Strawbs
Sign in to saveThe Strawbs were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by Dave Cousins (vocals, guitar, banjo, mandolin, dulcimer) and Tony Hooper (vocals, guitar). Over 25 musicians have been members across its history, with Cousins being the leader, principal songwriter, and longest serving member of the band. Other notable members were Ron Chesterman, Rick Wakeman, Richard Hudson, John Ford, Blue Weaver, Dave Lambert, Chas Cronk, and Rod Coombes.
Key facts
- Musical artist.name
- Strawbs
- Musical artist.image
- The Strawbs.jpg
- Musical artist.alt
- The band seated onstage
- Musical artist.caption
- Strawbs performing in 2012
- Musical artist.landscape
- yes
- Musical artist.background
- group_or_band
- Musical artist.alias
- The StrawbsAcoustic Strawbs
- Musical artist.origin
- Strawberry Hill, London, England
- Musical artist.years_active
- 1963–1980, 1983–2023
- Musical artist.past_members
- Dave Cousins Rick Wakeman Dave LambertChas CronkTony FernandezDave Bainbridge
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
15 sectionsContents
- History
- 1963–1968: Early period
- 1968–1971: Signing with A&M and rise
- 1971–1973: Commercial peak
- 1973–1980: Progressive rock period and disbanding
- 1983–2006
- Acoustic Strawbs
- 2006–2023
- Band members
- Official members
- Acoustic Strawbs
- Discography
- Filmography
- References
- External links
The Strawbs were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by Dave Cousins (vocals, guitar, banjo, mandolin, dulcimer) and Tony Hooper (vocals, guitar). Over 25 musicians have been members across its history, with Cousins being the leader, principal songwriter, and longest serving member of the band. Other notable members were Ron Chesterman, Rick Wakeman, Richard Hudson, John Ford, Blue Weaver, Dave Lambert, Chas Cronk, and Rod Coombes.
The group started out as a bluegrass duo called the Strawberry Hill Boys, but recruited additional members and evolved towards folk and electronic rock. In 1968, after a period recording with vocalist Sandy Denny, the group were the first act to sign with American label A&M Records. They had initial UK chart success as a five-piece with their third release, the live album Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios (1970). The Strawbs adopted a progressive rock-oriented direction for the rest of the decade and reached their commercial peak with Grave New World (1972) and Bursting at the Seams (1972), of which the latter featured "Part of the Union" and "Lay Down" which reached No. 2 and No. 12 in the UK, respectively. Following Hero and Heroine (1974) and Ghosts (1975) and continued touring, mostly in the US and Canada, the group split 1980.