Bonus Episode: Maddy Prior and Peter Knight in conversation at Cecil Sharp House

Folk on Foot

Matthew Bannister

Music Interviews, Performing Arts, Music, Nature, Arts, Science

4.8 • 526 Ratings

🗓️ 12 September 2022

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Singer Maddy Prior and violinist Peter Knight were at the heart of the success of folk rock pioneers Steeleye Span. In this candid interview with Matthew Bannister on stage at the Indoor Festival of Folk at Cecil Sharp House, they recall the heady days of rock n roll excess during the 1970s and movingly describe the role of music in their lives. Peter reveals he once appeared on Top of the Pops dressed as a Womble and Maddy describes the gig where they dropped thousands of pound notes onto the heads of the audience. The band is famous for having countless different line ups and they speak about the rows that often led to one or more members departing. A fascinating conversation with two legendary names of the folk world.

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Find out more about Maddy Prior at https://stonesbarn.co.uk/

Find out more about Peter Knight at https://www.peterknight.net/

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Transcript

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0:00.0	I wondered if we could start at the beginning and just learn a little bit about both of your roots into music.
0:06.0	So, were you in a musical family? Did you take up singing as a kid or how did it work?
0:11.0	No, I was, nobody sang in the family.
0:14.0	And I did sing, I don't know why or how, but there used to be a competition in the Saturday matinee,
0:22.6	and I used to, and after we'd sung Land of Hope and Glory, which gives you a perspective of when it was,
0:27.6	they used to do a competition and they'd go along and put their hand on top of you, each person,
0:33.6	and the children were supposed to clap loudly or softly.
0:36.6	Well, of course, they just cheered or booed.
0:38.3	So, but I used to get up and sing,
0:41.3	I'm a bow-legged chicken, I'm an up-need hen, a Tennessee wig walk,
0:45.3	which I learned from the OPEs was apparently a big thing in the Lancashire,
0:50.3	because I was in Blackpool at the time, in the Lancashire,
0:53.3	at school, apparently for some reason it took off. Anyway, I used to sing that and I used to win.
0:59.8	So it was no-brainer. I was a singer, you know. And that's mostly what happens.
1:04.9	And it was all uphill from there. Yeah. What about you, Peter? Did you take up the fiddle
1:09.5	at a very early age?
1:19.9	I had a dad who played the fiddle, but it was sort of that music hall thing until later in years when he got a bit involved with folk music when I did.
1:26.1	I had a mum who sang all the time, beautiful, beautiful voice.
1:31.2	And I think my dad told me later in you is that he used to sort of tease me with his violin knowing that I wanted I would do it you know
1:37.7	it was sort of trapped me into playing the violin really I wanted to be a professional
1:41.7	golfer but he diverted your attention, but with the fiddle.
1:47.0	Yeah.
	...

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