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Steeleye Span



 
 
Steeleye Span is a British 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 derivatives....
 band, formed in 1969 and remaining active today. Along with Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention

Fairport Convention are an England folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement....
 they are amongst the best known acts of the British folk revival, and were among the most commercially successful, thanks to their hit singles Gaudete
Gaudete

"Gaudete" is a sacred Christmas carol, composed sometime in the 16th century. The song was published in the Piae Cantiones, a collection of Finland/Sweden sacred songs published in 1582....
 and All Around My Hat
All Around My Hat

All Around My Hat is a 1975 album by Steeleye Span, their eighth and most commercially successful, reaching number 7 on the UK charts, and staying on the charts for 6 months....
. They had 3 top 40 albums. They achieved a certified "gold" record with sales of "All Around My Hat".

name Steeleye Span comes from a character in the traditional song Horkstow Grange
Lincolnshire Posy

Lincolnshire Posy is a symphonic piece by Percy Grainger, composed in 1937 for the American Bandmasters Association. Considered Grainger's masterpiece, the 16-minute-long work is composed of six movements, each adapted from folk songs that Grainger had collected on a 1905?1906 trip to Lincolnshire, England....
 (which they did not actually record until they released an album by that name in 1998).






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Encyclopedia


Steeleye Span is a British 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 derivatives....
 band, formed in 1969 and remaining active today. Along with Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention

Fairport Convention are an England folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement....
 they are amongst the best known acts of the British folk revival, and were among the most commercially successful, thanks to their hit singles Gaudete
Gaudete

"Gaudete" is a sacred Christmas carol, composed sometime in the 16th century. The song was published in the Piae Cantiones, a collection of Finland/Sweden sacred songs published in 1582....
 and All Around My Hat
All Around My Hat

All Around My Hat is a 1975 album by Steeleye Span, their eighth and most commercially successful, reaching number 7 on the UK charts, and staying on the charts for 6 months....
. They had 3 top 40 albums. They achieved a certified "gold" record with sales of "All Around My Hat".

Introduction

The name Steeleye Span comes from a character in the traditional song Horkstow Grange
Lincolnshire Posy

Lincolnshire Posy is a symphonic piece by Percy Grainger, composed in 1937 for the American Bandmasters Association. Considered Grainger's masterpiece, the 16-minute-long work is composed of six movements, each adapted from folk songs that Grainger had collected on a 1905?1906 trip to Lincolnshire, England....
 (which they did not actually record until they released an album by that name in 1998). The song gives an account of a fight between John "Steeleye" Span and John Bowlin, neither of whom are proven to have been real people. Martin Carthy
Martin Carthy

Martin Carthy Order of the British Empire is an England folk music singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon and later artists such as Richard Thompson since he emerged as a young musician in the early days of the folk revi...
 gave Tim Hart
Tim Hart

Tim Hart is a retired England folk music and multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founding member of electric folk band Steeleye Span....
 the idea to name the band after the song character. When the band discussed names, they decided to vote between the three suggestions "Middlemarch Wait", "Iyubidin's Wait", and "Steeleye Span". Although there were only five members in the band, six ballots appeared and "Steeleye Span" won out. Only in 1978 did Hart confess that he had voted twice. Terry Woods maintains that the members had agreed that if more than one person departed, the remaining members would select a new name, and he was upset that this did not happen when he and Gay Woods
Gay Woods

Gay Woods is an Irish singer. She was one of the original members of Steeleye Span....
 left the band. The liner notes for their first album include thanks to Carthy for the name suggestion.

Throughout its long history, Steeleye Span has seen a great many personnel changes but has maintained a strong continuity of tradition. Lead vocalist Maddy Prior
Maddy Prior

Maddy Prior is an England folk singer....
 was one of the main attractions of the band's music, being one of a handful of strong-but-melodically-voiced women in rock music in the 1970s (along with Sandy Denny
Sandy Denny

Sandy Denny, born Alexandra Elene Maclean Denny , was an England singer and songwriter who has been described by Allmusic's Richie Unterberger as "the pre-eminent British folk rock singer"....
, Renaissance
Renaissance (band)

Renaissance were an England progressive rock band, most notable for their 1978 UK top 10 hit "Northern Lights"....
's Annie Haslam
Annie Haslam

Annie Haslam is an England progressive rock vocalist and songwriter.She was born in Bolton, Lancashire. Originally a fashion student, she began studying under opera singer Sybil Knight in 1970 and developed her extraordinary five-octave vocal range....
, Jacqui McShee
Jacqui McShee

Jacqueline 'Jacqui' McShee is an English singer. Since 1966 she has performed with Pentangle , a jazz influenced folk rock band.McShee's musical career began as a soloist in British folk clubs in the mid-1960s....
 and Linda Thompson
Linda Thompson (singer)

Linda Thompson is a United Kingdom singer. Born Linda Pettifer in the London Borough of Metropolitan Borough of Hackney, Thompson became one of the most recognised names—and voices—in the British folk rock movement of the 1970s and 1980s, in collaboration with her former husband and fellow British folk rock legend, guita...
).

Their typical album is a collection of mostly traditional songs with one or two instrumental tracks of jig
Jig

The jig is a folk dance as well as the accompanying dance tune , popular in Ireland. The jig derives its name from the French language word gigue, meaning small fiddle, or giga, the Italian language name of a short piece of music popular in the Middle Ages....
s and/or reels
Reel (dance)

The reel is a folk dance type as well as the accompanying dance music. In Scottish country dancing, the reel is one of the four traditional dances, the others being the jig, the strathspey and the waltz, and is also the name of a dance figure ....
 added in; the traditional songs often include some of the Child ballads
Child Ballads

The Child Ballads are a collection of 305 ballads from England and Scotland, and their United States variants, collected by Francis James Child in the late nineteenth century....
. In their later albums there has been an increased tendency to include music written by the band members, but they have never got completely away from traditional music, which draws upon indigenous pan-British traditions.

