Latest news with #DaveCousins
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Dave Cousins obituary
The one song by the Strawbs most likely to feature in pop quizzes is Part of the Union, the rowdy working man's singalong that reached No 2 on the British singles chart in 1973. Yet, written by band members Richard Hudson and John Ford, it could hardly have been less typical of the output of Dave Cousins, the band's founder and mainstay. Cousins, who has died aged 85, piloted the group through countless changes of personnel and musical styles for more than 50 years, and was at the helm for the band's final performance at Fairport's Cropredy Convention in 2023. He drew early inspiration from Lonnie Donegan and was greatly influenced by folk musicians such as Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger. Hearing a recording of the bluegrass musicians Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs prompted him to learn the banjo, and he formed the Strawberry Hill Boys with Tony Hooper and Arthur Phillips. He drew extra creative fuel from Bob Dylan and California jangle-rockers the Byrds – Cousins's voice carried echoes of both Dylan and the Byrds' Roger McGuinn – and recalled how he used a guitar tuning taught to him by Joni Mitchell on the Strawbs' debut album. 'I developed my musical and songwriting styles from using these alternate tunings,' he later explained to the Musical U website. 'I use tunings that I've worked out myself, that I don't think anyone else uses. There's one definite advantage to it – you write songs that are very different to what anybody else writes.' As the group morphed into the Strawbs and Cousins began writing material such as The Man Who Called Himself Jesus and the 22-verse epic The Battle (both from the 1969 debut album Strawbs), it became clear that this was an artist with his own distinctive voice and an eclectic range of interests. In 2021 he told the vinylwriter website: 'Medieval buildings and churches. Ancient hill forts and long barrows. The nails from the hands of Christ. These are all embedded in the songs.' The Strawbs catalogue is littered with ingenious, arresting and often powerfully emotional music, creating an unusual fusion of folk and traditional music with the exploratory urges of prog-rock. The three-part song Autumn, from the album Hero and Heroine (1974), sounds like the King's College Choir duetting with King Crimson. Down By the Sea, from Bursting at the Seams (1973), ranges from a huge twanging guitar figure through passages of savage power chords, dreamy folk-rock and a crescendo of brass, violins and kettle drums. On the band's final album, The Magic of It All (2023), Cousins was still ready to challenge the listener with the 7/4 time signature of Ready (Are We Ready). He was born David Hindson in Camberwell, south London, the only child of Joseph Hindson and his wife, Violet (nee Luck). His father was killed in action in the second world war seven months later, and his mother remarried when David was six, duly giving him the surname of his stepfather, Jack Cousins. David met his future Strawbs collaborator Hooper on his first day at Thames Valley grammar school in Twickenham, south-west London, and the pair of them became half of the skiffle group the Gin Bottle Four. Cousins developed his musical interests further when studying at the University of Leicester, where he was active in the jazz club and folk society while earning a degree in statistics and pure mathematics. After the death of his stepfather, Cousins worked at a variety of jobs in publishing and advertising to help boost the family finances, but music was his primary goal. In 1963 the Strawberry Hill Boys (named after an area of Twickenham) made their debut on BBC radio, playing a blend of folk and bluegrass with Cousins on banjo, Hooper on guitar and Phillips on mandolin. The group then featured on recordings with other artists, teaming up with the guitarist Steve Benbow for an album called Songs of Ireland (1965) and with the singer Sandy Denny for All Our Own Work. The latter was recorded in Denmark in 1967, where Cousins had toured as a solo artist and had been working as a producer for Danmarks Radio, though it was not released until 1973, when it was credited to 'Sandy Denny and the Strawbs'. The first recording released as the Strawbs (comprising Cousins, Hooper and Ron Chesterman on double bass) was the single Oh How She Changed (1968) on A&M Records. It was produced and arranged by Gus Dudgeon and Tony Visconti, themselves rising stars in the music business. The pair also produced the group's debut album, Strawbs. The material was mostly written by Cousins, as it was on the second album, Dragonfly (1970), where his penchant for ambitious, elaborately structured pieces revealed itself in the 11-minute The Vision of the Lady of the Lake. They scored a UK Top 30 hit with their third album, Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios, mostly recorded live at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. This featured new band members Rick Wakeman on keyboards (though he would soon leave to join Yes), Hudson on drums and Ford on bass, with Cousins contributing the lengthy