British Folk Rock
tagStarted 1967Peak 1969-1977Last big hit still activeFrom United Kingdom
Located in 2 routes
The UK strain of folk rock: a rock band rooted in the British Isles' traditional ballad and dance repertoire, with modal melodies, narrative storytelling, fiddle and acoustic interplay, and a rhythm section that drives ancient tunes. Encompasses both electrified traditional material and original songs cast in that ancestral, pastoral mold.
History
Emerged in the late 1960s as Fairport Convention and Pentangle fused American folk-rock ideas with England's own folk canon, branching into electric folk and the Celtic-leaning fringe. The 'Liege & Lief' axis defined it; later acts and revivalists kept the British ballad tradition in dialogue with rock across the decades.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_folk_rock
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/british-folk-rock-ma0000004439
- https://www.spin.com/2013/01/british-folk-rock-essentials-incredible-string-band-pentangle-fairport-convention/