All of their LP-era recordings have now been re-released on CD
Compact Disc

A Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store Data , originally developed for storing digital audio. The CD, available on the market since October 1982, remains the standard physical medium for sale of commercial Sound recording and reproduction to the present day....
, many on the Shanachie
Shanachie Records

Shanachie Records was founded in 1976 in music by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. According to Harvey Pekar , it is one of the largest independent record labels in the world, and is currently distributed by Koch Entertainment....
 label, and others on their current label, Park Records
Park Records

Park Records is a United Kingdom record label, based in Oxford, specialising in folk rock and Album-oriented rock.The company began in 1990 in music, with singles and albums by Maddy Prior but have grown to include Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention, Capercaillie , Clannad and others....
.

History


The early years


The Steeleye Span story began in late 1969 when London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
-born bass
Bass guitar

The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum.The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and Scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, whic...
 player Ashley Hutchings
Ashley Hutchings

Ashley Hutchings is a bassist, vocalist, songwriter, arranger, band leader, writer and record producer. He was a founder member of the three most significant English folk-rock bands in the history of the genre, Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and The Albion Band; he has overseen numerous other projects, including records and live theatre,...
 departed Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention

Fairport Convention are an England folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement....
, the band he had co-founded in 1967. Fairport had been involved in a road accident in 1969 in which the drummer, Martin Lamble, was killed and other band members injured. They convalesced in a rented house near Winchester
Winchester

Winchester is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. It lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of the River Itchen, Hampshire....
 in Hampshire
Hampshire

Hampshire , sometimes historically Southamptonshire, Hamptonshire, , or the County of Southampton, is a Counties of England on the south coast of England....
 and worked on the album Liege & Lief
Liege & Lief

Liege & Lief, released in 1969, is the fourth album released by the England electric folk group Fairport Convention. The album, which established British folk rock as a distinct genre, is considered one of the most influential folk albums of all time....
. Despite the success of the album, Ashley Hutchings and the band's vocalist Sandy Denny
Sandy Denny

Sandy Denny, born Alexandra Elene Maclean Denny , was an England singer and songwriter who has been described by Allmusic's Richie Unterberger as "the pre-eminent British folk rock singer"....
 left Fairport Convention.

In part, Hutchings's departure was because he wanted to pursue a different, more traditional, direction than the other members of Fairport did at that time. However, Fairport's co-founder, guitarist Simon Nicol, says in an interview on the band's website : "Whatever the upfront reasons about musical differences and wanting to concentrate on traditional material, I think the accident was the underlying reason why Ashley felt he couldn't continue with us."

Hutchings' new band was formed after he met established duo Tim Hart
Tim Hart

Tim Hart is a retired England folk music and multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founding member of electric folk band Steeleye Span....
 and Maddy Prior
Maddy Prior

Maddy Prior is an England folk singer....
 on the London folk club scene, and the initial lineup was completed by husband and wife team Terry
Terry Woods

Terry Woods , is an Ireland folk music, specialising in playing the mandolin and cittern. He is known for his membership in such folk and folk-rock music groups as The Pogues, Steeleye Span, Sweeney's Men and, briefly, Dr....
 (formerly of Sweeney's Men
Sweeney's Men

Sweeney's Men was an Ireland traditional band. They were a part of the late 1960s Irish roots revival, along with groups like The Dubliners and the Clancy Brothers....
, later of The Pogues
The Pogues

The Pogues are a band of mixed Irish and English background, playing traditional Irish music with influences from punk rock and jazz, formed in 1982 and fronted by Shane MacGowan....
) and Gay Woods
Gay Woods

Gay Woods is an Irish singer. She was one of the original members of Steeleye Span....
. With two female singers, the original lineup was unusual for the time, and indeed, never performed live, as the Woodses departed the band shortly after the release of their debut album, Hark! The Village Wait
Hark! The Village Wait

Hark! The Village Wait was the 1970 debut album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span. The album is the only one to feature the original lineup of the band, as they broke up and reformed with a slightly altered membership immediately after its release, without having ever performed live....
 (1970). While recording the album, the five members were all living in the same house, an arrangement that produced considerable tensions particularly between Hart and Prior on the one hand and the Woodses on the other. Gay and Terry were replaced by veteran folk musician Martin Carthy
Martin Carthy

Martin Carthy Order of the British Empire is an England folk music singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon and later artists such as Richard Thompson since he emerged as a young musician in the early days of the folk revi...
 and fiddler Peter Knight in a longer-term lineup that toured small concert venues, and recorded two albums - Please to See the King
Please to See the King

Please To See The King is the second album by Steeleye Span, released in 1971. A substantial personnel change following their previous effort, Hark! The Village Wait, brought about little substantial change in their overall sound, except for the lack of both drums and a second female vocal....
 (1971) and Ten Man Mop, or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again
Ten Man Mop, or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again

Ten Man Mop or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again is the third album by Steeleye Span, recorded in 1971. Of all their albums, it is the most acoustic and it also has considerable Irish influence, second only to Horkstow Grange....
 (1972). While the first album was traditionally performed - guitars, bass and with a guest drummer - Please to See the King
Please to See the King

Please To See The King is the second album by Steeleye Span, released in 1971. A substantial personnel change following their previous effort, Hark! The Village Wait, brought about little substantial change in their overall sound, except for the lack of both drums and a second female vocal....
 was revolutionary in its hard electric sound and lack of drums.

A new direction

Shortly after the release of their third album, the band brought in Jo Lustig
Jo Lustig

Jo Lustig was a music entrepreneur....
 as their manager who would bring a far more commercial sound to their recordings. At that time, traditionalists Carthy and Hutchings left the band to pursue purely folk projects. Their replacements were electric guitarist Bob Johnson
Bob Johnson (musician)

Robert "Bob" Johnson is a United Kingdom guitarist formerly in the electric folk band Steeleye Span from 1972-77 and again from 1980-2002.Bob Johnson was born in London; his mother was a music teacher....
 and bass player Rick Kemp
Rick Kemp

Rick Kemp is an England bass guitar player, songwriter, singer and record producer, best known for his work with the pioneering electric folk band , Steeleye Span....
, who brought strong rock and blues influences to the sound.

Lustig signed them to the Chrysalis
Chrysalis Records

Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a Pupa#Chrysalis and an amalgam of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis ....
 record label, for a deal that was to last for ten albums.

