Electric Folk
tagStarted 1969Peak 1969-1976Last big hit still activeFrom United Kingdom
Located in 2 routes
Traditional British and Celtic ballads electrified by a rock band: amplified guitars and bass, drum kit, and soaring violin or fiddle wrapping centuries-old tunes. Vocals keep the modal, narrative cadence of the folk tradition while the rhythm section drives. Long instrumental dance-tune medleys and 'big ballad' epics define the form.
History
Crystallized in 1969 when Fairport Convention's 'Liege & Lief' applied rock arrangements to traditional English material. Steeleye Span and Pentangle deepened the approach, and Sandy Denny's voice became its hallmark. Distinct from American folk rock, it revived the British ballad canon and shaped the wider British folk-rock movement for decades.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_folk
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liege_%26_Lief
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_folk_rock