The John Richards Band

It?s fifty one years since the first John Richards songs were recorded and released on L.P. by John and Bev Pegg. The one song that they cowrote on that LP was adopted by Robin Dransfield, then Paul Downes and Phil Beer, The Arizona Smoke Review and more recently Greg Russell and Ciaran Algar. Since then John has had songs covered by Fairport Convention, Simon Nicol solo, Paul Downes, Show of Hands, Phil Beer, , Mike Silver, Keith Kendrick and Sylvia Needham and a long list of folk club residents and singers. Although Fairport recorded John?s ?Honour & Praise? in 1985, it still appears in their sets and was included again on their most recent album release. During his years in folk music John was a member of Maurice and the Minors, then the roots rock band Desperate Men, and from 2000 on, various line ups of the John Richards Band. Ten CD?s have been released over recent years and the band and John?s songs continue to enjoy an enviable reputation. This line up consists of :- John ? Vocals, guitar and bouzouki Emma Jones ? vocals Jim Sutton ? Bass and Keyboards Julia Disney ? fiddle and vocals. Emma, is John?s eldest daughter and has been singing with him for years. She has a voice that can make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Jim, is one of the most highly regarded bass players on the Jazz and folk circuits and also an outstanding keyboard player, who has recently added concertina to his kit. Julia is an outstanding musician; her fiddle parts ooze taste, and the vocal harmonies that she and Emma create are truly beautiful. Altogether this is a very tight band that can take you through all the emotions with John?s poignant songs, lift your spirits with ear worm choruses, and move you from tears of sadness to tears of laughter with John?s remarkable true stories.