With the release of their fourth album, Below the Salt
Below the Salt

Below the Salt is a 1972 album by Steeleye Span, and considered by many fans to be one of their best. The album has a slightly medieval theme, most notably in the artwork and title....
, later in 1972, the revised lineup had settled on a distinctive electrified rock
Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a form of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its roots lay mainly in rhythm and blues, Country music, folk music, gospel music, and jazz....
 sound, although they continued to play mostly arrangements of very traditional material, including songs dating back a hundred years or more. Even on the more commercial Parcel of Rogues
Parcel of Rogues

Parcel of Rogues is an album by the Electric folk band Steeleye Span. It was their most successful album thus far, breaking into the Top 30....
 (1973), the band had no permanent drummer, but in 1973 rock drummer Nigel Pegrum
Nigel Pegrum

Nigel Pegrum is a drummer.Nigel Pegrum played drums with an early line-up of The Small Faces, then played drums with Lee Grant And The Capitols before joining Spice , who subsequently changed their name to Uriah Heep and replaced him with a drummer who had a heavier style of playing, but not before recording the "Lansdowne Tapes"....
, who had previously recorded with Gnidrolog
Gnidrolog

Gnidrolog is a United Kingdom progressive rock band with a unique sound that is often compared to better known bands such as Van Der Graaf Generator, Jethro Tull and Gentle Giant....
, The Small Faces
The Small Faces

Small Faces were an England Rock music group from East London, England, heavily influenced by United States rhythm and blues. The group was founded in 1965 by members Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones, and Jimmy Winston ....
 and Uriah Heep
Uriah Heep (band)

Uriah Heep are an English people rock music band, formed in December 1969 when record producer Gerry Bron invited keyboardist Ken Hensley to join Spice , a band signed to his own Bronze Records label....
, joined them, to harden up their sound (as well as occasionally playing flute and oboe).

Also that year, the single 'Gaudete' from Below the Salt belatedly became a Christmas hit single, reaching number 14 in the UK Charts, although the a capella motet, sung entirely in Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
, cannot be considered representative of the band's music, nor the album from which it was taken. This proved to be their commercial breakthrough and saw them performing on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops

Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a long-running United Kingdom UK Singles Chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006....
 for the first time. They often include it as a concert encore. Their popularity was also helped by the fact that they often performed as an opening act for fellow Chrysalis artists Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)

Jethro Tull are a United Kingdom rock music group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the songs, vocals and flute work of Ian Anderson , who has led the band since its founding, and guitarist Martin Barre, who has #Lineups....
.

Appropriately enough, their sixth album (and sixth member Pegrum's first with the band) was entitled Now We Are Six
Now We Are Six (album)

Now We Are Six is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span. Its title refers to both its sequence among their albums, and the band's size, in light of the addition of drummer Nigel Pegrum....
. Produced by Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)

Jethro Tull are a United Kingdom rock music group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the songs, vocals and flute work of Ian Anderson , who has led the band since its founding, and guitarist Martin Barre, who has #Lineups....
's Ian Anderson
Ian Anderson (musician)

Ian Scott Anderson, Order of the British Empire is a Scotland singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work as the head of British rock and roll band Jethro Tull ....
, the album includes the epic track 'Thomas the Rhymer
Thomas the Rhymer

Thomas Learmonth , better known as Thomas the Rhymer or True Thomas, was a 13th century Kingdom of Scotland laird and reputed prophet from Earlston ....
', which has been a part of the live set ever since.

Although successful, the album is controversial among some fans for the inclusion of nursery rhymes sung by "The St. Eeleye School Choir" (band members singing in the style of children), and the cover "To Know Him is to Love Him", featuring a guest appearance from David Bowie
David Bowie

David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and Arrangement. Active in five decades of rock music and frequently reinventing his music and image, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s....
 on saxophone.

The attempts at humour continued on Commoners Crown
Commoner's Crown

Commoners Crown is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span, its seventh release overall and the second album with the band's most commercially successful line-up....
 (1975), which included Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers

'Richard Henry Sellers', Order of British Empire, commonly known as 'Peter Sellers' was a United Kingdom comedian and actor best known for his roles in Dr....
 playing electric ukelele on the final track, "New York Girls". Their seventh album also included the epic ballad "Long Lankin" and novelty instrumental "Bach Goes To Limerick".

The Mike Batt era

With their star now conspicuously ascendant, the band brought in producer Mike Batt
Mike Batt

Michael Philip Batt is a United Kingdom based songwriter, musician, Record producer and Deputy Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry....
 (best known for his musical association with The Wombles
The Wombles

The Wombles were created by author Elisabeth Beresford, originally appearing in a series of children's novels from 1968. The characters later became nationally famous in the mid 1970s as a result of a popular BBC children's television show using stop motion animation....
 and Katie Melua
Katie Melua

Ketevan "Katie" Melua is a Georgian people/United Kingdom singer, songwriter and musician. She was born in Georgia , but moved to Northern Ireland at the age of eight and then relocated to England at the age of 14....
) to work on their eighth album, All Around My Hat, and their biggest success would come with the release of the title track as a single — it reached number 5 in the UK Charts in late 1975.

The album had a polished, commercial sound, and perfectly captured the flavour of the mid-1970s. Other well-known tracks on the album included "Black Jack Davey" (sampled by rappers Goldie Lookin Chain
Goldie Lookin Chain

Not to be confused with GLC or the Greater London CouncilGoldie Lookin Chain is a rap-pop music group based in Newport, South Wales Wales....
 on their track '"The Maggot") and the rocky "Hard Times of Old England".

This time on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops

Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a long-running United Kingdom UK Singles Chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006....
 Steeleye performed a lively dance on the stage, with Maddy Prior
Maddy Prior

Maddy Prior is an England folk singer....
 flouncing around in a long dress with wide sleeves. At this point in their career the band indulged in picturesque clothes, much to the disapproval of the pop press.

But while All Around My Hat was the height of the band's commercial success, the good times were not to last very long. Despite touring almost every year since 1975, they have not had another hit single, nor any success in the album chart since the late 1970s.

The follow-up album Rocket Cottage
Rocket Cottage

Rocket Cottage is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span.This was the band's 9th album, and the 2nd produced by Mike Batt. The album was poised to cement the band's success, building off their breakthrough into the UK Top 10 with their previous album, All Around My Hat ....
 (1976), also produced by Batt, proved to be a flop, despite having much in common musically with its immediate predecessor.

