaldson on bass, a versatile session player known for his work in London's burgeoning rock and folk scenes.[6] The band quickly began building momentum through live performances across the UK folk-rock circuit, starting with a concert tour in March 1970 that included club dates and festival appearances.[6] These early shows helped establish Fotheringay's reputation for blending intricate arrangements with Denny's emotive delivery, further amplified by their debut BBC Radio session on John Peel's Top Gear program on March 31, 1970.[7] Additional radio appearances followed, showcasing the group's chemistry to a wider audience. From the outset, Fotheringay's repertoire centered on Denny's original songwriting, including evocative pieces like "The Sea," which highlighted her poetic lyricism and melodic sensitivity, alongside arrangements of traditional folk songs that drew from her British roots.[8] This focus allowed the band to differentiate itself within the evolving folk-rock landscape, emphasizing Denny's leadership while incorporating contributions from Lucas and the ensemble's rhythmic foundation.Debut album and disbandment
Fotheringay's debut album was recorded between February and April 1970 at Sound Techniques Studios in London, with Joe Boyd serving as producer. The sessions yielded ten tracks that showcased the band's folk rock sensibility, including original compositions such as Sandy Denny's "Nothing More," Sandy Denny's "The Sea," and the Denny-Lucas co-write "Peace in the End," alongside a traditional arrangement of "Banks of the Nile" and a cover of Gordon Lightfoot's "The Way I Feel."[9][5][10] The self-titled album Fotheringay was released in June 1970 by Island Records in the UK and A&M Records in the US. It peaked at No. 18 on the UK Albums Chart and enjoyed six weeks there, though sales were modest overall, particularly in the US where it achieved limited commercial traction. Critics lauded Denny's vocals and the thoughtful arrangements, often citing the record as a pinnacle of her early post-Fairport work. A single featuring "Peace in the End" backed with "Winter Winds" appeared in 1970 but garnered only limited airplay.[11][12][11] Work on a follow-up album commenced in late 1970 at the same studio, where basic tracks and scratch vocals were laid down. However, internal tensions within the group, coupled with Denny's decision to transition to a solo career, halted progress on the project. Fotheringay disbanded officially in January 1971.[13][14][9] Following the split, the band's members pursued separate paths: Trevor Lucas and Jerry Donahue joined Fairport Convention in 1972, while Gerry Conway contributed to Denny's solo recordings, including her 1971 album The North Star Grassman and the Ravens.[15][16]Reformation and later activities
The release of the posthumous album Fotheringay 2 in 2008, compiling unreleased 1970 recordings, sparked renewed interest in the band's short-lived original run.[17] By 2015, surviving original members Jerry Donahue (guitar), Gerry Conway (drums), and Pat Donaldson (bass) reformed Fotheringay with vocalist Sally Barker, a founding member of The Poozies and a 2014 finalist on The Voice UK. The reunion was accompanied by the March 2015 release of the box set Nothing More: The Collected Fotheringay, featuring remastered tracks and previously unreleased material.[6][18][6] The reunion lineup also featured PJ Wright on guitar and pedal steel, alongside Maria Mullarkey on fiddle and backing vocals; Kathryn Roberts occasionally guested on vocals.[19] In June 2015, the band performed six UK dates, including shows at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall, London's Under the Bridge, and the Great British Folk Festival.[6] European touring expanded in 2016, with dates in Germany and the Netherlands, highlighted by a June performance at Sage Gateshead.[20][21] Live sets centered on the band's folk rock catalog, blending original compositions with tributes to Sandy Denny's songwriting and vocals.[22] No new studio recordings emerged, as the group prioritized live performances of their existing material.[23] Following 2016, activities became sporadic, with the last known performance on 23 December 2017 at Tiddy Hall in Ascott-under-Wychwood, England; no further live appearances have occurred as of November 2025.[24] The official Facebook page has sustained fan engagement into the 2020s with updates on related folk events and legacy content.[25] The reformations were shaped by the absences of Denny, who died in 1978 from a brain hemorrhage following a fall, and Lucas, who succumbed to a heart attack in 1989, directing efforts toward preserving the band's legacy.[26][27]Band members
Original lineup
The original lineup of Fotheringay consisted of five core members who formed the band in early 1970 and remained stable throughout its brief active period until disbandment in 1971. This quintet, centered around the creative partnership of Sandy Denny and Trevor Lucas, blended folk traditions with emerging rock elements, recording one self-titled studio album and performing live extensively across the UK and Europe.[28] Sandy Denny served as the band's lead vocalist, guitarist, and pianist, while also acting as the primary songwriter and de facto leader. Having departed Fairport Convention in late 1969 after contributing to their seminal album Liege & Lief, Denny founded Fotheringay to pursue her original compositions in a more intimate setting; she penned five of the ten tracks on the debut album, including the haunting "The Sea," where her ethereal voice and intricate arrangements highlighted her ability to evoke emotional depth through folk narratives.