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{{short description|British folk rock group}}
{{for|the album|Fairport Convention (album)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Fairport Convention
| image             = Fairport Convention 2023 (cropped).jpg
| landscape         = yes
| caption           = Fairport Convention performing in 2023
| background        = group_or_band
| alias             = Fairport
| years_active      = {{hlist|1967–1979|1985–present}}
| genre             = {{hlist|[[British folk rock|Folk rock]]|[[Contemporary folk music|folk]]}}
| origin            = London, England
| label             = {{hlist|[[Polydor Records|Polydor]]|[[Island Records|Island]]|[[A&M Records|A&M]]|[[Vertigo Records|Vertigo]]|[[Rough Trade Records|Rough Trade]]|[[Transatlantic Records|Transatlantic]]|[[Woodworm Records|Woodworm]]|[[Matty Grooves Records|Matty Grooves]]}}
| spinoffs          = {{flatlist|
*[[The Albion Band]]
*[[Fotheringay]]
*[[Matthews Southern Comfort]]
*[[Plainsong (band)|Plainsong]]
*[[Steeleye Span]]
}}
| current_members   = * [[Simon Nicol]]
* [[Dave Mattacks]]
* [[Dave Pegg]]
* [[Ric Sanders]]
* [[Chris Leslie (musician)|Chris Leslie]]
| past_members      = * [[Richard Thompson (musician)|Richard Thompson]]
* [[Ashley Hutchings]]
* Shaun Frater
* [[Martin Lamble]]
* [[Judy Dyble]]
* [[Iain Matthews]]
* [[Sandy Denny]]
* [[Dave Swarbrick]]
* Roger Hill 
* Tom Farnell
* [[David Rea (musician)|David Rea]]
* [[Trevor Lucas]]
* [[Jerry Donahue]]
* Paul Warren
* [[Bruce Rowland (drummer)|Bruce Rowland]]
* [[Dan Ar Braz]]
* Bob Brady
* Roger Burridge
* [[Maartin Allcock]]
* [[Gerry Conway (musician)|Gerry Conway]]
| website           = {{URL|fairportconvention.com}}
}}

<!--THIS ARTICLE IS WRITTEN IN BRITISH ENGLISH, WHICH TREATS COLLECTIVE NOUNS LIKE "BAND" AS PLURALS (i.e. "Fairport Convention ARE a band"). PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THIS.-->
'''Fairport Convention''' are an English [[British folk rock|folk rock]] band, formed in 1967 by guitarists [[Richard Thompson (musician)|Richard Thompson]] and [[Simon Nicol]], bassist [[Ashley Hutchings]] and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by [[Martin Lamble]] after their first gig).<ref name=":0" /> They started out influenced by American [[folk rock]], with a set list dominated by [[Bob Dylan]] and [[Joni Mitchell]] songs and a sound that earned them the nickname "the British [[Jefferson Airplane]]".<ref name=":1"/> Vocalists [[Judy Dyble]] and [[Iain Matthews]] joined them before the recording of [[Fairport Convention (album)|their self-titled debut]] in 1968;<ref name=":2"/> afterwards, Dyble was replaced by [[Sandy Denny]], and Matthews later left during the recording of their third album.<ref name=":3"/>

Denny began steering the group towards [[British folk music|traditional British music]] for their next two albums, ''[[What We Did on Our Holidays]]'' and ''[[Unhalfbricking]]'' (both 1969); the latter featured [[fiddle]]r [[Dave Swarbrick|Dave "Swarb" Swarbrick]], most notably on the song "[[A Sailor's Life]]", which laid the groundwork for British folk rock by being the first time a traditional British song was combined with a rock beat.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/features/inside-fairport-conventions-liege-lief-crusade-77150 |title=Inside Fairport Convention's Liege And Lief: "We were on a crusade..." – Page 2 of 6 |date=3 June 2016 |website=Uncut |language=en-US |access-date=26 December 2018}}</ref> Shortly before the album's release, a crash on the [[M1 motorway]] killed Lamble and Jeannie Franklyn, Thompson's girlfriend; this resulted in the group retiring most of their prior material and turning entirely towards British folk music for their seminal album ''[[Liege & Lief]]'', released the same year. This style has been the band's focus ever since.<ref name=":4" /> For this album Swarbrick joined full-time, alongside drummer [[Dave Mattacks]]. Both Denny and Hutchings left before the year's end; the latter replaced by [[Dave Pegg]], who has remained the group's sole consistent member to this day; Thompson left after the recording of 1970's ''[[Full House (Fairport Convention album)|Full House]]''.