compositions The Antique Suite and Where is This Dream of Your Youth. From the Witchwood (1971) made the Top 40, while Grave New World (1972) climbed to No 11 and Bursting at the Seams (1973) reached No 2. The latter was greatly boosted by two hit singles, Part of the Union and the Cousins-composed Lay Down, a slice of raunchy folk-rock that climbed to No 12 in the UK. Cousins had drawn inspiration for Lay Down from the 23rd psalm, The Lord Is My Shepherd. The excellent Hero and Heroine album reached No 35 on the UK chart in 1974, as well as No 95 in the US, but subsequent releases failed to chart in Britain, though Ghosts (1975) cracked the US Top 50 and prompted the band to focus their touring efforts on the US. Nomadness (1975) was their last release on A&M. In 1980 Cousins left the band to pursue his interest in radio, working as a programme controller at Radio Tees before joining DevonAir Radio. He was influential in arranging the merger between DevonAir and Capital Radio, which earned him an executive position at Capital, and went on to play key roles with Xfm (now Radio X) and Radio Victory. In 1983 Cousins's appearance on Wakeman's Channel 4 TV show GasTank triggered a Strawbs reunion to headline the Cambridge folk festival, and the group would make sporadic live appearances over the next few years. They played a 25th anniversary tour in 1993, and in 1998 Cousins staged a 30th anniversary show at Chiswick House in west London. Fortieth and 50th anniversary events would follow at Twickenham Stadium and Lakewood, New Jersey. In 2001 Cousins joined the guitarists Brian Willoughby and Dave Lambert to form Acoustic Strawbs, and they released the album Baroque & Roll (2001), followed by an international tour. The full electric Strawbs reformed in 2004 and released their 16th studio album, Déjà Fou, on their own Witchwood label. Regular album releases followed, up to The Magic of It All. Cousins also released several solo albums, from Two Weeks Last Summer (1972) to the live album Moving Pictures (2015). His autobiography, Exorcising Ghosts: Strawbs and Other Lives, was published in 2014. Dave was married three times. His third wife was Geraldine, with whom he settled in Kent. He is survived by five children. David Cousins (David Joseph Hindson), musician and radio executive, born 7 January 1940; died 13 July 2025
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'It's been a wonderful ride': Strawbs' Dave Cousins and The Magic Of It All
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. When Dave Cousins completed 2023 Strawbs album The Magic Of It All, he was determined it wouldn't be their last. Sadly his death in July 2025, aged 85, ended a story that began in 1964. Ahead of that album launch, he looked back with Prog on the band's colourful career, touching on the personal and business struggles he'd faced while making the record. 'The Strawbs' farewell album?' says Dave Cousins. 'Who told you that?' The esteemed prog folk act's sole constant since they formed in London in 1964, Cousins is referring to The Magic Of It All, the new LP he made in Cape Town, South Africa. Flummoxed, Prog protests that the new record has been billed as the Strawbs' swansong in online news stories. 'Well, it bloody well shouldn't have been!' he says. 'Just because my body isn't up to playing live any more, it doesn't mean I won't continue recording. I have every intention of doing so.' Chatting from his home in Sandgate, near Folkestone in Kent, Cousins is admirably upbeat despite recent health trials including a major cancer op, stent procedures and a full knee replacement. He has plenty to say about the new record's songs, and the South African musicians who feature on it, alongside fellow Strawbs Blue Weaver and John Ford. But Prog also feels duty bound to address ongoing controversies regarding who does and does not play upon the new LP, and why. When news broke that absentees included long-timers Chas Cronk (bass) and Dave Lambert (lead guitar), plus Dave Bainbridge (keys and guitar since 2015) and Tony Fernandez (intermittent drummer stool since 1977), a ruckus broke out on Facebook. So what's the story? 'There was misinformation from fans and band members,' asserts Cousins. 'I found it deeply hurtful. There was resentment and vindictiveness – people saying this new album isn't the real Strawbs. I won't name names, but band members weren't saying things directly, they were recruiting other people to say things for them, which made it even worse. 'For me, the continuity of the band has always been about the strength of the songs rather than individual players. Anyway, with Blue Weaver and John Ford on the new record, this is absolutely a Strawbs album.' The acrimony hasn't come from out of nowhere. With Weaver producing, Cronk, Lambert, Bainbridge and Fernandez all played on 2021's Settlement, which followed on from 2019's Strawbs 50th Anniversary Weekend in Lakewood, New Jersey. Even then, there was trouble at t'mill. 'The band didn't like Settlement,' says Cousins. 