Dave Swarbrick, British folk musician and singer-songwriter, Died at 75

  Music, Writers

Dave Swarbrick was born on April 5, 1941, and died on June 3, 2016.

He was an English folk musician and singer-songwriter.

Dave has been described by Ashley Hutchings as ‘the most influential [British] fiddle player bar none’ and his style has been copied or developed by almost every British, and many world folk violin players who have followed him.

Swarbrick was one of the most highly regarded musicians produced by the second British folk revival, contributing to some of the most important groups and projects of the 1960s, and he became a much sought-after session musician, which has led him throughout his career to work with many of the major figures in folk and folk rock music.

Dave work for the group Fairport Convention from 1969 has been credited with leading them to produce their seminal album Liege and Lief (1969) which initiated the electric folk movement.

This, however, helped create greater interest in British traditional music and was highly influential within the mainstream rock.

Following 1970 Dave emerged as Fairport Convention’s leading figure and guided the band through a series of important albums until its disbandment in 1979.

From that time, he has played in a series of smaller, acoustic units and engaged in solo projects which have maintained a massive output of recordings, a significant profile and have made a major contribution to the interpretation of traditional British music.

Dave was awarded a ‘Gold Badge’ by the English Folk Dance and Song Society and the ‘Gold Badge of Merit’ by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters, in 2003.

Bill was married to the painter Jill Swarbrick-Banks.

The couple had met in 1998 and married in the following year.

Dave Swarbrick passed away at 75 yrs old.