The 1970s saw numerous lineup changes around the core of Swarbrick and Pegg – Nicol being absent for the middle of the decade – and declining fortunes as folk music fell out of mainstream favour. Denny, whose partner [[Trevor Lucas]] had been a guitarist in the group since 1972, returned for the pop-oriented ''[[Rising for the Moon]]'' album in 1975 in a final bid to crack America; this effort failed, and after three more albums minus Denny and Lucas, the group disbanded in 1979.<ref name=":5" /> They played a farewell concert in the village of [[Cropredy]], Oxfordshire, where they had held small concerts since 1976, and this marked the beginning of the [[Cropredy Festival]] (since 2005 known as Fairport's Cropredy Convention) which has become the largest folk festival in Britain, with annual attendances of 20,000.<ref name=":6" />

The band was reformed by Nicol, Pegg, and Mattacks in 1985, joined by [[Maartin Allcock]] (guitar, mandolin, keys, vocals) and [[Ric Sanders]] (fiddle, keyboards), and they have remained active since. Allcock was replaced by [[Chris Leslie (musician)|Chris Leslie]] (mandolin, violin, vocals) in 1996, and [[Gerry Conway (musician)|Gerry Conway]] replaced Mattacks in 1998. Conway departed in 2022, owing to [[Motor Neurone Disease]] which would claim his life in 2024, and Mattacks returned on a part-time basis. The group currently alternate between tours where Mattacks features and acoustic tours with just Nicol, Pegg, Sanders and Leslie. Their 29th studio album, ''[[Shuffle and Go]]'' was released in 2020, and they continue to headline Cropredy each year.

Despite little mainstream success – their only top 40 single being "[[Si Tu Dois Partir]]", a French-language cover of the Dylan song "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" from ''Unhalfbricking'' – Fairport Convention remain highly influential in British folk rock and British folk in general. ''Liege & Lief'' was named the "Most Influential Folk Album of All Time" at the [[BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards]] in 2006, and Pegg's playing style, which incorporates [[jig]]s and [[Reel (dance)|reels]] into his basslines, has been imitated by many in the folk rock and [[folk punk]] genres.<ref>Fairport Convention, ''The Cropredy Box'' ([[Woodworm Records|Woodworm]], WR3CD026, 1998) disk 2.</ref> Additionally, many former members went on to form or join other notable groups in the genre, including [[Fotheringay]], [[Steeleye Span]], and [[the Albion Band]]; along with solo careers, most notably Thompson and Denny.<ref name=":7" /> Sandy Denny, now regarded as being amongst Britain's finest female singer-songwriters, died in 1978; her song "[[Who Knows Where the Time Goes?]]" – recorded by Fairport on ''Unhalfbricking'' – became a signature song for herself and the band.

==History==

===Origins===
Bassist [[Ashley Hutchings]] met guitarist [[Simon Nicol]] in North London in 1966 when they both played in the Ethnic Shuffle Orchestra. They rehearsed on the floor above Nicol's father's medical practice in a house called "Fairport" in Muswell Hill – on the same street where Ray and Dave Davies of [[the Kinks]] grew up.<ref name = RC>{{cite magazine |last=Thompson |first=Dave |magazine=[[Record Collector]] |issue=52 |title=Fairport Convention |date=December 1983 |pages=28–32}}</ref> The house lent its name to the group they formed together as Fairport Convention in 1967 with [[Richard Thompson (musician)|Richard Thompson]] on guitar and Shaun Frater on drums.<ref>B. Hinton, and G. Wall, ''Ashley Hutchings: The Guv'nor & the Rise of Folk Rock,'' (London: Helter Skelter, 2002){{page needed|date=January 2013}}</ref> After their initial performance at St Michael's Church Hall in [[Golders Green]] on 27 May 1967, they had their first of many line-up changes as one member of the audience, drummer [[Martin Lamble]], convinced the band that he could do a better job than Frater and replaced him.{{sfn|Humphries|1997|pp=6–7}} They soon added a female singer, [[Judy Dyble]], which gave them a distinctive sound among the many London bands of the period.<ref name=":2">Humphries, pp. 7–9.</ref>

===1967–1969: The first three albums===
Fairport Convention were soon playing regularly at underground venues such as [[UFO Club|UFO]] and The Electric Garden, which later became the [[Middle Earth (club)|Middle Earth club]].<ref name=":0">[http://www.fairportconvention.com/simon_nicol_on_fairport.php Simon Nicol, Fairport Convention Official Website] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211171452/http://fairportconvention.com/simon_nicol_on_fairport.php |date=11 February 2009}} retrieved 14 January 2009</ref> After only a few months, they caught the attention of manager [[Joe Boyd]] who secured them a contract with [[Polydor Records]]. Boyd suggested they augment the line-up with another male vocalist. Singer [[Iain Matthews]] (then known as Ian MacDonald) joined the band, and their first album, ''[[Fairport Convention (album)|Fairport Convention]]'', was recorded in late 1967 and released in June 1968. At this early stage Fairport looked to [[American folk music|North American folk]] and [[folk rock]] acts such as [[Joni Mitchell]], [[Bob Dylan]], and [[The Byrds]] for material and inspiration. The name "Fairport Convention" and the use of two lead vocalists led many new listeners to believe that they were an American act, earning them the nickname 'the British [[Jefferson Airplane]]' during this period.<ref name=":1">[https://www.theguardian.com/observer/omm/story/0,,1240058,00.html ''Observer Music Monthly'', retrieved on 14 January 2009].</ref> Fairport Convention played at the [[Isle of Wight Festival#1968|first Isle of Wight Festival]], in August 1968, when Jefferson Airplane headlined.<ref>[[Ray Foulk]], 2015, Stealing Dylan from Woodstock, Medina Publishing, Surbition.</ref>

