Ric Sanders
Encyclopedia
Richard 'Ric' Sanders is a British violinist who has played in jazz-rock, folk rock
, electric folk
and folk groups, including Soft Machine
and Fairport Convention
.
. In the late 1970s he briefly toured as a member of the jazz-rock group Soft Machine
and followed with a stint in The Albion Band. In 1981 he co-founded a recording studio, Morgreen Studios, with which he remained active for a few years. In 1984 he joined Fairport Convention and recorded his first album with them, Gladys' Leap, the following year. Since 2002, in addition to his work with Fairport, he has also been working regularly with his trio, known as the Ric Sanders Group, which features Vo Fletcher on guitar and Michael Gregory on drums and percussion.
, Dave Cousins
of Strawbs, Jethro Tull
, Robert Plant
, Roy Harper
, Gary Brooker
of Procol Harum
, Pentangle
, Gordon Giltrap
, Andrew Cronshaw, June Tabor
, Martin Simpson
, Charlie Landsborough
, All About Eve
, The Mission
, Fred Thelonious Baker
, Catherine Howe
and John Etheridge
(guitarist with Soft Machine and Stéphane Grappelli
) with whom he co-led the group 2nd Vision
, whose record has been re-released on Blueprint Records (Voiceprint Records
Group).
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
, electric folk
Electric folk
Electric folk is the name given to the form of folk rock pioneered in England from the late 1960s, and most significant in the 1970s, which then was taken up and developed in the surrounding Celtic cultures of Brittany, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man, to produce Celtic rock and its...
and folk groups, including Soft Machine
Soft Machine
Soft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre...
and Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
.
Biography
Sanders' first experience with a professional band was in the summer of 1972, touring Europe with classical/rock percussionist Stomu Yamash'ta's Red Buddha Theater. He later went on to play with jazz pianists Johnny Patrick and Michael GarrickMichael Garrick
Michael Garrick MBE was an English jazz pianist and composer, and a pioneer in mixing jazz with poetry recitations.-Biography:...
. In the late 1970s he briefly toured as a member of the jazz-rock group Soft Machine
Soft Machine
Soft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre...
and followed with a stint in The Albion Band. In 1981 he co-founded a recording studio, Morgreen Studios, with which he remained active for a few years. In 1984 he joined Fairport Convention and recorded his first album with them, Gladys' Leap, the following year. Since 2002, in addition to his work with Fairport, he has also been working regularly with his trio, known as the Ric Sanders Group, which features Vo Fletcher on guitar and Michael Gregory on drums and percussion.
Professional associations
Over the years Sanders has worked with a diverse roster of artists, including: Rick WakemanRick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
, Dave Cousins
Dave Cousins
Dave Cousins has been the leader, singer and most active songwriter of Strawbs since 1967.-Career:...
of Strawbs, Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
, Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
, Roy Harper
Roy Harper
Roy Harper is an English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist who has been a professional musician since the mid 1960s...
, Gary Brooker
Gary Brooker
Gary Brooker, MBE, is an English singer, songwriter, pianist and founder of the rock band Procol Harum. Brooker was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours on 14 June 2003, in recognition of his charitable services.-Early life:Brooker was born in...
of Procol Harum
Procol Harum
Procol Harum are a British rock band, formed in 1967, which contributed to the development of progressive rock, and by extension, symphonic rock. Their best-known recording is their 1967 single "A Whiter Shade of Pale"...
, Pentangle
Pentangle (band)
Pentangle are a British folk rock band with some folk jazz influences. The original band were active in the late 1960s and early 1970s and a later version has been active since the early 1980s...
, Gordon Giltrap
Gordon Giltrap
Gordon Giltrap is an English acoustic and electric guitarist and composer, whose musical styles cross multiple genres, including folk, blues, folk rock, pop, classical and rock....
, Andrew Cronshaw, June Tabor
June Tabor
June Tabor is an English folk singer.- Early years :June Tabor was inspired to sing by hearing Anne Briggs' EP Hazards of Love in 1965. "I went and locked myself in the bathroom for a fortnight and drove my mother mad. I learned the songs on that EP note for note, twiddle for twiddle. That's how I...
, Martin Simpson
Martin Simpson
Martin Simpson is an English folk singer, guitarist and songwriter. His music reflects a wide variety of influences and styles, rooted in the British Isles, America and beyond.-Biography:...