The opening track, 'London', was penned by Rick Kemp as a follow-up to 'All Around My Hat', in response to a request from the record label that Kemp describes as "we'll have another one of those, please", and released as a single. The song failed to make the UK Charts at all, in complete contrast to 'All Around My Hat', despite having much in common with its predecessor - a 6/8 time signature, upbeat tempo, solo verses and full harmony chorus.

'Rocket Cottage' also included experimental tracks 'Fighting for Strangers' (with sparse vocals singing concurrently in a variety of keys) and, on the final track, excerpts of studio banter between the band members and a seemingly impromptu rendition of 'Camptown Races', in which Maddy gets the lyrics wrong.

But while their 9th album was one of their most interesting and varied, the advent of punk
Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock....
 saw the mainstream market turning away from electric folk almost overnight, heralding a downturn in commercial fortunes for the band.

Thanks to their connection with Mike Batt, band members appeared in Womble costumes on Top of the Pops, performing the Wombles hit "Remember you're a Womble".

The late 1970s and early 1980s

While they would never regain the commercial success of All Around My Hat, Steeleye remained popular among electric folk fans, and generally respected within the music industry.

It has been widely reported that Peter Knight and Bob Johnson left the band to work on another project together, The King of Elfland's Daughter
The King of Elfland's Daughter

The King of Elfland's Daughter is a 1924 fantasy novel written by Lord Dunsany. Written before the genre was named, it is considered to be among the pioneering works of modern fantasy....
. The actual situation was more complex. Chrysalis records agreed to allow Knight and Johnson to work on "King" only as a way to persuade the duo to continue working with Steeleye. Since the record company had no interest in "King" for its own sake, it made no effort to market the album. Chrysalis' ploy failed, however, and Knight and Johnson quit.

Their departure left a significant hole in the band. For the 1977 album Storm Force Ten
Storm Force Ten

Storm Force Ten is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span, the band's 10th effort, released in 1977.The album was the band's last production to reach the charts, topping out at 191 on Billboard Magazine Pop charts....
, early member Martin Carthy rejoined on guitar. When he originally joined the band for its second album, Carthy had tried to persuade the others to bring John Kirkpatrick on board, but the band had chosen Knight instead. This time, Carthy's suggestion was accepted, and Kirkpatrick's accordion replaced Knight's fiddle, which gave the recording a very different texture from the Steeleye sound of previous years. Kirkpatrick's one-man morris dances quickly became one of the highlights of the band's show. This line-up also recorded their first album outside of the studio, Live at Last, before a "split" at the end of the decade that proved to be short-lived. But Carthy and Kirkpatrick had only intended to play with the band for a few months and had no interest in a longer association with the band.

The band were contractually obliged to record a final album for the Chrysalis label, and with Carthy and Kirkpatrick not wanting to rejoin the re-formed band, the door was open for Knight and Johnson to return in 1980. The album Sails of Silver
Sails of Silver

Sails of Silver is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span.The album was produced two years after the band's ostensible break-up, at the request of Chrysalis Records....
 saw the band moving away from traditional material to a greater focus on self-penned songs, many with historical or pseudo-folk themes. Sails was not a commercial success, in part because Chrysalis chose not to promote the album aggressively, but also because many fans felt uncomfortable with the band's new direction in its choice of material. The failure of the album left Hart unhappy enough that he decided to give up commercial music entirely, in favour of a reclusive life overseas.

After Sails of Silver there were to be no new albums for several years, and Steeleye became a part-time touring band. The other members spent much of their time and energy working on their various other projects, and the band went into a fitful hibernation.

In 1981 Isla St Clair
Isla St Clair

Isla St Clair , born Isabella Margaret Dyce, is a Scotland singer, actress and former game show co-host....
 presented a series of four television programmes called "The Song and The Story", about the history of some folk songs, which won the Prix Jeunesse. Isla sang the songs, and The Maddy Prior Band did the backing instrumentals.

The wilderness years

For much of the 80s, the members of the band tended to focus on outside projects of various sorts. Johnson opened a restaurant and then studied for a degree in psychology at the University of Hertfordshire
University of Hertfordshire

The University of Hertfordshire is a modern university based largely in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, in the county of Hertfordshire, England, from which the university takes its name....
. Pegrum ran a music studio. Prior and Kemp devoted much energy to their own band (The Maddy Prior Band; see Maddy Prior#Solo albums
Maddy Prior

Maddy Prior is an England folk singer....
), recording 4 albums, and also had children together. The result was that the band's output dropped sharply, producing only three albums over the space of ten years (including a concert album), although the band continued touring.

After a quiet spell, the group's 12th studio album (and first without Tim Hart) Back in Line
Back in Line

Back in Line is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span.This album, the band's 12th, was released in 1986, after almost a hiatus of almost 6 years....
 was released on the Flutterby label in 1986. With no "relaunch" as such, the band retained a low profile, although they caused some controversy when they played the song "Blackleg Miner
Blackleg Miner

Blackleg Miner is a 19th-century England folk song, originally from Northumberland .It is not entirely clear how old the song is, although it is thought to have been written either in the late 19th or early 20th century....
" in Nottingham. The song originates from Northumberland in the early 20th century, but had been revived due to the 1984-5 strike. The Nottinghamshire coalfield had generally opposed the strike and tensions remained high when the song was performed in 1986.

In 1989, two long-term members departed the band. One was bassist Rick Kemp, who needed to recover from a serious shoulder injury, exacerbated by playing bass on stage. His eventual replacement (after two tours, each with a different bassist) was Tim Harries
Tim Harries

Tim Harries is a British bass player.Tim Harries studied music at the University of York, graduating in 1981 before going on to study Double Bass with Tom Martin at the Guildhall School of Music....
, who was brought in less than two weeks before the band was scheduled to start a tour. A friend of Pegrum's, Harries was a self-taught rock bassist, as well as a classically trained pianist and double bassist. With Harries on board, Steeleye released Tempted and Tried
Tempted and Tried

Tempted and Tried is the 13th studio album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span. The album was recorded after a three-year hiatus after the release of Back in Line....
 (1989), an album that formed the basis for their live set for many years to come.