After disappointing album sales they signed a new contract with [[Island Records]]. Before their next recording Judy Dyble left – she described it as being "unceremoniously dumped" <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.judydyble.com/content/2nd-band-%E2%80%93-fairport-convention-%E2%80%93-1967|title=2nd Band – Fairport Convention – 1967 &#124; Judy Dyble|website=Judydyble.com|access-date=26 August 2021}}</ref> – and was replaced by the band with [[Sandy Denny]], a folk singer who had previously recorded as a soloist and with [[Strawbs]]. Denny's arrival encouraged the band to consider integrating British [[Traditional music|folk music]] into what had previously been an American-influenced sound, and her distinctive voice (described by Clive James as "open space, low-volume, high-intensity") characterised the two albums which Fairport Convention would release in 1969, ''[[What We Did on Our Holidays]]'' and ''[[Unhalfbricking]]''.<ref>C. James, [http://www.peteatkin.com/sandy.htm "In a lonely moment"]. Retrieved on 14 January 2009].</ref> These recordings marked the growth of much greater musicality and song-writing ability among the band. The first of these featured the Thompson-penned "[[Meet on the Ledge]]", which became their second single and eventually the band's unofficial anthem.

During the recording of ''Unhalfbricking'', Matthews left after having sung on only one song, eventually to form [[Matthews Southern Comfort]].<ref name=":3">Humphries, p. 27.</ref> He was not replaced; the other male members covered his vocal parts. The album featured a guest appearance by [[Birmingham]] folk fiddler [[Dave Swarbrick]] on a recording of "[[A Sailor's Life]]", a traditional song brought to the band by Denny from her folk club days. The recording of this track marked an important turning point for the band, sparking an interest in traditional music in Ashley Hutchings that led him to detailed research in the [[English Folk Dance and Song Society]] Library at [[Cecil Sharp House]]; this theme would become the basis for their next, much more ambitious, recording project.<ref>Hinton and Wall{{page needed|date=January 2013}}</ref>

These two albums began to gain the band wider recognition. Radio DJ [[John Peel]] championed their music, playing their albums on his influential [[BBC]] shows. Peel also recorded a number of sessions which were later released as the album ''Heyday'' (1987). They enjoyed some mainstream success when they entered the singles charts with "[[Si Tu Dois Partir]]", a French-language version of Bob Dylan's "[[If You Gotta Go, Go Now]]". The record just missed the top twenty, but secured the band a slot on ''[[Top of the Pops]]'', Britain's most popular television pop music programme at the time.<ref>Humphries, p. 37.</ref> In 1969 four members of the band, one uncredited and three under pseudonyms, featured as backing musicians on the album ''[[Love Chronicles]]'' by Scottish folk artist [[Al Stewart]].

====Developing British folk rock====
On 12 May 1969, on the way home from a gig at [[Birmingham]] venue [[Mothers (music venue)|Mothers]],<ref name="RTSL">{{cite episode |title=Richard Thompson: Solitary Life |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074nw0 |access-date=14 September 2012 |network=BBC |series=BBC Four}}</ref> Fairport's van crashed on the [[M1 motorway]]. [[Martin Lamble]], aged only nineteen, and Jeannie Franklyn, Richard Thompson's girlfriend, were killed. The rest of the band suffered injuries of varying severity.{{sfn|Sweers|2005|p=89}} They nearly decided to disband.

However, they reconvened with [[Dave Mattacks]] taking over drumming duties and Dave Swarbrick, having made contribution to ''Unhalfbricking'', now joined as a full member. Boyd set the band up in a rented house in Farley Chamberlayne near [[Winchester]] in Hampshire, where they recuperated and worked on this integration, which would result in a new sound and style manifest on their fourth album ''[[Liege & Lief]]''.<ref name=":4">Hutchings, Ashley. ''Liege and Lief''. 2002, [[Island Records]] reissue, IMCD 291 / 596 929-2, [[liner notes]].</ref>

Usually considered the highpoint of the band's long career, ''Liege & Lief'' was a huge leap forward in concept and musicality. The album consisted of six traditional tracks and three original compositions in a similar style. The traditional tracks included two sustained epics: "[[Tam Lin]]", which was over seven minutes in length, and "[[Matty Groves]]", at over eight. There was a medley of four traditional tunes, arranged, and, like many of the tracks, enlivened, by Swarbrick's energetic fiddle playing. The first side was bracketed by original compositions "Come all ye" and "Farewell, Farewell", which, in addition to information on the inside of the gatefold cover on Hutchings' research, explaining English folk traditions, helped give the record the feel of a [[concept album]]. "Farewell, Farewell" and the final track "Crazy Man Michael", also saw the full emergence of the distinctive song writing talent of Thompson that was to characterize his contributions to the band and later solo career. The distinctive sound of the album came from the use of electric instruments and Mattacks' disciplined drumming with Swarbrick's fiddle accompaniment in a surprising and powerful combination of rock with the traditional. The entire band had reached new levels of musicality, with the fluid guitar playing of Thompson and the "ethereal" vocal of Denny particularly characteristic of the sound of the album. As the reviewer from [[AllMusic]] put it, the album was characterised by the "fusing [of] time-worn folk with electric instruments while honoring both".<ref>[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r7059|pure_url=yes}} Allmusic retrieved on 14 January 2009].</ref>