'I did. I thought it had a great flow, but the others were like, 'Oh, this is Dave Cousins and friends, innit?' Tony Fernandez [whose drum parts were replaced the release] wrote and said, 'Is this some kind of April fool's joke? This doesn't sound like any Strawbs album I've ever heard.' I thought, 'What are you on about?' Ultimately I had to decide what worked best for the songs – and when Settlement charted very high in the prog and folk charts, I was vindicated.' While those tensions must have been a factor in Cousins' Strawbs planning thereafter, he says the rebooted line-up's South African odyssey arose out of chance. When his partner visited family in Cape Town, he decided to join her. 'But the air fare was expensive,' he says, 'so I thought I'd try to play some shows while I was there.' To his surprise he drew enthused crowds, proving that South Africa had an ongoing love for the Strawbs . It's the legacy of their great popularity there in the early 70s when classics Lay Down, Part Of The Union and New World chimed with those contesting the apartheid system's Natives Resettlement Act, which aimed to remove black residents from parts of Johannesburg. Visiting South Africa for the first time, Cousins received something of a hero's welcome – and he was tickled to find a Strawbs tribute act doing the rounds. It was after one of his own gigs, however, that documentary maker Niel van Deventer approached him with two propositions. Could he make a film about the Strawbs? And would Cousins write a new Strawbs album and allow van Deventer fly-on-the-wall access, while recording it at the Academy of Sound Engineering in Cape Town? There's huge upheaval coming. But this world belongs to all of us – that's the point For the bandleader it was a no-brainer – especially as van Deventer's sponsors could help finance the project. Why not make an album and a documentary simultaneously? It would further nourish the band's story, and input from talented local musicians would likely prove inspirational. 'Bassist Schalk Joubert had already played live with me in Cape Town; he was phenomenal,' says Cousins. 'He brought in Mauritz Lotz, the guitarist, then the wonderful drummer Kevin Gibson. I couldn't believe the quality of what we were recording, and how quickly and easily we were able to do it.' Working at the Academy of Sound Engineering while students sat in for work experience the group nailed Cousins newies including Everybody Means Something To Someone – exploring the lost art of letter-writing – and the plea for inclusivity and understanding that is choir-bolstered folk ballad Our World. 'Migrants driven by climate change are leaving Africa for the rest of the world, and there's huge upheaval coming,' he says of the latter, co-wrotten with John Ford. 'But this world belongs to all of us – that's the point.' Elsewhere, All Along The Bay – penned by Cousins and Weaver – mentions Cape Town's indigenous jazz music form, ghoema, while detailing some of the Strawbs' South African adventures. But what of the rest of the recent line-up? Were they invited to contribute? Cousins doesn't want to go into specifics, but Cronk and Lambert did contribute to an early version of the track Wiser Now. 'It's a special and particularly poignant song,' he say. 'But when they sent me their parts... well, what can I say? I'd heard it all before, so when the opportunity arose to record with different people, I jumped at it – and out came a version that was extraordinarily different and very creative.' (Prog approached both Cronk and Bainbridge for comment, but their responses didn't shed much light on the subject. Bainbridge said that, although he would like to provide some 'balance,' he'd hold fire. Cronk was in two minds; 'I certainly wouldn't want to get involved in a 'band at war' kind of angle,' he wrote in an email, politely declining to comment further.) Prog wonders if Cronk and Lambert might have read meaning into the Wiser Now lyrics and taken umbrage? 'Nowadays it's ever clear / Friendships that I once held dear / Fade away and disappear / I'm wiser now,' Cousins sings in sepia-tinted, oh-so-English tones. 'No,' says Cousins. 'That verse hadn't been written at that point.' Yet the words are lent addition weight in the light of current frictions. 'I know – but it wasn't intentional,' Cousins says, before veering off. 'The song is partly about me being a late starter as a songwriter, and there's also a reference to Bob Dylan's Simple Twist Of Fate. I was in the audience when he played a BBC TV show in 1965. I'll never forget it; he was mesmerising.' If I contract any kind of infection, I should go straight to accident and emergency Whatever the rights and wrongs of politics chez Strawbs in 2023, one thing is clear: Cousins will continue following his muse wherever it takes him. He won't stop making music, but he's definitely stepping down from live performance. He took his final bow at 2023's Cropredy Festival alongside 'Strawbs past and present.' Cronk and Lambert declined to appear for reasons Cousins won't discuss, while US resident Bainbridge was sidelined while awaiting the green card that would allow him to travel. Involving Portugal resident Fernandez would would have involved intensive rehearsals, which Cousins would have been unable to undertake due to his incurable myelodysplastic syndrome. 