Sandy Denny (site it came from was bogus so no link)
They put up the walls with no more to say,
Nobody stopped to ask why it was done.
The stream was too far and the rain was too high,
So into the city the river did run.
Because of the architect the buildings fell down,
Smothered or drowned all the seeds which were sown.
I wish I were somewhere, but not in this town.
Maybe the ocean next time around.
from “Next Time Around”
Alexandra Elene MacLean Denny (b. 1/6/47 – d. 4/21/78) was an English singer-songwriter who was lead singer of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention. Denny was the lead singer of the group Fairport Convention, and fronted the band through several of their most highly regarded albums: What We Did on Our Holidays, Unhalfbricking, and Liege & Lief, which were all released by the band during 1969. Those albums are today considered touchstones in the progression of British folk rock.
Fairport guitarist and songwriter Richard Thompson would prove to be an important collaborator in Denny’s life, and he would go on to perform guitar duties on each of her solo albums. In addition to her work with Fairport Convention, Denny was also a member of The Strawbs, Fotheringay and The Bunch. Other notable recordings include her duet with Robert Plant on Led Zeppelin’s “The Battle of Evermore”, as well as a brief appearance on a live version of The Who’s Tommy.
Denny has been described as “the pre-eminent British folk rock singer”.
Early Life:
Denny was born at Nelson Hospital, Kingston Road, Merton Park, London, to Neil and Edna Denny. She attended Coombe Girls’ School in New Malden; after leaving school she began training as a nurse at the Royal Brompton Hospital.
Musical Beginnings:
Her paternal grandfather was from Dundee, and her paternal grandmother was a Scots Gaelic speaker and singer of traditional Gaelic songs. At an early age Denny showed an interest in singing, although her strict parents were reluctant to believe there was a living to be made from it.
While attending nurses training, she secured a place on a foundation course at Kingston College of Art, which she took up in September 1965, becoming involved with the folk club on campus. Her contemporaries at the college included guitarist and future member of Pentangle, John Renbourn.
After her first public appearance at the Barge in Kingston upon Thames, Denny began working the folk club circuit in the evenings with an American-influenced repertoire, including songs by Tom Paxton, together with traditional folk songs. Denny made the first of many appearances for the BBC at Cecil Sharp House on 12/2/66 on the Folk Song Cellar programme where she accompanied herself on two traditional songs: “Fir a Bhata” and “Green Grow the Laurels.”
In mid-1967, her earliest professional recordings were made, featuring traditional songs and covers of folk contemporaries.
Discography:
|
Sandy Denny discography |
|
|---|---|
|
Studio albums |
4 |
|
Live albums |
2 |
|
Compilation albums |
15 |
|
EPs |
1 |
|
Singles |
4 |
|
Collaborations |
2 |
With The Strawbs: 1 studio and 2 reissues
With Fairport Convention: 4 studio, 3 live
With Fotheringay: 2 studio, 1 live, 1 compilation
With The Bunch: 1 studio
Filmography :
Guest appearances: 10
Some things to share:
Sandy was known to have a “parlor trick” of throwing herself off of things that some believed was self-harming behavior. At the end of her life someone found her unconscious at the bottom of a flight of stairs, which ended up in her death at age 31.
Sandy did not have “mass market” success, after her death many posthumous releases of her music have resulted in her being much better known.
I found an almost 2-hour documentary on her, called, “Sandy Denny: Folk Music’s Unsung Pioneer.”
Official website: here
Source: wikipedia
Tao Talk 
A beautiful voice and such a sad loss.
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For sure.
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My dear longtime music buddy Gerd told me he thinks Sandy Denny is the most beautiful voice in British folk rock. He’s a huge fan. :-)
I agree Sandy’s vocals were really pretty. Her rendition with Fairport Convention of “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” is so powerful it can make you well up – me anyway! :-)
That said, I’ve only heard a few Fairport Convention songs. I also knew about Sandy’s involvement in Zep’s gem “The Battle of Evermore” – altogether not really enough to come to a fully informed opinion.
Thanks, btw, for including a link to that documentary. It sounds like I should watch it. I’ll be out for most of the day, so perhaps tonight! :-)
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Thanks for listening and your comment, Christian. I know Fairport Convention as far as one of their albums and Richard Thompson and so knew it was good. I’d like to listen to some of Sandy in the other groups she was in also. Cool about Zep’s tune. You’re welcome on the doc link :)
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A great choice! In the US we pay homage to American folk-rock but tend to ignore the UK with Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span (Maddie Pryor), Pentangle (Jacqui McShee), and early Traffic, among others.
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Thanks, Steve. I 100% agree on the UK folk rock. I came across a group called Colosseum on SRR (re-release? re-master? re-issue? of old music?) not sure which one but they sound fantastic. I have FC, SS albums but not Pentangle (yet!) and I can see why you would put traffic into that category. TMMTLT!
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I think I remember Colosseum – weren’t they more fusion or prog rock?
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yes
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A very talented artist and part of a small group with as you mentioned Richard Thompson that kept the traditional songs alive.
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Yes, she is, and I hope that tradition continues with the young’ns.
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Wonderful singer…I’ve listened to some of the Fairport Convention music and it’s great like your clip. I’ve never heard Crazy Lady Blues before…her voice is just lovely…thats the best word I can use.
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Max, I think Sandy sang with her very being. Such a great loss to the world with her passing. Fairport Convention is fantastic and so are Richard & Linda Thompson. Linda also has a freegin awesome voice.
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Sandy could sing so well…she just didnt’ sing within a 3 minute pop song restraint…that to me is the reason she wasn’t more well known…it wasn’t because of lack of talent.
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I love her – great work in Fairport and some great solo songs.
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Have you heard her with the other bands she was in? Will have to look those up at some point.
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Not really, I think Fairport and solo are the key records for her.
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I really like Sandy Denny, especially her solo releases. She died in tragic circumstances.
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Glyn, wiki reads like she threw herself down stairs, but I also read she had an abusive partner. What are your thoughts?
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Her voice is so distinctive, and perfect for traditional-infused music like Fairport did. I actually did not know she was part of the Strawbs. I remember their song “Lay Down” but not much else about them. My friends and I were all folkies and the British Folk groups were all high on our list. (K)
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I’m late to it but am liking what I’m hearing of it. I’m envisioning you with your love beads, long hair, bell bottoms, and paisley prints :)
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The bell bottoms were embroidered. Wish I still had them. When I cut my waist-length braid in my 20s I kept it–it’s in a box somewhere still I think. We never took photos then though. Probably better in memory than reality.
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:)
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What a fabulous voice. Another silenced too young.
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Well-said, Dale.
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Thank you
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You’re welcome.
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Beautiful voice. I think she wrote Who Knows Where the Time Goes, a brilliant song.
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Such a wonderfully gifted individual <3
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wow, what a great “Knocking’ on Heaven’s Door”! Probably would have missed it this lifetime if not for your post.
bestest,
Donna
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Thanks, Donna!
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Wow! What a power house of a voice! Xo
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Yes :)
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