, Charlie Landsborough
Charlie Landsborough
Charlie Landsborough, is a British country and folk musician and singer-songwriter. He started singing professionally in the 1970s, and is now one of the UK's top country acts. He is also popular in Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.-Life:Born in Wrexham, Wales, Landsborough was the youngest...
, All About Eve
All About Eve (band)
All About Eve were a British rock/pop band. The creative core consisted of the Coventry born Julianne Regan , and the Huddersfield born Andy Cousin , with other members changing over the years...
, The Mission
The Mission (band)
The Mission are a gothic rock band formed in 1986 from the splinters of the freshly dissolved rock band The Sisters of Mercy.The band was started by frontman Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams , soon adding...
, Fred Thelonious Baker
Fred Thelonious Baker
Fred Thelonious Baker is an English guitarist and bass guitarist from Tibshelf, Derbyshire. He is known for playing in Phil Miller's Canterbury scene band In Cahoots....
, Catherine Howe
Catherine Howe
Catherine Howe is an English singer-songwriter. She is an Ivor Novello Award winner who has earned critical acclaim in dozens of music magazines both in the UK and the US, including Folk Album of the Year from the Sunday Times.Howe began an acting career in the late 1960s, and has since gained a...
and John Etheridge
John Etheridge
John Michael Glyn Etheridge is a British jazz/fusion guitarist associated with the Canterbury Scene....
(guitarist with Soft Machine and Stéphane Grappelli
Stéphane Grappelli
Stéphane Grappelli was a French jazz violinist who founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the first all-string jazz bands....
) with whom he co-led the group 2nd Vision
2nd Vision
2nd Vision was a British jazz-rock band notable for including guitarist John Etheridge and violinist Ric Sanders, both former members of Soft Machine...
, whose record has been re-released on Blueprint Records (Voiceprint Records
Voiceprint Records
Voiceprint Records is a company and record label based in England, founded in 1990 by Rob Ayling. They specialise in re-releasing old material, especially progressive rock, but also have new releases, all under the Voiceprint and other imprints....
Group).
In Groups
- Soft Machine: Alive & Well: Recorded in ParisAlive & Well: Recorded in ParisAlive & Well: Recorded in Paris is a 1978 release by the band Soft Machine. Mostly recorded live, during at 4-night residency at Paris' Théâtre Le Palace in July 1977, much of the album was later modified in the studio, with the track "Soft Space" being a completely studio recorded track released...
(1978) - The Albion Band: Rise Up Like the SunRise Up Like the SunRise Up Like The Sun is an electric folk album released in 1978 by the Albion Band. The album is in part a collaboration between John Tams on vocals and melodeon and Ashley Hutchings on electric bass. This is not the first album on which the two worked together but it remains the most fulfilling...
(1978) - John Etheridge & Ric Sanders: Second Vision (1980)
- 2nd Vision: First Steps (1980)
- String Time: String Time (1983)
- Fairport Convention: Gladys' LeapGladys' LeapGladys' Leap is a folk rock album by Fairport Convention originally released in August 1985. It was recorded in April and May 1985 at Woodworm Studios, Barford St. Michael, Oxfordshire, UK...
(1985) - Fairport Convention: Expletive Delighted! (1986)
- Fairport Convention: In Real Time (1987)
- Gordon Giltrap & Ric Sanders: One To One (1989)
- Fairport Convention: Red and Gold (1989)
- Fairport Convention: The Five Seasons (1990)
- Fairport Convention: Jewel in the CrownJewel in the Crown (album)Jewel In The Crown is a 1995 folk-rock album by Fairport Convention which is viewed by many as the best record produced by the line up which had been formed in 1985 for the one off project, Gladys' Leap...
(1995) - Fairport Convention: Old, New, Borrowed, Blue (1996)
- Fairport Convention: Who Knows Where the Time Goes? (1997)
- Fairport Convention: The Wood and the Wire (1999)
- Fairport Convention: XXXV (2001)
- Ric Sanders Group: Parable: Music for the Anjali Dance Company (2003)
- Ric Sanders Group: In Lincoln Cathedral (2004)
- Fairport Convention: Over the Next HillOver the Next HillOver the Next Hill, released in 2004, is an album by the band Fairport Convention. It has been described by Mojo as "simply [Fairport's] best album in 25 years"....
(2004) - Fairport Convention: Sense of OccasionSense of OccasionSense of Occasion is a 2007 studio album by British folk-rock veterans Fairport Convention. The title comes from the fact that 2007 marks the 40th anniversary of the band ....
