SATURDAY FOLK/ROCK: Roy Harper, by JD

Of the generation of troubadours who came of age in the London folk clubs of the 1960s, some have passed away, while others have surrendered to the regurgitation of the blandest form of acoustic folk music. But among the survivors, there is one figure whose body of work, comprising 23 studio LPs and almost as many live and compilation releases, has come to stand for a particularly single-minded form of integrity. That man is Roy Harper.

Now officially ‘retired’, and living in a secluded corner of Ireland, Harper has recently been hailed as a key influence by a much younger generation of devoted starsailors who instinctively recognise his innovations, his refusal to compromise and his visionary world view. The likes of Fleet Foxes and Jim O’Rourke are avowed fans; and in previous decades he has enjoyed public endorsements and tributes from the likes of Led Zeppelin, Kate Bush, Pink Floyd’s Dave Gilmour and many more.

It’s been a damned good innings and he’s still not out. In January 2013 Harper received the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. In September 2013 Roy Harper: Man & Myth - The Documentary, directed by George Scott, was broadcast on Sky Arts and his first album in thirteen years, ‘Man & Myth’, was released on Bella Union followed by three special concerts. The album received rave reviews.

https://www.royharper.co.uk/

Roy Harper - When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease (Remastered)

'You' - Roy Harper, Kate Bush & David Gilmour

Roy Harper ► McGoohan's Blues [HQ Audio] Folkjokeopus 1969

Jimmy Page & Roy Harper - St Ives, UK 1984 (Same Old Rock)