A few British bands had earlier experimented with playing traditional English songs on electric instruments, (including [[Strawbs]] and [[Pentangle (band)|Pentangle]]), but Fairport Convention was the first English band to do this in a concerted and focused way.<ref>R. Unterberger, ''Eight Miles High: Folk-Rock's Flight from Haight-Ashbury to Woodstock'' (Backbeat Books, San Francisco, 2003), p. 157.</ref> Fairport Convention's achievement was not to invent folk rock, but to create a distinctly English branch of the genre, which would develop alongside, and interact with, American inspired music, but which can also be seen as a distinctively national reaction in opposition to it.{{sfn|Sweers|2005|p=4}} ''Liege & Lief'' was launched with a sell-out concert in London's [[Royal Festival Hall]] late in 1969. It reached number 17 in the UK album chart, where it spent fifteen weeks.<ref name=officialcharts>{{cite web |title=Fairport Convention &#124; full Official Chart History |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/13725/fairport-convention/ |website=Official Charts Company |access-date=16 September 2019}}</ref>

===1970s: A time of change===
[[File:Optreden op Holland Popfestival in het Kralingse bos, 1970 - 16.jpg|thumb|Fairport Convention, [[Holland Pop Festival|Kralingen 1970]]. Left to right: Dave Pegg, Dave Mattacks, Richard Thompson, Dave Swarbrick, Simon Nicol.]]
Disagreements arose about the direction of the band in the wake of this success. Ashley Hutchings wanted to explore more traditional material and left to form two groups that would rival Fairport for significance in English folk rock: [[Steeleye Span]] and [[the Albion Band]].<ref>Humphries, p. 52.</ref> Sandy Denny also left to found her own group [[Fotheringay]]. Dave Pegg took over on bass guitar and has been the group's one constant ever since, in an unbroken membership of over four decades. The band made no serious attempt to replace Denny, and, although she would briefly return, the sound of the band would now be characterised by male vocals.

Despite these changes the band produced another album, ''[[Full House (Fairport Convention album)|Full House]]'' (1970), which was remarkably successful as a project. Like its predecessor, it combined traditional songs, including a powerful rendition of "[[Sir Patrick Spens]]", with original compositions. The latter benefited from the writing partnership of Thompson and Swarbrick, most obviously on "Walk Awhile", which would become a concert favourite. Despite the loss of Denny the band still possessed four vocalists, including the emerging voices of Nicol and Swarbrick, whose tones would dominate the sound of this period. It was favourably reviewed in Britain and America, drawing comparisons with [[the Band]] from ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine who declared that "Fairport Convention is better than ever".<ref>[https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/fairportconvention/albums/album/126568/review/5942290/full_house_uk_bonus_tracks ''Rolling Stone'' Reviews retrieved on 14 January 2009] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202110321/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/fairportconvention/albums/album/126568/review/5942290/full_house_uk_bonus_tracks |date=2 February 2009}}.</ref> The album reached number 13 in the UK Chart and stayed in the chart for eleven weeks.<ref name=officialcharts/> The same year the band released a single, "[[Now Be Thankful]]", and made its American debut, touring with [[Traffic (band)|Traffic]] and [[Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young]].<ref>[http://www.richardthompson-music.com/bio.asp Richard Thompson Official Website retrieved on 14 January 2009] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080218101756/http://www.richardthompson-music.com/bio.asp |date=18 February 2008}}.</ref>

[[File:Fairport Convention - TopPop 1972 7.png|thumb|Fairport Convention on a Dutch television show in 1972. Left to right: Dave Swarbrick, Roger Hill, Dave Pegg. Tom Farnell (drums) is hidden behind Swarbrick.]]
In the recurring pattern, soon after the album's release Thompson left the band to pursue other projects and eventually his solo career. This left Simon Nicol as the only original member, and Dave Swarbrick emerged as the leading force in the band. In 1970 the members and their families had moved into The Angel, a former pub in [[Hertfordshire]], and this inspired the next album ''[[Angel Delight (album)|Angel Delight]]'' (1971) the band's first to chart in the US, peaking at number 200 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] and their only top ten album in the UK.<ref>[http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/fairport%20convention The Official Charts website retrieved 18 June 2014].</ref> The next project was an ambitious folk-rock opera developed by Swarbrick, based on the life of [[John Babbacombe Lee|John "Babbacombe" Lee]], "the man they couldn't hang" and released with the title ''[[Babbacombe Lee (album)|Babbacombe Lee]]'' (1971). The concept format, originally without clear tracks, excited considerable press interest, and it received good air play in the United States where it reached number 195. A version was produced by the BBC for TV in 1975 with narration by [[Melvyn Bragg]].<ref>[http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~zierke/fairport/records/babbacombelee.html (Mostly) English Folk Music retrieved 13 January 2009] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002133313/http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~zierke/fairport/records/babbacombelee.html |date=2 October 2012}}.</ref> These two albums were also notable as the first time that Fairport had recorded consecutively with the same line-up, but inevitably stability did not last; Simon Nicol left early in late 1971 to join Ashley Hutchings' [[Albion Country Band]], and he was soon followed by Mattacks.<ref>Humphries, pp. 95–97.</ref>

Only Pegg and Swarbrick remained, and the following few years have been dubbed 'Fairport confusion' as a bewildering sequence of band members came and went, but by 1973 Mattacks had returned and two former members of Sandy Denny's [[Fotheringay]] had joined the band, Denny's Australian husband [[Trevor Lucas]] on vocals and guitar, and American [[Jerry Donahue]] on lead guitar.<ref>{{cite book |last=Frame |first=Pete |title=The Rock Family Trees, the Development and History of Rock Performers |publisher=Omnibus Press |year=1983 |isbn=978-0-711-90465-1}}</ref> From these line-ups the band produced two studio albums: ''[[Rosie (Fairport Convention album)|Rosie]]'', notable for the Swarbrick-penned title track (1973) and ''[[Nine (Fairport Convention album)|Nine]]'' (1974), the ninth studio album by the band. The last of these contained writing contributions by Lucas to five of the nine tracks, which together with Donahue's country influences and outstanding guitar pyrotechnics gave the album a very distinctive feel.