(2007) - Fairport Convention: Festival BellFestival BellFestival Bell is a 2011 studio album from electric folk band Fairport Convention. The name of the album is a reference to the bell of the same name that currently rings in St Mary's Church in Cropredy, Oxfordshire...
(2011)
Collaborations and guest appearances
- Andrew Cronshaw: Wade in the Flood (1978)
- Gordon Giltrap: Peacock Party (1979)
- Mick Stevens: The Englishman (1979)
- Martin Simpson: Special AgentSpecial Agent (album)Special Agent is a folk album by Martin Simpson released in 1981.Produced by Ric Sanders and Martin Simpson, recorded at Moor Green Studios, Rock, Wyre Forest...
(1981) - Pete York: String Time in New York (1983)
- English Air: English Air (1983)
- Loudon Wainwright III: I'm Alright (1984)
- Phenomena: Phenomena (1985)
- English Air: The Space Inbetween (1985)
- Mark Geronimo: London Moon & Barnyard Remedy (1986)
- Jethro Tull: Crest of a KnaveCrest of a KnaveCrest of a Knave is the sixteenth studio album by British rock band Jethro Tull, released in 1987.The album relied more heavily on Martin Barre's electric guitar than the band had since the 1970s. However, several tracks still featured drum machine instead of a live drummer. Keyboardist Peter-John...
(1986) - Andrew Cronshaw: Till the Beasts' Returning (1987)
- Gordon Giltrap: A Midnight Clear (1987)
- Simon Nicol: Before Your Time... (1987)
- The Bodhi-Beat Poets: White Light (1987)
- June Tabor: AqabaAqaba (album)Aqaba is a folk album by June Tabor released in 1988 on Topic Records, catalogue number TSCD 449.The album was produced and engineered by Andrew Cronshaw at Ideal Sound Recorders, London....
(1988) - All About Eve: All About EveAll About Eve (album)All About Eve is the self-titled first album of All About Eve. Commercially, this was their most successful, reaching No.7 in the UK charts and spawning four Top 40 singles...
(1988) - Gerry Rafferty: North and SouthNorth and South (album)North and South is the sixth studio album by Gerry Rafferty. It was Rafferty's first studio album in six years and reunited him with producer Hugh Murphy. The album got fair reviews from critics and fans. The album was released as an LP and CD in 1988...
(1988) - Andrew Cronshaw: The Andrew Cronshaw CD (1989)
- All About Eve: Scarlet and Other StoriesScarlet and Other StoriesScarlet and Other Stories is the second studio album by All About Eve. It is widely held to be considerably darker both in tone and lyrics than their first album, All About Eve...
(1989) - Gordon Giltrap: One To One (1989)
- Ashley Hutchings: Songs from the Shows (1990)
- The Mission: MasqueMasque (The Mission)Masque is the title of the sixth studio album by The Mission. It was released in January 1992 on the Vertigo sub-label of Mercury Records...
(1992) - Andrew Cronshaw: The Language of Snakes (1993)
- Martin Barre: A Trick of Memory (1994)
- Ashley Hutchings: The Guv'nor's Big Birthday Bash (1995)
- Judy Dunlop & Ashley Hutchings: Sway with Me (1996)
- The Albion Band: Live at the Cambridge Folk Festival (1996)
- Roy Harper: The Dream SocietyThe Dream SocietyThe Dream Society is the nineteenth studio album by Roy Harper, released in 1998.-History:The songs on the album revolve around events in Harpers life, from the early death of his mother to reaching the age of fifty. Other important events covered include the demise of his marriage, heartbreak, his...
(1998) - Jerry Donahue: Telecasting Recast (1999)
- Richard Greene & Beryl Marriott: Hands Across the Pond (2001)
- Rick Wakeman and Dave Cousins: Hummingbird (2002)
- Rainbow ChasersRainbow ChasersRainbow Chasers are an English folk band, formed in 2004 by Ashley Hutchings. They play traditional and original compositions largely on acoustic instruments and have already gathered a reputation for their quality of their musicianship, arrangements and live performances.-Origin:After the...
: Fortune Never Sleeps (2006) - Durbervilles: Alternative Route to All Destinations (2007)
- Aquarium: Loshad' Belaya (White Horse) (2008)
- Tiny Tin Lady: Ridiculous Bohemia (2008)