'My doctor's advice is that, if I contract any kind of infection, I should go straight to accident and emergency,' he explains. 'I can't rehearse for long periods in enclosed spaces. Also, a certain other Strawbs member has a perpetual cough, so that wasn't going to work either!' Various band members are written into the song. I can tell you the 'antiquated strummer' it mentions is me! Does Prog sense that Cousins feels some former Strawbs have not been supportive regarding his illness? 'Yes – but that didn't influence any decisions I made,' he replies soberly. He adds that pragmatism drove his Cropredry team selection, featuring Weaver and the rehearsed South African musicians. 'Oh, and [guitarist] Brian Willoughby, too – he was a Strawb for a long, long time, you know. People tend to forget Dave Lambert left the band for 20 years...' Ultimately, Cousins' ongoing focus is The Magic Of It All – and the new album's title track celebrates all he's experienced with the band. It's a travelogue, and a love letter to music, but it also details the odd wrong turn. 'When I sing 'We should have banked a goldmine / But then the bank went bust,' it's a reference to management pulling the plug on us financially circa Heartbreak Hill,' he says, referring to the album recorded in 1978 but not released until 1995. 'We'd got waylaid making pop, but Heartbreak would have put us back on top.' Codification is king for Cousins. He writes his life into his songs, and playful new track The Lady Of The Night – the title appears to be a red herring – is billed as a light-hearted letter to Strawbs fans. 'I won't give too much away,' he says with a laugh, 'but various band members are written into it. What I can tell you is that the 'antiquated strummer' it mentions is me!' Meanwhile, van Deventer's The Magic Of It All documentary will arrive later in 2023, include footage from the final Cropredy appearance alongside the making-of-the- album content. 'We're also doing new interviews with [former Strawb] Rick Wakeman and loads of others,'' says Cousins. 'It's going to be terrific. I can't wait to see it!' He takes stock, thinking how best to sign off, landing on on The Winter Long from 1974's Hero And Heroin. 'You know, there are literally hundreds of couples who have used the end section of our trilogy Autumn as their wedding music. It's been a wonderful ride; it really has.' Solve the daily Crossword
Metro
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
70s rock legend dies aged 85
Steve Charnock Published July 14, 2025 12:33pm Updated July 14, 2025 12:33pm Link is copied Comments Dave Cousins, the founding force and long-time frontman of the British prog-rock band the Strawbs, has reportedly died at the age of 85. His death was announced in a statement on social media, which said that he had passed away peacefully at Pilgrims Hospice in Kent on Sunday following a long illness (Picture: Erica Echenberg/Redferns) 'It is with profound sadness that we have to announce the passing for David Joseph Cousins at the Pilgrims Hospice in Canterbury, peacefully following a long illness, today, Sunday 13 July 2025,' read a message posted to his Facebook page. 'We will all wish to celebrate the life of this incredible singer-songwriter, relation, colleague and/or special friend at this time. We, therefore, ask you to enjoy listening to your favorite Cousins song as the sun goes down, in whatever part of the world you are, enjoying what he would refer to as a glass of vino collapse (wine)…' (Picture: Bobby Bank/WireImage) It also invited fans to reflect on Cousins' legacy. 'Join in remembering a wonderful, talented man, whose life has touched us all,' it added. The tribute rightly lauding a significant figure in British folk and progressive rock, genres that Cousins helped shape for more than five decades (Picture:) Originally called The Strawberry Hill Boys when they formed back in 1964, the Strawbs evolved from a bluegrass act into a defining act of the 1970s folk-rock scene. Cousins remained the band's constant creative force throughout its many incarnations, an unmoving figure as line-ups chopped and changed. Over the years, the band released an impressive 23 studio albums, the most recent arriving in 2023 (Picture: Fin Costello/Redferns) The Strawbs found mainstream success in 1973 with their catchy single Part of the Union, which reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. Known for its union themes and catchy chorus, the song brought the band its widest audience and remains a defining track of their catalogue. Cousins' lyrical voice was a hallmark of their sound on this single. The song quickly became tied to the British union movement of the time and became something of an anthem for unionized workers (Picture: Arthur Sidey/Mirrorpix via Getty Images) Outside of his work with The Strawbs, Cousins also contributed to other artists' projects. According to Far Out magazine, he appeared on Def Leppard's 1980 debut album On Through the Night. The same outlet noted that Cousins had been dealing with serious health challenges in recent years, including undergoing major cancer surgery (Picture: Will Ireland/Future Publishing via Getty Images) Cousins retired from touring in 2021, marking the end of a long performing career. News of his passing brought tributes from fellow musicians. 'Very sad to hear about the passing of Dave Cousins today,' Oliver Wakeman wrote on X. 'I really enjoyed touring, recording and writing with Dave during my time with the Strawbs.' The Red Shoes Duo echoed the sentiment, posting: 'A sad loss to the world of folk music, Davie Cousins RIP' (Picture: Will Ireland/Prog Magazine/Future via Getty Images) Next Gallery