Not long after recording Tempted, drummer Nigel Pegrum emigrated to Australia for personal relationship reasons. He was replaced by eccentric drummer Liam Genockey
Liam Genockey

Liam Genockey is an Ireland drummer.Liam Genockey was born in Dublin, Ireland. During the early 1970s he lived in Devon, U.K. playing with Torbay based rock band Adolphus Rebirth....
 of Gillan
Gillan

Gillan was a hard rock band formed in 1978 by Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan....
, easily identified by his long, plaited beard. He and Knight were simultaneously members of "Moiré Music", a free-jazz band with a classical flavor, led by Trevor Watts. Unlike Pegrum, who employed a traditional rock drumming style, Genockey favoured a more varied drumming style, influenced by both Irish and African drumming, in which he hit, brushed, and rubbed the various surfaces of his drums and cymbals, creating a more varied range of sounds. Consequently, when the band embarked on their 20th Anniversary Tour, they did so with a totally new rhythm section.

Both Harries and Genockey were interested in experimenting with the band's sound, and they helped re-energize the other members' interest in Steeleye. The band began reworking some of their earlier material, seeking new approaches to traditional favourites. For example, Johnson experimented with an arrangement of "Tam Lin" that involved a heavy Bulgarian influence, inspired by Eastern European versions of the Tam Lin legend. In 1992, the band released Tonight's the Night...Live
Tonight's the Night...Live

Tonight's the Night...Live is the second live album by English electric folk band Steeleye Span.During the 1980s, Steeleye went through a creative lull, releasing only 3 albums....
, which demonstrates some of this new energy and direction. The band continued to tour the UK every year, and frequently toured overseas as well.

Maddy leaves the bus

In 1995, almost all the past and present members of the band reunited for a concert to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the band (which would later be released as The Journey ). The only former member not present was founding member Terry Woods.

A by-product of this gig was founding vocalist Gay Woods rejoining the band fulltime, partly because Prior was experiencing vocal problems, and for a while Steeleye toured with two female singers, and released the album Time
Time (Steeleye Span album)

Time is an album by Steeleye Span.The album was released in 1996, after a seven year hiatus. The impetus for the album was a 25th anniversary reunion tour the year before, during which most of the former members of the band performed together....
 1996, their first new studio album in seven years.

There were doubts over the future of the band when Maddy Prior announced her departure in 1997, but Steeleye continued in a more productive vein than for many years, with Woods as lead singer, releasing Horkstow Grange
Horkstow Grange

Horkstow Grange is an album by the English electric folk band Steeleye Span.Released in 1998, it is the band's 15th album, and the first album the band recorded without founding member Maddy Prior....
 (1998), and then Bedlam Born
Bedlam Born

Bedlam Born is the 16th studio album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span. It is the second of two albums made by a line-up consisting of Gay Woods, Bob Johnson , Peter Knight , and Tim Harries, and only the second album on which Maddy Prior did not make an appearance....
 (2000). Fans of Steeleye's "rock" element felt that Horkstow Grange was too quiet and folk-oriented, while fans of the band's "folk" element complained that Bedlam Born was too rock-heavy. Woods received considerable criticism from fans, many of whom did not realize that she was one of the founding members and who compared her singing style unfavorably to Prior's. There was also disagreement among the band about what material to perform; Woods advocated for performing old favourites such as "All Around My Hat" and "Alison Gross", while Johnson favored a set that emphasized their newer material.

Liam Genockey had also left the band by 1998, and on these albums the drum kit was manned by Dave Mattacks
Dave Mattacks

David James 'Dave' Mattacks is a Rock and roll and folk music drummer. He began as a trainee piano tuner before taking up the drums. He played with several jazz bands before joining the electric folk band Fairport Convention in 1969....
.

Reported difficulties among band members saw a split during the recording of Bedlam Born. Woods reportedly was uncomfortable with the financial arrangements of the band. Health problems forced Johnson into retirement, and for a while the band consisted of just Peter Knight and Tim Harries, plus various guest musicians as they fulfilled live commitments. Rick Kemp then returned to the line-up, during a time when their future seemed uncertain, while Harries was not keen to continue his role.

The comeback tour

In 2002, Steeleye Span reformed with a "classic" lineup, bringing an end to a couple of years of uncertainty. Knight hosted a poll on his website, asking the band's fans which Steeleye songs they would most want to see the band re-record. Armed with the results, Knight persuaded Prior and Genocky to rejoin, coaxed Johnson out of a health-induced retirement, and along with Kemp and Knight, they released Present--The Very Best of Steeleye Span (2002), a 2-disc set of new recordings of the songs.

But Bob Johnson's health prevented him from playing live shortly before the 2002 comeback tour, and he was replaced at the eleventh hour on guitar by Ken Nicol
Ken Nicol

Ken Nicol is a British guitar player, vocalist and songwriter. He was a member of the The Albion Band for many years and currently plays in the electric folk band Steeleye Span....
, formerly of the Albion Band. Nicol had been talking with Rick Kemp about forming a band when Kemp invited him to play for the tour.

With Nicol on board, the band released the album They Called Her Babylon
They Called Her Babylon

They Called Her Babylon is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span.The album, the band's 18th studio album, was released in 2004....
 early in 2004, and extensively toured the UK, Europe and Australia, and their relatively prolific output continued with the release of the Christmas album 'Winter' later the same year, as the band ended a busy year of touring with a gala performance in London's Palladium
London Palladium

The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster....
 theatre.

In 2005 Steeleye Span were awarded the Good Tradition Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards
BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards

The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards celebrate outstanding achievement during the previous year within the field of folk music. The awards have been given annually since 2000 by United Kingdom radio station BBC Radio 2....
, while a recent book, Electric Folk by Britta Sweers (2005), devotes much space to the band.

The band carried out a UK tour in April and May 2006, followed by dates in Europe and an appearance at the 2006 Cropredy Festival
Cropredy Festival

Fairport's Cropredy Convention is an annual festival of folk music and rock music held on the edge of the village of Cropredy in Oxfordshire, England....
. They were the final act on Cropredy's first night. They started with "Bonny Black Hare" and finished with "All Around My Hat
All Around My Hat

All Around My Hat is a 1975 album by Steeleye Span, their eighth and most commercially successful, reaching number 7 on the UK charts, and staying on the charts for 6 months....
" with backing vocals from the Cropredy Crowd. The full play list is at . The tour was supported by a live album and DVD of their 2004 tour.

