Steeleye Span

English folk-rock band, playing mainly traditional songs. Also some instrumentals.


Line-ups.

Lineup 1 (December 1969 - March 1970)

Album: "Hark! The Village Wait" (1970)

Maddy Prior (vocals, banjo, step-dancing); Gay Woods (vocals, concertina, 
autoharp, bodhran, step-dancing); Tim Hart (vocals, guitars, mandolin, 
electric dulcimer, fiddle, banjo, harmonium); Terry Woods (vocals, guitars, 
concertina, mandola, banjo); Ashley Hutchings (vocals, bass)
Guests: Dave Mattacks/ Gerry Ashley (drums)

Lineup 2 (April 1970 - November 1971)

Album: "Please to See the King" (1971)
Album: "Ten Man Mop or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again" (1971)

Maddy Prior (vocals, spoons, tabor, tambourine, bells); Tim Hart (vocals, guitars, 
dulcimer, bells); Peter Knight (fiddle, vocals, mandolin, organ, bass, bells) 
Martin Carthy (vocals, guitars, banjo, organ, bells); 
Ashley Hutchings (vocals, bass)

Lineup 3 (December 1971 - May 1973)

Album: "Below the Salt" (1972)
Album: "Parcel of Rogues" (1973)

Maddy Prior (vocals, morrisette); Tim Hart (vocals, guitars, mandolin 
dulcimer, tabor, spoons); Peter Knight (fiddle, vocals, viola, mandolin, 
banjo, piano, harmonium); Rob Johnson (vocals, guitars); Rick Kemp (bass)

Lineup 4 (January 1973 - January 1977)

Album: "Now We Are Six" (1974)
Album: "Commoners Crown" (1975)
Album: "All Around My Hat" (1975)
Album: "Rocket Cottage" (1976)

Maddy Prior (vocals, morrisette); Tim Hart (vocals, guitars, mandolin 
electric dulcimer); Peter Knight (fiddle, mandolins, banjo, recorders) 
Rob Johnson (vocals, guitars); Rick Kemp (bass and acoustic guitar, vocals);
Nigel Pegrum (drums, tambourine, recorder, oboe)
Guests: David Bowie (sax on Now We Are Six); Peter Sellars (vocals and 
ukelele on Commoners Crown)

Lineup 5 (January 1977 - March 1978)

Album: "Storm Force Ten" (1977)
Album: "Live at Last!" (1978)

Maddy Prior (vocals); Tim Hart (vocals, guitars, mandolin); 
Martin Carthy (vocals, guitar); John Kirkpatrick (melodeon, vocals);
Rick Kemp (bass); Nigel Pegrum (drums)

"Gower Wassail" words:

A wassail, a wassail, throughout all our town
Our cup it is white and our ale it is brown
Our wassail is made of the good ale and cake
Some nutmeg and ginger, the best we could bake.

fol de dol, de dol, de dol, dol de dee
Fol de daro, fol de darry
Sing toora lye-oo

Our wassail is made of the elderberry bough
And so my good neighbours we'll drink unto thou
Besides all on earth, you have apples in store
Pray let us come in, for it's cold by the door.

We hope that your apples reach prosper and bear
So that we may have cider when we call next year
And where you have one barrel we hope you'll have ten
So that we may have cider when we call again.

There's a master and a mistress sitting down by the fire
While we poor wassail boys stand here in the mire
Come you pretty maid with your silver-headed pin
Pray open the door and let us come in.

It's we poor wassail boys, so weary and cold
Please drop some small silver into our bowl
And if we survive for another new year
Perhaps we may call and see who does live here.

We know by the moon that we are not too soon
And we know by the sky that we are not too high
And we know by the stars that we are not too far
And we know by the ground that we are within sound.

Last updated on 13/03/2010