David Norwood

In 1967 a group of young musicians from London's Muswell Hill area formed a group influenced by the sound of America's West Coast (the Byrds, Jefferson Airplane) and the recent huge interest in singer/songwriters like Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Judy Collins, etc. They called themselves Fairport Convention after guitarist Simon Nicol's parent's house. Success followed hard and the Fairports gained a reputation of brilliant live gigs allied with an incredible musicianship that belied their young years. Original singer, Judy Dyble quit early on to be replaced by the irrepressible (and irreplaceable) and now legendary Sandy Denny.

Sandy brought a folk background to the band combined with a voice of heartbreaking loveliness and passionate strength. Her wide knowledge of traditional music allied with the American blues/rock style of lead guitarist Richard Thompson (another legend but thankfully still alive!) combined to form that most strange yet wondrous of hybrid beasts, folk-rock. (Dylan and the Byrds had married electric music to folk songs before but Fairport took traditional British folk songs and tunes but gave them an electric sound that was for the time, 1968, revolutionary). Without Sandy Denny and Fairport Convention it would be fair to say that many bands today, most notably All About Eve would not have existed in the form that we have come to love, or at all.

Sandy felt her own development as a songwriter of some ability was being lost in the band's new quest for heavier arrangements of older and even more obscure folk songs. She felt detached from the rock and roll laddishness of the rest of the band and needed to be taken seriously as a musician in her own right. She left just as serious success beckoned. Her solo career produced some incredible music (oh, to hear Julianne do a tribute album!) but its fashion dictated peaks and troughs left her a physical and emotional wreck dependant on drink and occasionally drugs. She suffered a brain haemorrhage after a fall and died in 1978 aged 31.

Cropredy is a lovely olde-world village in Oxfordshire sitting between Daventry and Banbury on the lazy River Cherwell. This is folk-rock's answer to Silicon Valley. Most, if not all, past and present members of Fairport live or lived around here. When Fairport gave up the ghost in 1979 Sandy's recently departed spirit hung large over their future. A farewell concert in Cropredy (after playing with Led Zeppelin at Nebworth) was enjoyed by all who played and attended that it was decided to have an annual reunion of ex-Fairport members and their fans. This festival now attracts up to 20,000 fans over the weekend, many travelling from overseas to wallow in nostalgia and the magic of Cropredy.

In 1989 All About Eve were added to the bill and thus began my love affair with the music (and perhaps even the person) of Julianne Regan. The opening song of their set was courageous and inspired, "She Moves Through the Fair". This beautiful, traditional Irish air was closely associated with Sandy Denny (She recorded it on her first Fairport album, "What We Did On Our Holidays"). It could've worked against AAE, it's a bit slow to open a live set with! But to me, and many of the people in the crowd it just endeared us to them straight away. These young Turks were holding aloft the "Sandy flag", consciously or not! A terrific set followed and I vowed to get this new band's album. Little did I know that Julianne would be back on stage that night singing with Fairport.

The irreverently monikered "Sandy Spot" is a time during Fairport's set when a female guest vocalist tries (and in many cases fails) to capture the magic of some of Sandy's music. Tonight it was to be Julianne's baptism of fire! When the spotlight picked her out she look a little lost and vulnerable, as if the awesome responsibility of her task had just hit her. Then the opening chords of "The Lady", one of Sandy's most beautiful songs, rang out over the darkened field, and Julianne's voice just rose and soared over the crowd. There were many murmurs of appreciation and generous applause when she finished.

Then it happened! The fist sad, bittersweet notes of "Who Knows Where The Time Goes", Sandy's signature piece, set the hairs on the back of my neck to stand to attention! This is perhaps her most well known, and in my opinion, the most beautiful song that she ever wrote. (It takes centre stage in my wedding video; Bride, Groom, island sunset, ruined castle, kilts and Sandy!) And Julianne stole the hearts of every one of us standing under that full August moon. Her voice was as clear as crystal and her interpretation was dazzling. I'm not ashamed to say that the tears just poured from my eyes (think it must've been the wine!), and I wasn't the only one! The roar of appreciation when the song ended was tribute to both Sandy and Julianne equally. In the short space of five minutes, she became one of us.

Julianne became one of the Fairport family and each year she captivated the audiences with her beautiful versions of Sandy Denny classics, and each year she would stop the show with "that song." In 1992 she even sang "Flowers in our Hair" and "More than the Blues" with Fairport as well as doing the "Sandy Spot"

In 1990 a young singer songwriter, Vikki Clayton, joined Fairport onstage. She not only looked like Sandy Denny but also sang exactly her. (At times the vocal similarities were positively spooky!) Fairport were able to do serious justice to their back catalogue with Vikki singing Sandy's part. Yet she and Julianne complimented each other on stage, with Julianne doing mostly Sandy's solo stuff.

Then one year, 1993-note it's significance AAE fans, I bumped into Vikki and complimented her on last year's incredible set of classic Sandy era Fairport. I also asked her if Julianne would be appearing. She looked a bit sad and a bit troubled and said, with a heavy sigh, "No, not this year!". I was intrigued, and a fair bit disappointed. "What's up?" I asked. She wouldn't be drawn but it seemed to me that there had been a falling out between Julianne and the Fairports. So I asked if she was going to sing "Who knows…?" later on .She just smiled and I quote, "Oh no, I couldn't do that! That's Julianne's now!" which I thought was perhaps the nicest compliment that one Sandy Denny fan could pay to another. By the way "Everything but the Girl" sang and murdered it! It was the end of an era (AAE dissolved that year too and looking back I would guess that was significant in Julianne's no show.)

So now it's 2000 and All About Eve are back at Cropredy. I can't be there to witness the rebirth of the love affair that started way back in '89. So if you are going, enjoy the experience and if she sings "Who Knows Where The Time Goes", then perhaps you will understand just what I've been waffling about. As Sandy sang with Fairport over 30years ago, " If you really mean it, it all comes round again!"

Love and Peace, Noddy.