Peter Knight
Peter Knight andMaddy Prior atFairport's Cropredy Convention 2006
Background information
Born	(1947-05-27)27 May 1947 (age 78) London, England, UK
Genres	Folk
Instruments	Violin, mandolin, vocals
Years active	1960s–present
Formerly of	Steeleye Span
Spouse	Deborah Knight ​ ​ (m. 2011)​

Peter Knight (born 27 May 1947) is an English folk musician. He was a member ofBritish folk rock groupSteeleye Span from 1970 to 2013.

Born in London, Knight learnt to play the violin and mandolin as a child before going to theRoyal Academy of Music from 1960 to 1964, enrolling at thirteen and graduating at sixteen.^[1][2][3] The recordings of the Irish fiddlersMichael Coleman andMichael Gorman^[2] inspired him to take part in Irish pub sessions.^[4]

Knight teamed up with guitarist and singerBob Johnson until 1970 when he joinedSteeleye Span. The parting was short-lived, as Johnson himself also joined Steeleye Span in 1972. In 1971, he performed onRoy Bailey's debut album.^[5]

In the mid-70s he was once secretly a member ofThe Wombles and appeared onTop of The Pops as Uncle Bulgaria, with Rick Kemp and Bob Johnson also in Womble suits;^[6] when speaking about his experience as a Womble, Knight said: "It's a bit embarrassing... but all my Wombles are in America," was howMike Batt had raised the issue. "He was producing one of Steeleye Span's albums, and he was looking for someone to be the Wombles onTop of the Pops. We (Knight, Kemp and Johnson) all jumped at the opportunity."^[7]

He left Steeleye Span in January 1977, when it started to look as if the band was about to break up. Knight teamed up with Johnson again to record a concept albumThe King of Elfland's Daughter (1978), based on thenovel byLord Dunsany.^[8] It included one song sung by blues legendAlexis Korner and another byMary Hopkin. In 1980 he returned to Steeleye Span and appeared on every one of their albums since then up untilWintersmith (released October 2013). Also in the 1980s, ge met saxophonistTrevor Watts and was introduced to free improvisation.^[2] He played with Watts in bands such as Moiré Music and The Drum Orchestra.^[2]

In 1995 he recorded an album with bass-playerDanny Thompson,^[9] best known for his work withJohn Martyn. Knight formedTanna with guitaristKevin Dempsey and Tom Leary during the 2000s.^[10] He appeared as a guest onMostly Autumn's 2007 albumHeart Full of Sky and performed as a guest at their album launch show at the London Astoria on 10 February 2007. In 2012, he was appointed Patron of the Fiddle Festival of Britain.^[4]

Knight formed his own band, Gigspanner, a trio turned six-piece folk band^[11] he still tours with as of 2026. He announced his decision to leave Steeleye Span at the end of 2013 on his website on 14 November 2013.^[12] Knight's exact reasons for leaving Steeleye Span are still unclear, but when asked in a 2013 interview, lead singerMaddy Prior said: "I'm not quite sure, maybe it's time to have a break and do other things. Gigspanner is his baby and that's what he wants to do. It's a bit late on for returns but I would never say it's out of the question."^[13]

Since 2016, he has performed as a duo withBellowhead founder and melodeon player,John Spiers.^[6] He appeared as a guest onThe Lost Trades's 2021 albumThe Bird, The Book & The Barrel^[14]

Knight lives with his wife, Deborah Walker Knight, who he married inKingsand in 2011.^[15][7]

• Official website
• Feast of fiddles
• Peter Knight discography atDiscogs

• 1947 births
• Living people
• Musicians from London
• British folk rock musicians
• 20th-century English fiddlers
• 21st-century English fiddlers
• British male violinists
• British mandolinists
• Steeleye Span members
• Chrysalis Records artists
• 20th-century British violinists
• 21st-century English violinists

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from April 2022
• Articles with hCards