was the most successful and enduring British folk-rock band. The parallels between the bands are numerous: both updated traditional British folk material with rock arrangements, both featured an excellent female lead singer (
), both frequently employed multi-part harmonies, and both mixed original and traditional songs. Although
was arguably the more interesting band after 1970, when personnel changes had gutted the original
lineup.
, too, would undergo numerous personnel changes even at their peak.
was the constant factor that gave the group something of a recognizable identity at all phases of their journey.
One thing that differentiated
Steeleye Span from their counterparts was that
Fairport came to traditional folk from a rock background, whereas
Steeleye traveled in the opposite direction. The original lineup, formed around the beginning of 1970, included guitarist
Terry Wood, who had been in a traditional Irish folk group called
Sweeney's Men (with
Andy Irvine). The supple-voiced
Prior had been in a folk duo with guitarist
Tim Hart. The impetus for
Steeleye Span's formation, ironically, came from ex-
Fairport Convention bassist
Ashley Hutchings.
Hutchings wanted to keep pursuing the traditional folk direction ploughed by
Fairport on the 1969 album
Liege and Lief, and left
Fairport to joined forces with
Prior,
Hart,
Terry Woods, and
Gay Woods (
Terry's wife) to anchor the first incarnation of
Steeleye Span.
This lineup only lasted for one album, with the
Woods leaving for
Doctor Strangely Strange;
Terry Woods would eventually resurface with
the Pogues in the 1980s. He was replaced by
Martin Carthy, one of the most respected guitarists on the English folk circuit.
Carthy's abdication of acoustic folk for electric (if drum-less) folk-rock apparently caused much consternation within the purist English folk community, a kerfuffle that is hard to understand (at least from an American perspective), given that
Dylan had already successfully fought that battle in the mid-'60s. While
Steeleye Span played folk music, they had no aversion to playing it loud, and this version of the band proved that it was possible to create an energetic ruckus without a drummer.
Both
Hutchings and
Carthy, by far the most famous members of the group, left around the end of 1971. This sort of defection would have crippled most acts. Yet
Steeleye Span not only persevered, but entered their most commercially successful phase.
Tim Hart was once quoted as saying that the group wanted to "put traditional music back into current musical language -- to make folk music less esoteric." They were aided in doing so by new bassist
Rick Kemp, who became
Maddy Prior's husband. In 1973, they finally added drums to the band, becoming a true folk-rock act after years of ramping up.
One asset to
Steeleye Span's unusual durability (in the face of the revolving door of players) was their open-minded approach to contemporary influences. They covered oldies (and well) by
Buddy Holly,
the Four Seasons, and
Phil Spector.
David Bowie and
Peter Sellers made cameo appearances on their albums in the mid-'70s. They occasionally acted in plays (in which they also musically performed as a group). They covered
Brecht-
Weill songs. Some of their work was produced by
Mike Batt, whose primary previous credentials was as the mastermind of
the Wombles, a British kiddie rock group.
Steeleye Span finally had a British chart hit in 1974 with the Christmas song "Gaudette." In 1975, they had a huge (by folk-rock standards) smash with "All Around My Hat," which reached the U.K. Top Five. In the United States, they (like
Fairport) were consigned to cult status. They picked up some airplay on open-minded FM stations, but got their widest Stateside exposure as an opening act during a
Jethro Tull tour. The onslaught of punk and new wave weakened any prospects for continued chart success at home. In 1977, they took on more traditional elements with the return of
Martin Carthy, and the addition of
John Kirkpatrick on accordion, but they finally split the following year.
Not for good, however. In a final parallel with
Fairport Convention, they decided to periodically reunite while pursuing their own projects. Other studio albums appeared, and the group sometimes performed at festivals or even toured, though with enough irregularity to make it confusing to determine whether they were "together" again. A devoted following makes it possible for them to be received warmly by cult audiences whenever the mood suits them to play live again.
Carthy has enjoyed the most notable solo career of the
Steeleye Span alumni, continuing to command great respect among British folk listeners.
Maddy Prior's most notable outside endeavor has been her duo recordings with fellow British folk singer
June Tabor.
Tim Hart released a handful of notable solo outings as well, before retiring to La Gomera, in the Canary Islands, where he passed away after a long battle with cancer in 2009.
–
Richie Unterberger, Rovi