Ian Campbell Folk Group

Ian Campbell Folk Group
Origin	Birmingham, England
Genres	Folk Music
Years active	1956–1978
Past members
Ian Campbell Lorna Campbell Gordon McCulloch Dave Phillips John Dunkerley Dave Swarbrick Brian Clark Mansell Davies George Watts Dave Pegg Andy Smith Mike Hadley

The Ian Campbell Folk Group were one of the most popular and respected folk groups of the British folk revival of the 1960s.^[1][2] The group made many appearances on radio, television, and at national and international venues and festivals. They performed a mixture of British traditional folk music and new material, including compositions by Campbell. Much of their popularity flowed from the variety of their performance which included a mixture of solos, group vocals and instrumentals.

History

The group formed in 1956 in Birmingham, as the Clarion Skiffle Group.^[3] The band was renamed the Ian Campbell Folk Group in 1958 and became one of the most respected, popular and influential folk groups of the British folk scene of the 1960s. The group's first recordings included the EP, Ceilidh At The Crown, which was released in 1962 and was the first live folk club recording to be released on vinyl.^[4]

In 1963, they signed to Transatlantic Records and released their first studio album, This is The Ian Campbell Folk Group. The group made television appearances throughout the 1960s including Hootenanny Show, Barn Dance and Hullabaloo.^[4] They established a substantial audience and played concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and the Royal Festival Hall and at the Newport Folk Festival in 1964.^[4] In 1965, their version of Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are a-Changin'" reached #42 in the UK Singles Chart.^[5]

The group split in 1978 when Lorna separated from husband Brian Clark, who had been a singer and guitarist in the group since 1963. Ian and Lorna continued to perform with various other musicians as the New Ian Campbell Folk Group.^[6]

Band members

The original line-up was Ian Campbell (guitar, vocals) (b. 10 June 1933, Aberdeen, Scotland) his sister Lorna Campbell (vocals) (b. 1939, Aberdeen, Scotland), Dave Phillips (guitar) and Gordon McCulloch (banjo). During the group's 22 years, its membership included:

• 1956 - 1959 Gordon McCulloch.
• 1956 - 1963 Dave Phillips.
• 1959 - 1976 John Dunkerley (banjo, guitar, accordion). John Dunkerley left due to Hodgkin's lymphoma and died the following year aged 34.
• 1960 - 1966 Dave Swarbrick (fiddle, mandola) subsequently played with Martin Carthy and then Fairport Convention
• 1963 - 1978 Brian Clark (guitar, vocals).
• 1966 - 1968 Mansell Davies (bass).
• 1966 - 1968 George Watts (flute)
• 1968 - 1971 Dave Pegg (bass) left to join Fairport Convention.
• 1969 - 1971 Andy Smith (banjo, mandolin, guitar, fiddle)
• 1971 - 1974 Mike Hadley (bass).
• 1978 - The group disbanded, but Ian and Lorna continued to perform working with a variety of musicians, including: Aiden Forde (banjo, mandola), Colin Tommis (guitar) and Neil Cox (guitar).

Partial discography

• 1962 - Ceilidh At The Crown : Topic TOP76 EP
• 1963 - This Is the Ian Campbell Folk Group! : Transatlantic TRA 110 LP (Re-released in 1964 as Presenting the Ian Campbell Folk Group : Contour 2870 314)
• 1964 - Across the Hills : Transatlantic TRA 118 LP
• 1965 - Coaldust Ballads : Transatlantic TRA 123 LP
• 1966 - Contemporary Campbells : Transatlantic TRA 137 LP
• 1967 - New Impressions : Transatlantic TRA 151 LP
• 1968 - The Circle Game : Transatlantic TRA 163 LP
• 1969 - Ian Campbell and the Ian Campbell Folk Group with Dave Swarbrick : Music for Pleasure, MFP Stereo 1349 LP
• 1971 - The Sun Is Burning : ARGO ZFB 13 LP
• 1972 - Something To Sing About : PYE PKL 5506 LP
• 1974 - Live : Sonnet SPL 1967 LP

References

1. ^ Winick, Stephen D. (1997). "Reissuing the Revival: British and Irish Music on Topic Records". The Journal of American Folklore (American Folklore Society) 110 (437): 324–341. doi:10.2307/541167. JSTOR 541167. 
2. ^ NME Artists: Ian Campbell NME.com. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
3. ^ "The Ian Campbell Group". Brumbeat.net. http://www.brumbeat.net/iancampb.htm. Retrieved 2010-09-23. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} Larkin C 'Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music' (Muze UK Ltd, 1997) ISBN 0-7535-0149-X p91
5. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 91. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
6. ^ Phillips, Duncan, ed (1994). Music Master Folk Music of the British Isles Catalogue (1st ed.). London: Retail Entertainment Data Publishing. ISBN 9780904520880.