Steeleye Span today

In November 2006, Steeleye released their latest studio album Bloody Men
Bloody Men (album)

Bloody Men is the 20th studio album by the British electric folk band Steeleye Span.This album represents a continuation of the band's recent surge of activity....
. Their Autumn/Winter tour started on 24 November 2006 in Basingstoke
Basingstoke

Basingstoke is a town#England and Wales in northeast Hampshire, England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading, Berkshire, and northeast of the county town, Winchester....
 and ran until just before Christmas.

The current line-up consists of Maddy Prior (vocals), Ken Nicol (guitar, vocals), Rick Kemp (bass, vocals), Peter Knight (violin, piano, vocals), and Liam Genockey (drums and percussion), and draws on past and current Steeleye Span repertoire. They usually play to theatres and arts centres but they also perform at festivals. They headlined at their namesake festival, at Kentwell Hall, Suffolk from 27-29 July 2007, and returned for . However, as Kentwell Hall declined to hold the festival again, it was held at Stanford Hall in Leicestershire. A UK tour took place between 17 April and 16 May 2008.

A new studio album is expected in 2009 to mark the band's 40th anniversary celebrations.

Collaborations


When they supported Status Quo
Status Quo

Status Quo, also known as The Quo or just Quo, are an England rock music band whose music is characterized by the twelve-bar blues....
 on tour in 1996, the latter had just issued their version of "Hat" as a single, and for their encore Maddy joined them on stage to sing it with them. Status Quo's single is credited to "Status Quo with Maddy Prior from Steeleye Span" and reached number 47 in the charts.Maddy also sang backing vocals on the title track of Jethro Tull's 1976 album "Too Old To Rock and Roll, Too Young To Die". Ray Fisher's rare 1972 album Bonny Birdy includes one track with the High Level Ranters, one with Steeleye Span, and one with Martin Carthy.

In November 2007, Liam Genockey and Tim Harries recorded an album with Mandyleigh Storm
Mandyleigh Storm

Mandyleigh Storm is a England/Australian female singer/song writer....
, called "Fire and Snow", live at Dean St Studios, Soho, London. Produced by Mick Glossop (Van Morrison, Frank Zappa, The Waterboys etc), and also featured Johnny Scott (Van Morrison) on guitar, and James Lascelles
James Lascelles

James Edward Lascelles , styled The Hon. James Lascelles, is a British musician and the second son of the George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood and his first wife, the former Marion Stein ....
 (Frank Zappa) on hammond, mini-moog, piano, hammered dulcimer and percussion. An interesting fact that came out of this is that Liam has perfect natural timing. He never needs a click-track or any form of timing assistance.

The Lost Recordings


In 1995 Steeleye recorded "The Golden Vanity
The Sweet Trinity

"The Sweet Trinity", also known as "The Golden Vanity" or "The Golden Willow Tree", is Child Ballads 286. The first surviving version, about 1635, was "Sir Walter Raleigh Sailing In The Lowlands ...
" for the Time album, but it did not appear on it. It was released on the anthology The Best of British Folk Rock. Similarly they recorded "General Taylor" for Ten Man Mop but the song didn't appear on it. It resurfaced on the compilation album Individually and Collectively instead. It was also included in another compilation The Lark in The Morning (2006), as well as re-issues of Ten Man Mop. "Bonny Moorhen" was recorded at the time of the "Parcel of Rogues" session. Its only appearance on disc was the compilation album Original Masters. The song "Somewhere in London", recorded for Back in Line (1986) was released instead as a B-side single, but returned to its proper place "Back in Line" when the album was reissued in 1991. "Staring Robin", a song about a man described by Tim Harries as an "Elizabethan psycho", was recorded during the Bedlam Born (2000) sessions, but it was left off the final album as it was deemed by Park Records to be too disturbing.

Discography

Excluding reissues, compilations and 'irregular' live albums.

Studio Albums
Hark! The Village Wait
Hark! The Village Wait

Hark! The Village Wait was the 1970 debut album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span. The album is the only one to feature the original lineup of the band, as they broke up and reformed with a slightly altered membership immediately after its release, without having ever performed live....
(1970)
Please to See the King
Please to See the King

Please To See The King is the second album by Steeleye Span, released in 1971. A substantial personnel change following their previous effort, Hark! The Village Wait, brought about little substantial change in their overall sound, except for the lack of both drums and a second female vocal....
(1971)
Ten Man Mop, or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again
Ten Man Mop, or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again

Ten Man Mop or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again is the third album by Steeleye Span, recorded in 1971. Of all their albums, it is the most acoustic and it also has considerable Irish influence, second only to Horkstow Grange....
(1972)
Below the Salt
Below the Salt

Below the Salt is a 1972 album by Steeleye Span, and considered by many fans to be one of their best. The album has a slightly medieval theme, most notably in the artwork and title....
(1972)
Parcel of Rogues
Parcel of Rogues

Parcel of Rogues is an album by the Electric folk band Steeleye Span. It was their most successful album thus far, breaking into the Top 30....
(1973)
Now We Are Six
Now We Are Six (album)

Now We Are Six is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span. Its title refers to both its sequence among their albums, and the band's size, in light of the addition of drummer Nigel Pegrum....
(1974)
Commoners Crown
Commoner's Crown

Commoners Crown is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span, its seventh release overall and the second album with the band's most commercially successful line-up....
(1975)
All Around My Hat (album) (1975)
Rocket Cottage
Rocket Cottage

Rocket Cottage is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span.This was the band's 9th album, and the 2nd produced by Mike Batt. The album was poised to cement the band's success, building off their breakthrough into the UK Top 10 with their previous album, All Around My Hat ....
(1976)
Storm Force Ten
Storm Force Ten

Storm Force Ten is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span, the band's 10th effort, released in 1977.The album was the band's last production to reach the charts, topping out at 191 on Billboard Magazine Pop charts....
(1977)
Sails of Silver
Sails of Silver

Sails of Silver is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span.The album was produced two years after the band's ostensible break-up, at the request of Chrysalis Records....
(1980)
Back in Line
Back in Line

