The Strawbs

Dave Cousins, leader of The Strawbs, recently received BPI platinum discs in recognition of worldwide sales of the albums Grave New World and Bursting at the Seams. Last year the ClassicRock Society presented him with their Lifetime Achievement Award celebrating thirty years in rock music. The award was presented by former member of the group, Rick Wakeman. Rick Wakeman played with the Strawbs for two years before moving on to achieve world-wide successwith Yes, and as a solo artist. The much-loved Sandy Denny made an album with the Strawbs before she joined Fairport Convention.

The Strawbs have enjoyed major success on both sides of the Atlantic. In the early 1970s, as well as the hit albums, their UK singles Part of the Union and Lay Down topped the charts. From the mid-1970s they concentrated on the United States and Canada where their albums, including the classics Hero and Heroine and Ghosts, spent over fifty two weeks on the national charts as they toured with Santana, Peter Frampton, The Eagles, Joe Walsh, Blue Oyster Cult, King Crimson, and Frank Zappa. Thirty years on from their huge album chart successes the Strawbs are touring with an acoustic line-up - Dave Cousins (58) on guitar, banjo, dulcimer and vocals, Dave Lambert (54) on guitar and vocals, plus relatively new boy, guitarist Brian Willoughby (54) who took over as Strawbs lead guitarist in 1978 when Dave Lambert went solo. Their US tour in April/May this year has lead to a massive resurgence of interest: Unlike many groups that are past their commercial prime and churn out inferior, dispirited versions of the hits from their glory days, the acoustic Strawbs stand out as a band that performs their old material with passion and precision. Furthermore, they have broken new ground by harnessing the power of their electric incarnation in an acoustic setting. (Chicago Tribune - May 2003) Strawbs recent acoustic album, Baroque & Roll, was listed in Rolling Stone as one of contributor Richie Unterbergers Top Ten albums of 2001. On the album they are reunited for three tracks with arranger Robert Kirby, perhaps best known for his work on the first Nick Drake albums. The album received extensive airplay in 2002 on AAA stations across the USA. Strawbs newly released electric album, Blue Angel, features Welsh chanteuse Mary Hopkin on several tracks, as well as Maddy Prior of Steeleye Span. This album has likewise received extensive airplay in the USA on both AAA and rock format stations.