Strawbs

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. Cousins began a parallel career in the UK radio industry, but revived the Strawbs in 1983 and the band performed and recorded albums in various capacities and line-ups over the next four decades. Their final concert took place at the Fairport's Cropredy Convention in August 2023, after which Cousins retired due to ongoing health problems. He died in July 2025 at the age of 85, thus ending the band.