[29][30] Her leadership shaped the band's direction, emphasizing her songwriting as the emotional core of their material during live performances and studio sessions.[28] Trevor Lucas, Denny's romantic partner and future husband, handled rhythm guitar and backing vocals, with occasional lead vocal duties; an Australian expatriate from the folk scene, he co-wrote several songs with Denny, such as "Nothing More," providing rich harmonies that complemented her timbre and infusing the band's sound with a harder, rockier edge drawn from his country influences.[31][30] His contributions extended to arranging tracks like "The Ballad of Ned Kelly," which reflected his Australian roots and added narrative variety to the repertoire during the band's touring phase. Lucas later joined Fairport Convention, remaining active until his death in 1989.[28] Jerry Donahue played lead guitar, bringing American influences from his New York and California upbringing to introduce electric elements and intricate solos that elevated the band's folk base. His hybrid picking style, inspired by players like Chet Atkins, shone on instrumental tracks such as "Epitaph," where his Telecaster riffs added dynamic texture to live sets and recordings.[32][30] After Fotheringay, Donahue joined Fairport Convention and pursued a solo career, later producing the posthumous Fotheringay 2 in 2008.[28] Gerry Conway provided drums, drawing from his experience in Eclection to deliver a rhythmic drive that seamlessly blended folk subtlety with rock propulsion, supporting the band's transitions between acoustic and electric segments in performances.[30][33] His steady, understated style anchored the rhythm section on the debut album; Conway later became a staple in Fairport Convention and worked extensively with Cat Stevens. Conway died on 29 March 2024.[28][34] Pat Donaldson rounded out the lineup on bass, a seasoned session musician from groups like Poet and the One Man Band, whose grounded lines offered stability and warmth to the ensemble's sound during their intensive recording and touring schedule.[30][2] His contributions ensured a cohesive low-end presence on tracks like "Banks of the Nile"; post-Fotheringay, he collaborated with artists including Buckingham Nicks and Joan Armatrading.[28] The group's dynamics were defined by Denny's visionary leadership and the close collaboration between her and Lucas, whose romance influenced much of the material with themes of love and introspection, fostering a supportive atmosphere in rehearsals and on the road—though occasional tensions arose from Denny's strong personality, no major lineup changes occurred during the band's existence.[28][30]Reunion lineup
The reunion lineup of Fotheringay, formed in 2015 by the three surviving original members, centered on Jerry Donahue on lead guitar, who also took a key production role in organizing the revival and overseeing arrangements for the tour dates.[6] Gerry Conway provided drums, maintaining the rhythmic continuity from the band's 1970 incarnation through his steady, folk-inflected style that anchored the group's dynamic.[35] Pat Donaldson handled bass, preserving the foundational sound of the original ensemble with his solid, understated grooves that supported the acoustic textures.[20] Sally Barker served as a lead vocalist, bringing her background from folk bands like The Poozies, where she was a founding member known for her emotive, interpretive delivery of traditional and contemporary material.[18] In the reunion, Barker adapted Sandy Denny's songs with her own nuanced style, emphasizing emotional depth during live performances while accompanying on guitar.[36] Kathryn Roberts served alongside Barker as co-lead vocalist, sharing duties to interpret Denny's parts in a multi-vocalist approach that ensured a respectful homage to the original repertoire.[35] Supporting the core were PJ Wright on guitar and pedal steel, whose country-folk textures enriched the arrangements with slide and steel elements drawn from his work in projects like The Dylan Project.[37] Maria Muldaur contributed fiddle and backing vocals, introducing layers that added warmth and intricacy to the folk rock sound.[6] The reunion emphasized acoustic-oriented sets as tributes to Denny, with the group functioning as a touring project rather than a permanent formation, concluding activities by late 2016 without further commitments.[20]Musical style and influences
Folk rock elements
Fotheringay's core sound on their 1970 debut album blended acoustic-driven folk traditions with rock instrumentation, featuring a mix of acoustic and electric guitars, piano, bass, and drums that created a gentle, rhythmic foundation. Sandy Denny's soaring soprano vocals, often layered with harmonious backing from bandmates, dominated the arrangements, delivering emotive interpretations over subtle rock backbeats. Tracks like "Nothing More" exemplified this through narrative songwriting rooted in modal folk melodies, sparse piano and guitar intros building to full-band melancholy, evoking themes of isolation without overt psychedelia.[38][7][39] The production, helmed by Joe Boyd at Sound Techniques studio in London, emphasized a clean, organic aesthetic using analogue techniques to achieve a warm, three-dimensional quality that preserved live energy and musical vitality. Engineered by Jerry Boys, sessions captured spontaneous performances, such as the first-take rendition of traditional song "Banks of the Nile," balancing acoustic intimacy with electric elements like Jerry Donahue's lead guitar lines for subtle electrification. This approach avoided heavy effects, focusing instead on democratic, rehearsal-evolved arrangements that highlighted the band's cohesive interplay.