Denny rejoined the band in 1974, and there were considerable expectations, both artistic and commercial, placed on this line-up. Denny was featured on the album ''[[Rising for the Moon]]'' (1975), which became the band's highest US chart album when it reached number 143 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] and the first album to reach the top hundred in the UK since ''Angel Delight'', reaching No. 52.<ref name=officialcharts/> During the ''Rising'' sessions, Mattacks fell out with producer [[Glyn Johns]] and was replaced by former [[Grease Band]] drummer [[Bruce Rowland (drummer)|Bruce Rowland]]. Poor UK sales for ''Rising'' did not aid morale and, despite the relative success of the line-up, Lucas and Donahue left the band, as did Denny in 1976. She died aged 31, in 1978, of a [[cerebral haemorrhage]] after falling down a flight of stairs.<ref name=":7">{{cite news |title='You had to hold on to the furniture when Sandy sang': Live fast, die young ... John Harris pays tribute to the one-woman maelstrom that was Sandy Denny |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2005/may/06/popandrock |newspaper=The Guardian |date=5 May 2005 |access-date=17 January 2013}}</ref>

Rowland, Pegg, and Swarbrick fulfilled their remaining contractual obligations to Island Records by turning what had originally been a Swarbrick solo effort into the album ''[[Gottle O'Geer]]'' (1976) under the name 'Fairport' (as opposed to Fairport Convention) in the UK, and as 'Fairport featuring Dave Swarbrick' in the US, and with various session players and production by Simon Nicol, who subsequently rejoined the band. They then signed with Vertigo, but record sales continued to decline; after producing the first two of four albums for which they were contracted, ''[[The Bonny Bunch of Roses (album)|The Bonny Bunch of Roses]]'' (1977) and ''[[Tipplers Tales]]'' (1978), Vertigo bought them out of their contract. It is claimed by members of the band that this was the only recording money they had seen up to that point.{{sfn|Redwood|Woodward|1995|p=14}}

===1979–1985: The Cropredy era===
[[File:Fairport Convention, Cropredy 1982.jpg|thumb|Fairport Convention "Nine" line-up, reunited on stage at Cropredy 1982]]
[[File:FairportCropredy2005.jpg|thumb|right|[[Simon Nicol]] and [[Ric Sanders]] of Fairport Convention on stage at [[Fairport's Cropredy Convention]] 2005]]
By 1979 the mainstream market for folk rock had largely disappeared, the band had no record deal, and Dave Swarbrick had been diagnosed with [[tinnitus]], which made loud electric gigs increasingly difficult. Fairport decided to disband. They played a farewell tour and a final outdoor concert on 4 August in [[Cropredy]], the Oxfordshire village where Dave and Christine Pegg lived. The finality of this occasion was mitigated by the announcement that the band would meet for a reunion.{{sfn|Redwood|Woodward|1995|pp=15–16}}

In August 1979, the band played at [[Knebworth Festival 1979|Knebworth Festival]] in England. The headline act at both their appearances at the festival, over two consecutive Saturdays on 4 and 11 August, were [[Led Zeppelin]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Led Zeppelin {{!}} Official Website Knebworth Festival – 11 August 1979|url=https://www.ledzeppelin.com/|access-date=9 January 2022|website=Led Zeppelin – Official Website}}</ref>

No record company wanted to release the live recordings of the tour and concert, so the Peggs founded [[Woodworm Records]], which would be the major outlet for the band in the future. Members continued to take part in occasional gigs, particularly in festivals in continental Europe, and after a year they staged a reunion concert in Cropredy which became the annual [[Cropredy Festival]]. Over the next few years, it grew rapidly and emerged as the major mechanism for sustaining the band. In August 1981, the band held their annual reunion concert at [[Broughton Castle]], rather than the usual Cropredy location.{{sfn|Humphries|1982|p=103}} The concert was recorded, and released on the 1982 album ''[[Moat on the Ledge]]''.

The Peggs continued to record and release the Cropredy concerts as 'official bootlegs'. These were supplemented by New Year's gigs in minor locations including the [[The Half Moon (music venue)|Half Moon]] at [[Putney]] and the [[Gloucester]] Leisure Centre.{{sfn|Redwood|Woodward|1995|p=18}} In 1983 the magazine ''Fairport Fanatics'' (later ''[[Dirty Linen (magazine)|Dirty Linen]]''), was created: a testament to the continued existence of a dedicated fan base.<ref>R. Weissman, ''Which Side are You On?: An Inside History of the Folk Music Revival in America'' (Continuum International, 2005), p. 241.</ref>