News.com.au
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘Touched us all': Rock legend dies peacefully after battling a long illness at 85
British 70s rock legend, Dave Cousins, has died at the age of 85. The founder, guitarist, and singer of the English folk and progressive rock band, The Strawbs reportedly passed away yesterday. News of his death was announced via Cousins' official Facebook page, citing his 'long illness'. The statement read: 'It is with profound sadness that we have to announce the passing of David Joseph Cousins at the Pilgrims Hospice in Canterbury, peacefully following a long illness, today, Sunday 13 July 2025. 'We will all wish to celebrate the life of this incredible singer-songwriter, relation, colleague and / or special friend at this time.' Fans have been encouraged to listen to their favourite songs by the rock legend, as well as what Cousins would refer to as a 'glass of vino collapso' (wine). It added: 'We ask you to join in remembering a wonderful, talented man, whose life has touched us all.' Cousins was born in 1940, and founded the band originally known as the Strawberry Hill Boys in 1964. An obituary dedicated to the accomplished songwriter, band frontman and independent local radio entrepreneur read: 'Born into a working-class family in West London, David had a unique, varied and distinguished career. 'He was one of the most distinctive singer-songwriters to emerge from the British scene in the 1960s before becoming a pioneer of independent local radio in the 1980s and 1990s.' Cousins first met fellow Strawbs member, Tony Hooper, on his first day attending the Thames Valley Grammar School in Twickenham. After school, he created a skiffle group with Hooper and two other friends call the Gin Bottle Four, before going off to the University of Leicester. There, Cousins majored in Mathematics and Statistics, while being heavily involved in the student music scene. Cousins then founded the University Folk Society, as well as being president of the Jazz Club that ran in the basement of the Students' Union's building. The Gin Bottle Four eventually developed into the Strawberry Hill Boys, as cousins became renowned for his fast banjo-picking, inimitable vocal style, and haunting compositions. The Strawbs moved from folk into progressive rock after first being signed to A & M records and releasing album All Our Own Work which was recorded in 1967. The have since released 23 studio albums, with the latest in 2023. Their best-known single was Part of the Union which reached number two in the UK Singles Charts in February 1973.
Scottish Sun
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Dave Cousins dead: Rock legend and Strawbs frontman dies ‘peacefully' aged 85 after a long illness as tributes pour in
He passed away peacefully at Pilgrims Hospice in Kent yesterday LEGEND GONE Dave Cousins dead: Rock legend and Strawbs frontman dies 'peacefully' aged 85 after a long illness as tributes pour in Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BRITISH 70s rock legend, Dave Cousins, has died at the age of 85. The founder, guitarist, and singer of the English folk and progressive rock band, The Strawbs reportedly passed away yesterday. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 2 English singer Dave Cousins when the Strawbs were in London in August 1970 Credit: Getty 2 Dave Cousins (bottom left) was in the band with singer/guitarist Dave Lambert, bassist John Ford, drummer Richard Hudson, and keyboard player Blue Weaver Credit: Getty News of his death was announced via Cousins' official Facebook page, citing his "long illness". The statement read: "It is with profound sadness that we have to announce the passing of David Joseph Cousins at the Pilgrims Hospice in Canterbury, peacefully following a long illness, today, Sunday 13 July 2025. "We will all wish to celebrate the life of this incredible singer-songwriter, relation, colleague and / or special friend at this time." Fans have been encouraged to listen to their favourite songs by the rock legend, as well as what Cousins would refer to as a "glass of vino collapso" (wine). It added: "We ask you to join in remembering a wonderful, talented man, whose life has touched us all." Cousins was born in 1940, and founded the band originally known as the Strawberry Hill Boys in 1964. An obituary dedicated to the accomplished songwriter, band frontman and independent local radio entrepreneur read: "Born into a working-class family in West London, David had a unique, varied and distinguished career. "He was one of the most distinctive singer-songwriters to emerge from the British scene in the 1960s before becoming a pioneer of independent local radio in the 1980s and 1990s."