Back in Line is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span.This album, the band's 12th, was released in 1986, after almost a hiatus of almost 6 years....
(1986)
Tempted and Tried
Tempted and Tried

Tempted and Tried is the 13th studio album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span. The album was recorded after a three-year hiatus after the release of Back in Line....
(1989)
Time
Time (Steeleye Span album)

Time is an album by Steeleye Span.The album was released in 1996, after a seven year hiatus. The impetus for the album was a 25th anniversary reunion tour the year before, during which most of the former members of the band performed together....
(1996)
Horkstow Grange (1998)
Bedlam Born
Bedlam Born

Bedlam Born is the 16th studio album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span. It is the second of two albums made by a line-up consisting of Gay Woods, Bob Johnson , Peter Knight , and Tim Harries, and only the second album on which Maddy Prior did not make an appearance....
(2000)
Present--The Very Best of Steeleye Span (2002)
They Called Her Babylon
They Called Her Babylon

They Called Her Babylon is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span.The album, the band's 18th studio album, was released in 2004....
(2004)
Winter
Winter (Steeleye Span album)

Winter is the 19th studio album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span. So far it is the second of three studio albums made by a line-up consisting of Maddy Prior, Peter Knight , Rick Kemp, Liam Genockey and Ken Nicol....
(2004)
Bloody Men
Bloody Men (album)

Bloody Men is the 20th studio album by the British electric folk band Steeleye Span.This album represents a continuation of the band's recent surge of activity....
(2006)
Live Albums
Live at Last (1978)
Tonight's the Night...Live
Tonight's the Night...Live

Tonight's the Night...Live is the second live album by English electric folk band Steeleye Span.During the 1980s, Steeleye went through a creative lull, releasing only 3 albums....
(1992)
The Collection: Steeleye Span in Concert (1994)
The Journey (1999)
Live In Nottingham (2003)
Folk Rock Pioneers in Concert (2006)
Singles
Rave On/ Reels/ Female Drummer (1971)
Jigs and Reels (1972)
John Barleycorn
John Barleycorn

"John Barleycorn" is an England folksong. The character of John Barleycorn in the song is a personification of the important cereal crop barley, and of the alcoholic beverage made from it, beer and whisky....
 / Bride's Favourite/Tansey's Fancy (1972)
Gaudete
Gaudete

"Gaudete" is a sacred Christmas carol, composed sometime in the 16th century. The song was published in the Piae Cantiones, a collection of Finland/Sweden sacred songs published in 1582....
 / The Holly and The Ivy (1972)
The Mooncoin Jig (1974)
New York Girls/ Two Magicians (1975)
All Around My Hat/ Black Jack Davy (1975)
Rave On/ False Knight On The Road (1976)
Hard Times of England
Hard, Hard Times

Hard, Hard Times is a traditional Newfoundland and Labrador folk song/ballad. There is an earlier version, from England, called "Rigs of the Times"....
/ Cadgwith Anthem (1976)
London/ Sligo Maid (1976)
Fighting For Strangers/ The Mooncoin Jig (1976)
Boar's Head Carol
Boar's Head Carol

The Boar's Head Carol is a macaronic language 15th century English Christmas carol that describes the ancient tradition of sacrifice a boar and presenting its head at a Yuletide feast....
/ Gaudete / Some Rival (1977)
Rag Doll/ Saucy Sailor (1978)
Sails of Silver/ Senior Service (1980)
Gone To America/ Let Her Go Down (1981)
Somewhere In London/ Lanercost (1985)
Padstow / First House in Connaught/ Sailor's Bonnet (1989)
Following Me/ Two Butchers (1989)
The Fox/ Jack Hall (1990)
Lord Elgin/ Lord Elgin (live) (2007)
DVDs
Classic Rock Legends (2002)
A Twentieth Anniversary Celebration (2003)
The 35th Anniversary World Tour 2004 (2005)
The set called "Bedrock In Concert" (2002) contains the audio CD "Live in Nottingham" plus the DVD "Classic Rock Legends" in a single box.

The changing line-Up

Steeleye Span 1: Tim Hart, Maddy Prior, Terry Woods, Gay Woods, Ashley Hutchings
Dates: 1969-70
Albums: Hark! The Village Wait
Hark! The Village Wait

Hark! The Village Wait was the 1970 debut album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span. The album is the only one to feature the original lineup of the band, as they broke up and reformed with a slightly altered membership immediately after its release, without having ever performed live....
Notes: This line-up never performed live.


Steeleye Span 2: Tim Hart, Maddy Prior, Ashley Hutchings, Martin Carthy, Peter Knight
Dates: 1971-72
Albums: Please to See the King
Please to See the King

Please To See The King is the second album by Steeleye Span, released in 1971. A substantial personnel change following their previous effort, Hark! The Village Wait, brought about little substantial change in their overall sound, except for the lack of both drums and a second female vocal....
, Ten Man Mop, or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again
Ten Man Mop, or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again

Ten Man Mop or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again is the third album by Steeleye Span, recorded in 1971. Of all their albums, it is the most acoustic and it also has considerable Irish influence, second only to Horkstow Grange....
Notes: This was the first line-up to actually perform live.


Steeleye Span 3: Tim Hart, Maddy Prior, Peter Knight, Bob Johnson, Rick Kemp
Dates: 1972-73
Albums: Below the Salt
Below the Salt

Below the Salt is a 1972 album by Steeleye Span, and considered by many fans to be one of their best. The album has a slightly medieval theme, most notably in the artwork and title....
, Parcel of Rogues
Parcel of Rogues

Parcel of Rogues is an album by the Electric folk band Steeleye Span. It was their most successful album thus far, breaking into the Top 30....


Steeleye Span 4: Tim Hart, Maddy Prior, Peter Knight, Bob Johnson, Rick Kemp, Nigel Pegrum
Dates: 1973-77
Albums: Now We Are Six
Now We Are Six (album)

Now We Are Six is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span. Its title refers to both its sequence among their albums, and the band's size, in light of the addition of drummer Nigel Pegrum....
, Commoner's Crown
Commoner's Crown

Commoners Crown is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span, its seventh release overall and the second album with the band's most commercially successful line-up....
, All Around My Hat (album), Rocket Cottage
Rocket Cottage

Rocket Cottage is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span.This was the band's 9th album, and the 2nd produced by Mike Batt. The album was poised to cement the band's success, building off their breakthrough into the UK Top 10 with their previous album, All Around My Hat ....
Notes: The most commercially successful line-up, as well as the most productive in terms of albums.


