Have Guitar, Will Travel

They were under-rated then, but today their albums can fetch £300 or more….RICHARD MORTON JACK celebrates 20 British singer-songwriters of the late 60s and early 70s, whose fascinating stories include walk-on parts for Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Traffic, Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Malcolm MacLaren, Nick Drake and many more

The major success of recent artists such as David Gray, Damien Rice and James Blunt emphasises the eternal appeal of the singer-songwriter. Though the term originally described American superstars like Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, Britain also produced a rich vein of them in the late 60s.

“While pop was exploding with the Beatles and so on, there was always the folk club circuit,” explains Peter Eden, discoverer and producer of Donovan as well as lesser-known singer-songwriters such as Mick Softley and Bill Fay. “Of course, singing songs with a guitar was an ancient idea, and most towns had a folk club. As not everyone could be in a group, they were an outlet for your songs. You were on your own, you didn’t have a band to front or live up to, so you could express yourself. As a result, the subject matter vastly expanded.”

When Bob Dylan shot to prominence in 1963, a huge number of formerly traditional performers began to write their own material. The guitar and voice combination became an important means of communicating not only political thoughts, but also personal ones.

“Dylan’s songs were simple, so they were a great template for aspiring songwriters,” says Ralph McTell. “And the fact that many of them were personal encouraged people to start using …

by Richard Morton Jack
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