The ''Angel Delight'' lineup of Simon Nicol, Dave Swarbrick, Dave Pegg, and Dave Mattacks played a number of gigs in the UK in the early 80s, then toured extensively in the UK and the US in 1984 and 1985.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://home.myfairpoint.net/srabbot/fc/fcbase.htm|title=Fairport Convention Set Lists|first=Scott|last=Abbot|website=Home.myfairpoint.net|date=31 March 2008|access-date=15 May 2021}}</ref> Band alumni like Richard Thompson and Bruce Rowland would occasionally join in.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fclist.org/fairport-convention/mini-history-fairport-convention|title=A Mini-History of Fairport Convention|website=Fclist.org|access-date=15 May 2021}}</ref>

The remaining members pursued their own lives and careers outside of the band. Nicol, Pegg, and Mattacks had recorded and toured with [[Richard and Linda Thompson]] at times in the 1970s, and did so again during this period, culminating in their appearance on the ''[[Shoot Out the Lights]]'' album and tour in 1982. Bruce Rowlands gave up the music business and moved to Denmark and as a result Dave Mattacks returned as drummer for Fairport's occasional gigs. Dave Pegg was the first of several Fairporters to join [[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]] which gave him well-paying steady employment. Simon Nicol had teamed up with Dave Swarbrick in a highly regarded acoustic duo, but this partnership was made difficult by Swarbrick's sudden decision to move to Scotland, where, from 1984, he began to focus on his new project [[Whippersnapper (band)|Whippersnapper]].{{sfn|Redwood|Woodward|1995|p=18}}

In 1985, Pegg, Nicol and Mattacks found that they all had some free time and an available studio belonging to Pegg. They decided that they needed some new material to add to the catalogue that had been suspended in 1978. As Swarbrick was unavailable, the selection of traditional tunes was more difficult than for past albums and there was a need for a replacement fiddle player and some vocals. Pegg and Nicol took over arranging duties on an instrumental medley and the band turned to sometime Albion Band members: jazz and folk violinist [[Ric Sanders]] and singer-songwriter [[Cathy Lesurf]]. They also had the help of ex-member Richard Thompson. Thompson and Lesurf contributed songs and took part in the recordings. Also important to the album was [[Ralph McTell]] who contributed one song and co-wrote one track each with Nicol and Mattacks; the latter of these, "The Hiring Fair", would become a stage fixture of Fairport.

The resulting album ''[[Gladys' Leap]]'' (1985) was generally well received in the music and national press, but caused some tension with Swarbrick who refused to play any of the new material at the 1985 Cropredy Festival. Nevertheless, the decision to reform the band, without Swarbrick, was taken by the other three remaining members. Ric Sanders was invited to join, along with guitarist, composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist [[Maartin Allcock]]. Nicol, with his developing baritone voice, took over the main share of the vocal duties. This line-up was to last eleven years, the longest period of membership stability in the band's history so far.{{sfn|Redwood|Woodward|1995|p=19}}

===1986–1997: Stability===
The new band began a hectic schedule of performing in Britain and the world and prepared material for a new album. The result was the all-instrumental ''[[Expletive Delighted!]]'' (1986). This showcased the virtuosity of Sanders and Allcock, but perhaps inevitably was not popular with all fans. This was followed by the recording ''[[In Real Time: Live '87]]'' which managed to capture the energy and power of the new Fairport on stage, despite the fact that it was recorded in the studio with audience reactions dubbed on.{{sfn|Redwood|Woodward|1995|pp=34–35}}

In this period the band were playing to larger and larger audiences, both on tour and at Cropredy, and it was very productive in terms of recording. Fairport had the considerable composing and arranging skills of Allcock and, to fill the gap created by a lack of a songwriter in the band, they turned to some of the most talented available in the contemporary folk scene. The results were ''[[Red & Gold]]'' (1989) ''[[The Five Seasons]]'' (1990) and ''[[Jewel in the Crown (album)|Jewel in the Crown]]'' (1995), the last of which was judged "their bestselling and undoubtedly finest album in years."<ref>[https://www.nme.com/artists/fairport-convention NME online retrieved on 13 January 2009] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202123834/http://www.nme.com/artists/fairport-convention |date=2 February 2009}}.</ref>

At this point, with Mattacks busy with other projects, the band shifted to an acoustic format for touring and released the [[acoustic music|unplugged]] ''[[Old New Borrowed Blue]]'' as "Fairport Acoustic Convention" in 1996. For a while the four-piece acoustic line-up ran in parallel with the electric format. When Allcock left the band, he was replaced by [[Chris Leslie (folk musician)|Chris Leslie]] on vocals, [[mandolin]] and fiddle, who formerly worked with Swarbrick in Whippersnapper, and had a one-off stint with the band replacing Ric Sanders for 1992 Cropredy Festival. This meant that for the first time since reforming, the band had a recognized songwriter who contributed significantly to the band's output on the next album [[Who Knows Where the Time Goes? (Fairport Convention album)|''Who Knows Where the Time Goes?'']] (1997), particularly the rousing "John Gaudie". By the time of the 30th anniversary Festival at Cropredy in 1997, the new Fairport had been in existence for over a decade and contributed a significant chapter to the history of the band.<ref>As commemorated in ''[[The Cropredy Box]]'' triple-CD set (1998).</ref>

===1998–present===
[[File:FairportsCropredyConventionStageView.jpg|thumb|right|The stage at [[Fairport's Cropredy Convention]] in August 2009]]
[[File:Kami Thompson & Fairport Convention.jpg|thumb|[[Kami Thompson]] and Fairport Convention, 2012]]