Steeleye Span 5: Tim Hart, Maddy Prior, Rick Kemp, Nigel Pegrum, Martin Carthy, John Kirkpatrick
Dates: 1977-78
Albums: Storm Force Ten
Storm Force Ten

Storm Force Ten is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span, the band's 10th effort, released in 1977.The album was the band's last production to reach the charts, topping out at 191 on Billboard Magazine Pop charts....
, Live at Last (Steeleye Span album)
Notes: The first line-up to feature a returning former member.


Steeleye Span 6: Tim Hart, Maddy Prior, Rick Kemp, Nigel Pegrum, Peter Knight, Bob Johnson
Dates: 1980-82
Albums: Sails of Silver
Sails of Silver

Sails of Silver is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span.The album was produced two years after the band's ostensible break-up, at the request of Chrysalis Records....
Notes: The same line-up as 4.


Steeleye Span 7: Maddy Prior, Rick Kemp, Nigel Pegrum, Peter Knight, Bob Johnson
Dates: 1982-86
Albums: Back in Line
Back in Line

Back in Line is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span.This album, the band's 12th, was released in 1986, after almost a hiatus of almost 6 years....
Notes: Prior is the only remaining original member.


Steeleye Span 7.1: Maddy Prior, Nigel Pegrum, Peter Knight, Bob Johnson, Mark Williamson
Dates: 1986
Albums: None
Notes: This line-up existed for only one tour.


Steeleye Span 7.2: Maddy Prior, Nigel Pegrum, Peter Knight, Bob Johnson, Chris Staines
Dates: 1986-87
Albums: None
Notes: This line-up also only existed for touring purposes.


Steeleye Span 8: Maddy Prior, Nigel Pegrum, Peter Knight, Bob Johnson, Tim Harries
Dates: 1988-89
Albums: Tempted and Tried
Tempted and Tried

Tempted and Tried is the 13th studio album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span. The album was recorded after a three-year hiatus after the release of Back in Line....
Notes: Pegrum departed immediately after recording 'Tempted', so this line-up never toured to support the album it produced.


Steeleye Span 9: Maddy Prior, Peter Knight, Bob Johnson, Tim Harries, Liam Genockey
Dates: 1989-95
Albums: Tonight's the Night...Live
Tonight's the Night...Live

Tonight's the Night...Live is the second live album by English electric folk band Steeleye Span.During the 1980s, Steeleye went through a creative lull, releasing only 3 albums....
Notes: This line-up first toured in support of 'Tempted and Tried'.


Steeleye Span 10: Maddy Prior, Peter Knight, Bob Johnson, Tim Harries, Liam Genockey, Gay Woods, Ashley Hutchings, Martin Carthy, Rick Kemp, Nigel Pegrum, John Kirkpatrick, Michael Gregory, Tim Hart
Dates: 1995
Albums: The Journey
Notes: This line-up was the reunion tour. It included every former member of the band except Terry Woods. Michael Gregory had not played with the band before.


Steeleye Span 11: Maddy Prior, Peter Knight, Bob Johnson, Tim Harries, Liam Genockey, Gay Woods
Dates: 1995-97
Albums: Time
Time (Steeleye Span album)

Time is an album by Steeleye Span.The album was released in 1996, after a seven year hiatus. The impetus for the album was a 25th anniversary reunion tour the year before, during which most of the former members of the band performed together....


Steeleye Span 12: Peter Knight, Bob Johnson, Tim Harries, Gay Woods
Dates: 1997-2000
Albums: Horkstow Grange
Horkstow Grange

Horkstow Grange is an album by the English electric folk band Steeleye Span.Released in 1998, it is the band's 15th album, and the first album the band recorded without founding member Maddy Prior....
, Bedlam Born
Bedlam Born

Bedlam Born is the 16th studio album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span. It is the second of two albums made by a line-up consisting of Gay Woods, Bob Johnson , Peter Knight , and Tim Harries, and only the second album on which Maddy Prior did not make an appearance....
Notes: The first line-up to not feature Maddy Prior.


Steeleye Span 12.1: Peter Knight, Bob Johnson, Gay Woods, Rick Kemp
Dates: 2000-01
Albums: None
Notes: This line-up only existed for tourning purposes.


Steeleye Span 12.2: Peter Knight, Tim Harries, Rick Kemp, Terl Bryant
Dates: 2001
Albums: None
Notes: This line-up only existed for touring. Terl Bryant was credited as a special guest.


Steeleye Span 13: Peter Knight, Rick Kemp, Maddy Prior, Bob Johnson, Liam Genockey
Dates: 2002
Albums: Present--The Very Best of Steeleye Span
Present--The Very Best of Steeleye Span

Present--The Very Best of Steeleye Span is an album by Steeleye Span, which is frequently mistaken for one of the band's many compilation albums....
Notes: This line-up never toured because of Johnson's health.


Steeleye Span 13.1: Peter Knight, Rick Kemp, Maddy Prior, Liam Genockey, Ken Nicol
Dates: 2002
Albums: None
Notes: Ken Nicol replaced Bob Johnson for the tour in support of 'Present'.


Steeleye Span 14: Peter Knight, Rick Kemp, Maddy Prior, Liam Genockey, Ken Nicol
Dates: 2003 to Present
Albums: They Called Her Babylon
They Called Her Babylon

They Called Her Babylon is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span.The album, the band's 18th studio album, was released in 2004....
, Winter
Winter (Steeleye Span album)

Winter is the 19th studio album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span. So far it is the second of three studio albums made by a line-up consisting of Maddy Prior, Peter Knight , Rick Kemp, Liam Genockey and Ken Nicol....
, Folk Rock Pioneers in Concert, Bloody Men
Bloody Men (album)

Bloody Men is the 20th studio album by the British electric folk band Steeleye Span.This album represents a continuation of the band's recent surge of activity....
Notes: This is the longest-lasting line-up to date.


External links