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Maddy Prior | |
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.jpg) Prior atFairport's Cropredy Convention in 2016. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Madeleine Edith Prior (1947-08-14)14 August 1947 (age 78) |
| Origin | Blackpool, Lancashire, England |
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| Years active | 1967–present |
| Labels | Park |
| Website | maddyprior |
Madeleine Edith Prior (born 14 August 1947) is anEnglish folk rock singer, best known as the lead vocalist ofSteeleye Span.[1] She was born in Blackpool and moved toSt Albans in her teens. Her father,Allan Prior, was co-creator of the police dramaZ-Cars. She was married to Steeleye bass guitaristRick Kemp, and their daughter,Rose Kemp, is also a singer. Their son, Alex Kemp, is also a guitarist and has deputised for his father playing bass guitar for Steeleye Span.
She was part of the singing duo 'Mac & Maddy', withMac MacLeod. She then performed withTim Hart and recorded two albums with him, before they helped to found the group Steeleye Span, in 1969. She left Steeleye Span in 1997, but returned in 2002, and has toured with them since. WithJune Tabor she was the singing duoSilly Sisters. She toured with the Carnival Band, in 2007, and withGiles Lewin andHannah James, in 2012 and 2013. She has released singles and albums as a solo artist, with these bands and in several collaborations. She runs an Arts Centre called Stones Barn, inBewcastle, in Cumbria, which offers residential courses.
Born inBlackpool, Prior moved in her teens toSt Albans, where she befriended the youngDonovan Leitch andMac MacLeod inThe Cock pub. She later formed a duo with MacLeod called 'Mac & Maddy'. She became aroadie for visiting American musicians, includingReverend Gary Davis. They gave her useful advice about singing English folk songs instead of American songs. Her father,Allan Prior, was co-creator of the police dramaZ-Cars, and wroteStookie, a 6-part series for television, about a boy with his arm in a sling. Maddy sang the title song, which was released as a single in 1985. It reappeared on the Steeleye Span albumA Rare Collection 1972 – 1996.
After a brief stint with Mac MacLeod in 'Mac & Maddy' (another act formed atThe Cock pub), by 1966 she began performing withTim Hart, another St Albans resident, and together they recorded two albums before becoming founding members ofSteeleye Span in 1969.[2] They were the backbone of the group until the early 1980s when ill-health forced Hart into semi-retirement. Prior plays thetambourine,spoons and ukulele, and always gives a sprightly performance of her individual dances. In 1974Ralph McTell wrote "Maddy Dances" in her honour, included on his albumEasy.
Prior married bassistRick Kemp, though they have since divorced. The singerRose Kemp is their daughter.
Prior has recorded session work, albums of her own songs and eclectic styles from medieval (withThe Carnival Band), throughBritish folk rock — Steeleye Span and Maddy Prior appeared on television with a regular BBC 4 programmeElectric Folk[3] —prog-rock andtraditional songs, including session work onMike Oldfield'sIncantations. She left Steeleye Span in 1997 but returned in 2002. The 1999 albumThe Journey was recorded in 1995, when Maddy was still in the band, but not released until four years later. She was also one half of the duoSilly Sisters, which helped to boostJune Tabor's career.
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Since 2003 Prior has run and hosted an Arts Centre called Stones Barn inCumbria. Working with fellow singers and performers like Abbie Lathe and daughter Rose Kemp, Prior has offered residential courses focusing on singing, meditation, cookery and performance. Other events, hosted by other teachers, include classical Indian dances, painting and drumming. Prior campaigns on behalf of the charityCancer Research UK.
In 1983, Maddy Prior became the namesake forMadelyne Pryor of theX-Men, created byChris Claremont andPaul Smith. The band was directly referenced five years after Pryor's first appearance in the comics inUncanny X-Men #238 with Pryor's child self singing a line from "Gone to America", one of Steeleye Span's biggest hits. Claremont had previously named a one-shot character "Maddy Pryor" inAvengers Annual #10 (1981).[citation needed]
Maddy Prior took to the road withThe Carnival Band in May 2007 for their "Music for Tavern and Chapel" tour. They celebrated the 300th anniversary of one of the key influences on their work,Charles Wesley. She made a guest appearance withThe Levellers at theSolfest Festival in Cumbria in August 2007. On recent solo albums[which?]Troy Donockley has been a co-producer.
In December 2007 the Carnival Band albumRinging The Changes was issued. It is a collection of songs written by the band. In 2008 Maddy Prior appeared at the BBC's "Electric Proms".[4] Steeleye Span toured the Eastern US, Australia and the UK beginning in 2009.
With Giles Lewin and Hannah James, Prior completed two successful UK tours, in the spring and autumn of 2012, with a third, in autumn 2013.
In November and December 2013 Prior toured withSteeleye Span, on the Wintersmith Tour, following the release in October of their albumWintersmith, a collaborative project based on the novel of the same name byTerry Pratchett.
A short tour withThe Carnival Band in November and December, featuring carols and seasonal music, has become an annual fixture for Prior since 1984. The 2024 tour (the 40th annual tour) was the final tour.[5]
In 2001 Maddy Prior was awarded theMBE for services to folk music.[6] In 2014 she received anHonorary Fellowship from theUniversity of Cumbria.[7]
Prior was on all the Steeleye Span albums fromHark! The Village Wait (1970) toTime (1996). She then returned forPresent – The Very Best of Steeleye Span (2002) and subsequent albums.
She appeared on these albums:
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