Dave Mattacks moved to the US in 1998, and [[Gerry Conway (musician)|Gerry Conway]] took over on drums and percussion. Fairport produced two more studio albums for Woodworm Records: ''[[The Wood and the Wire]]'' (2000) and ''[[XXXV (album)|XXXV]]'' (2002). Then, for ''[[Over the Next Hill]]'' (2004) they established a new label: [[Matty Grooves Records]]. In this period the band toured extensively in the UK, Europe, Australasia, Europe, the US and Canada, and staged a major fund raiser for Dave Swarbrick at the [[Birmingham Symphony Hall]]. In 1998, members of the band began their association with the Breton musician [[Alan Simon (musician)|Alan Simon]]. Working in collaboration with numerous others, members of Fairport (predominantly Nicol and Leslie) have performed in and participated in the recordings of all Simon's rock operas, including the ''[[Excalibur (rock opera)|Excalibur trilogy]]'' (1998, 2007, 2010) and ''[[Anne de Bretagne (rock opera)|Anne de Bretagne]]'' (2008).

2007 was their fortieth anniversary year and they celebrated by releasing a new album, ''[[Sense of Occasion]]''. They performed the whole of the ''[[Liege & Lief]]'' album live at Cropredy, since 2004 renamed Fairport's Cropredy Convention, featuring the 1969 line-up of [[Dave Swarbrick]], [[Ashley Hutchings]], [[Dave Mattacks]], [[Simon Nicol]] and [[Richard Thompson (musician)|Richard Thompson]], with singer-songwriter [[Chris While]] taking the place of [[Sandy Denny]]. Footage of the festival, although not the ''Liege and Lief'' performance, was released as part of a celebratory DVD.

The band's first official YouTube video appeared in April 2008. Edited from footage shot for the DVD, the nine-minute mini-documentary includes interviews with [[Lulu (singer)|Lulu]], [[Jools Holland]], [[Seth Lakeman]], [[Mike Harding]], Geoff Hughes and [[Frank Skinner]].

In 2011 the band released a new studio album [[Festival Bell]], the first new album in four years. This was followed in 2012 by ''Babbacombe Lee Live Again'' recorded live during the 2011 tour revisiting the ''Babbacombe Lee'' album first issued in 1971. In 2012, the band also released ''[[By Popular Request]]'', a reworking in the studio of a number of the most popular songs in the band's repertoire (as determined by a mysterious consultation and voting process conducted by the band with its fans).

{{as of|2020}} the band continues to write and record music, regularly producing new studio albums, the most recent releases being 2015's ''[[Myths and Heroes]]'', 2017's ''[[50:50@50]]'' and 2020's ''[[Shuffle and Go]]''. The [[COVID-19 pandemic]] impacted significantly on their ability to tour, and their 2022 tour was initially cut short after several of the touring team developed Covid.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Fairport Convention postpone Worthing date because of Covid|url=https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/fairport-convention-postpone-worthing-date-because-of-covid-3568381|access-date=20 February 2022|website=www.sussexexpress.co.uk|language=en}}</ref>

In 2022, Gerry Conway made the decision to leave the band after 24 years, and it was announced that the band would continue as a four piece.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 September 2022 |title=Fairport Convention's drummer, Gerry Conway, is leaving the band |url=https://www.banburyguardian.co.uk/news/people/fairport-conventions-drummer-gerry-conway-is-leaving-the-band-3840477 |access-date=1 October 2022 |website=www.banburyguardian.co.uk |language=en}}</ref> Conway did not make public that he left because he was suffering from [[motor neurone disease]] from which he was to die in April 2024.<ref name="burlass">{{Cite web|url=https://atthebarrier.com/2024/03/30/thank-you-gerry-conway/|title=Thank you, Gerry Conway.|first=John|last=Barlass|date=30 March 2024|website=At The Barrier}}</ref>

On the bands Winter 2023 UK Tour, they were joined by a returning Mattacks on drums and percussion who also returned for the 2024 winter tour.<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 February 2023 |title=Dave Mattacks on playing with Fairport Convention for Winter 2023 UK Tour |url=https://thestrangebrew.co.uk/dave-mattacks-fairport-convention/ |access-date=2 March 2023 |website=The Strange Brew |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=26 November 2022 |title=Fairport Convention Announce Winter 2023 UK Tour - with Very Special Guest on Drummer's Stool |url=https://spiralearth.co.uk/fairport-convention-announce-winter-2023-uk-tour-with-very-special-guest-on-drummers-stool/ |access-date=2 March 2023 |website=Spiral Earth |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":8" />

==Public recognition==
The mainstream media has increasingly recognized Fairport Convention's historical importance. They received a "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the 2002 [[BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards]]. In the same year Free Reed Records, an independent label, released ''Fairport Unconventional'', a four-CD boxed set of rare and unreleased recordings from the band's 35-year career. At the 2006 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards they received an award when their seminal album ''Liege & Lief'' was voted 'Most Influential Folk Album of All Time' by Radio 2 listeners.<ref name=":5">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/r2music/folk/folkawards2006/winners06.shtml BBC 2 Folk Awards 2006 retrieved on 13 January 2009].</ref> At the 2007 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Fairport Convention received an award recognising the late Sandy Denny and the band for "Favourite Folk Track of All Time" for "[[Who Knows Where the Time Goes?]]".<ref name=":6">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/events/folkawards2007/report_2007.shtml BBC 2 Folk Awards 2007 retrieved on 13 January 2009].</ref>