[40][7][5] Within the 1970 UK folk rock scene, Fotheringay positioned itself alongside acts like Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span by prioritizing original compositions—five by Denny, including two co-written with Trevor Lucas—over strict traditional revival, while incorporating covers from influences like Bob Dylan and Gordon Lightfoot. The album's evolution during recording sessions marked a shift from folk purity toward nuanced rock integration, particularly through Donahue's Telecaster riffs drawing on American country styles for added swagger and texture, resulting in a softer, song-focused sound distinct from contemporaries' grittier edges.[30][7][39]Contributions from key members
Sandy Denny served as the primary creative force in Fotheringay, composing or co-composing five of the nine tracks on the band's 1970 debut album, including "Nothing More," "Winter Winds," "The Pond and the Stream," and co-writing "The Sea" and "Peace in the End" with Trevor Lucas.[41] Her songwriting often explored themes of love, the sea, and historical narratives, with the band's name itself drawn from her earlier composition "Fotheringay," a poignant reflection on Mary Queen of Scots' imprisonment at Fotheringhay Castle.[11] Denny's vocal delivery drew heavily from British folk ballad traditions, employing expressive phrasing that conveyed emotional depth and narrative intimacy, as heard in her lead on tracks like "Banks of the Nile," which she arranged from traditional sources.[26] Additionally, she contributed piano to select recordings, such as "Nothing More," adding a layer of delicate, introspective texture to the arrangements.[42] Trevor Lucas complemented Denny's work by co-writing "The Sea," infusing it with maritime imagery reflective of his Australian roots, and providing harmony vocals that offered a resonant counterpoint to her leads, enriching the harmonic blend across the album.[41] His solo composition "The Ballad of Ned Kelly" introduced distinctly Australian folk perspectives, drawing on the legend of the bushranger to evoke themes of rebellion and frontier life, thereby broadening the band's lyrical scope beyond British traditions.[30] Jerry Donahue's guitar work brought an American country-rock influence to Fotheringay's sound, with his hybrid picking and string-bending techniques adding subtle flair to the folk foundation; his arrangements and solos on tracks like "Epitaph" and "Winter Winds" provided emotional depth through lyrical phrasing without dominating the acoustic core.[39] As lead guitarist, Donahue's contributions helped bridge British folk with transatlantic elements, evident in his keening country licks that underscored Denny's melodies.[43] Gerry Conway and Pat Donaldson formed the band's rhythmic backbone, with Conway's understated drumming maintaining a restrained propulsion that steered clear of rock excess, supporting the nuanced dynamics of songs like "Peace in the End."[43] Donaldson's bass lines, meanwhile, offered steady, melodic support, as in "Banks of the Nile," where they anchored the flowing acoustic interplay and enhanced the track's traditional ballad feel.[44] The band's collaborative spirit shone in their handling of cover material, with group arrangements shaping external songs like Gordon Lightfoot's "The Way I Feel" to fit Fotheringay's aesthetic, blending individual inputs into cohesive performances that highlighted shared folk-rock sensibilities.[41]Discography
Studio albums
Fotheringay's sole contemporary studio album was released during the band's brief initial existence, while a second album was compiled decades later from unfinished recordings. These releases capture the group's blend of original songwriting and folk interpretations, recorded primarily at Sound Techniques Studios in London. The band's self-titled debut album, Fotheringay, was released in June 1970 by Island Records and produced by Joe Boyd.[45] It features ten tracks, including seven originals primarily penned by Sandy Denny and Trevor Lucas, alongside covers of songs by Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, and traditional arrangements. The album did not achieve significant commercial success, failing to chart in the UK top 50, but it established the band's reputation in the folk rock scene.[46]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nothing More | Denny | 4:37 |
| 2 | The Sea | Denny | 5:32 |
| 3 | The Ballad of Ned Kelly | Lucas | 3:34 |
| 4 | Winter Winds | Denny | 2:13 |
| 5 | Peace in the End | Denny, Lucas | 4:05 |
| 6 | The Way I Feel | Lightfoot | 4:47 |
| 7 | The Pond and the Stream | Denny | 3:05 |
| 8 | Too Much of Nothing | Dylan | 2:53 |
| 9 | Banks of the Nile | Traditional (arr. Denny) | 8:07 |
| 10 | John the Gun | Denny | 5:04 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | John The Gun | 5:06 |
| 2 | Eppie Moray | 4:44 |
| 3 | Wild Mountain Thyme | 3:50 |
| 4 | Knights Of The Road | 4:10 |
| 5 | Late November | 4:39 |
| 6 | Restless | 2:48 |
| 7 | Gypsy Davey | 3:41 |
| 8 | I Don't Believe You | 4:45 |
| 9 | Silver Threads And Golden Needles | 4:30 |
| 10 | Bold Jack Donahue | 7:38 |
| 11 | Two Weeks Last Summer | 4:22 |
| 12 | Nothing More | 4:34 |
| 13 | The Sea | 5:25 |
| 14 | The Ballad Of Ned Kelly | 3:29 |
| 15 | Banks Of The Nile | 4:44 |
| 16 | The Three Ravens | 3:51 |
| 17 | Winter Winds | 2:20 |
| 18 | The Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood | 6:09 |