==Personnel==
{{Main|List of Fairport Convention members}}

===Members===
;Current members
* [[Simon Nicol]] – guitar, dulcimer, lead vocals, keyboards <small>(1967–1971, 1976–1979, 1985–present)</small>
* [[Dave Mattacks]] – drums, percussion, keyboards, bass guitar {{Small|(1969–1972, 1973–1975, 1985–1997, 2023–present)}}<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=Fairport Convention 2023 Winter Tour |url=https://theoxfordmagazine.com/event/fairport-convention-winter-tour/ |access-date=28 February 2023 |website=The Oxford Magazine |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Fairport Convention: Wintour 2023 - Royal Northern College of Music |url=https://www.rncm.ac.uk/performance/fairport-convention-wintour-2023/ |access-date=28 February 2023 |website=RNCM |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Fairport Convention folk-rocking it to Stratford in new year |url=https://leamingtonobserver.co.uk/lifestyle/fairport-convention-folk-rocking-it-to-stratford-in-new-year-42485/ |access-date=28 February 2023 |website=Leamington Observer |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Dave Pegg]] – bass guitar, mandolin, backing vocals, guitar, fiddle, drums <small>(1969–1979, 1985–present)</small>
* [[Ric Sanders]] – fiddles, keyboards, ukulele, backing vocals <small>(1985–present)</small>
* [[Chris Leslie (folk musician)|Chris Leslie]] – mandolin, fiddle, bouzouki, vocals, guitar, flute <small>(1996–present)</small>

==Discography==
{{main|Fairport Convention discography}}
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
#''[[Fairport Convention (album)|Fairport Convention]]'' (1968)
#''[[What We Did on Our Holidays]]'' (1968)
#''[[Unhalfbricking]]'' (1969)
#''[[Liege & Lief]]'' (1969)
#''[[Full House (Fairport Convention album)|Full House]]'' (1970)
#''[[Angel Delight (album)|Angel Delight]]'' (1971)
#''[["Babbacombe" Lee]]'' (1971)
#''[[Rosie (Fairport Convention album)|Rosie]]'' (1973)
#''[[Nine (Fairport Convention album)|Nine]]'' (1973)
#''[[Rising for the Moon]]''  (1975)
#''[[Gottle O'Geer]]'' (1976)
#''[[The Bonny Bunch of Roses (album)|The Bonny Bunch of Roses]]'' (1977)
#''[[Tipplers Tales]]''  (1978)
#''[[Gladys' Leap]]'' (1985)
#''[[Expletive Delighted!]]''  (1986)
#''[[Red & Gold]]'' (1988)
#''[[The Five Seasons]]'' (1990)
#''[[Jewel in the Crown (album)|Jewel in the Crown]]'' (1995)
#''[[Old New Borrowed Blue]]'' (1996)
#''[[Who Knows Where the Time Goes? (Fairport Convention album)|Who Knows Where the Time Goes?]]'' (1997)
#''[[The Wood and the Wire]]'' (1999)
#''[[XXXV (album)|XXXV]]'' (2002)
#''[[Over the Next Hill]]''  (2004)
#''[[Sense of Occasion]]'' (2007)
#''[[Festival Bell]]''  (2011)
#''[[By Popular Request]]'' (2012)
#''[[Myths and Heroes]]'' (2015)
#''[[50:50@50]]'' (2017)
#''[[Shuffle and Go]]'' (2020)
}}

==Filmography==
* ''Tony Palmer's Film of Fairport Convention and Matthews Southern Comfort'', directed by [[Tony Palmer (director)|Tony Palmer]], featuring Fairport's appearance at the Maidstone Fiesta in 1970. Originally released as a VHS video by MusicFolk/Weintraub, re-released on DVD by Voiceprint Records in 2007,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/fairport-convention-maidstone-1970-dvd-2496183096.html|title=Fairport Convention: Maidstone 1970 [DVD]|date=20 February 2008|website=PopMatters}}</ref> soundtrack CD issued by Voiceprint as ''Live in Maidstone 1970'' in 2009.

==References==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== General sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book | last=Humphries | first=Patrick| title=Meet on the Ledge: A History of Fairport Convention | location=London | publisher=Eel Pie Publishing Ltd. | year=1982 | isbn=0-906008-46-8}}
* {{cite book | last=Humphries | first=Patrick| title=Meet on the Ledge: Fairport Convention – The Classic Years | location=London | publisher=Virgin Publishing Ltd. | year=1997 | isbn= 978-0-753-50153-5 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Redwood |first1=Fred |last2=Woodward |first2=Martin |title=The Woodworm Era: The Story of Today's Fairport Convention|publisher=Jeneva |location=Thatcham|year=1995|isbn=978-0-952-58600-5 }}
* {{cite book |last=Sweers |first=Britta |title=Electric Folk: The Changing Face of English Traditional Music|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2005|isbn=978-0195174786 }}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* {{commons category-inline|Fairport Convention}}

{{Fairport Convention}}
{{Sandy Denny}}
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