HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SANDY DENNY

 Today is the birthday of folk-rock icon Sandy Denny (1947-1978).  She began working the folk-club circuit in 1965, and began appearing on the BBC's Folk Song Cellar programme late in 1966.  He earliest professional recordings came just a few months later.  She was invited to join the band The Strawbs the same year; she recorded on album with the group, but it was not released until years later, when Sandy Denny had become a big name in the music business; she left the group after about a year.  A demo of a song she wrote, "Who Know Where the Time Goes," somehow found its way into the hands of Judy Collins, who used as the title song foe an album.  Suddnelt, sandy Denny had an international repitation as a songwriter, long before she had achieved fame as a singer.

In May of 1968 Fairport Convention held audition for a singer to replace Judy Dyble, who had left the group after their first album.  Denny was the obvious choice and she became the lead singer for the group.  After recording several albums together, she left the group to develop her songwriting talents.  During this interim, she formed her own band, Fotheringay, releasing one album.  She left Fotheringay in late 1970 to embark on a solo career.  In 1970 and 1971 she was voted "Best British Female Singer."   She returned to Fairport Convention for 1974 and 1975 to begin recording her final album.  The album, Rendezvous, was released in 1977, but the album sold poorly.

By this time she was showing increasingly periods of manic and depressive behavior.  Her marriage unraveled and she began abusing drugs and alcohol.  A daughter was born prematurely in July 1975, and her mood swings appeared to increase because of the child.  She had had a history of throwing herself off bar stools and down stairs, often as a joke emulating the pratfalls of the Peter Seller's character, Inspector Clouseau.  Now, few could tell whether her many falls were accidental or deliberate.  In any event, the falls began to harm her. She had a major fall in March 1978, which gave her severe headaches, and sometime in early April she had another major fall.  On April 17 she fell into a coma.  When a friend came to check on her, he four her at the foot of the stairs, unconscious.  She died on April 21 without ever regaining consciousness.  She was 31.

Sandy Denny recording a lot of songs.  New songs from her were being released even forty years after her death.  In 2010, a 19-CD retrospective box set was released in a limited edition of 3000.

Her Fairport Convention album, Liege & Leaf, was named the Most Influential Folk Album of All Time by the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.  she was also voted into the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Hall of Fame.  Rolling Stone named her number 164 on its list of the Gratest singers of All Time.

"Who Knows where the Time Goes"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsqztvHIB9Y

"It'll Take a Long Time"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsFKzqCsmjU

"Fhir a Bhata"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmSoyoJRzWw

"She Moves Through the Fair'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTb0_TfUnEk

"Winter Winds" (with Fotheringay)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtGvtF6_R-Q&list=RDKmSoyoJRzWw&index=6

"Blackwaterside"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63gjTj3H3R0

"Crazy Lady Blues'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVWVd9xwZBY

"Reynardine"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J25mmIKp1SM

"Farewell, Farewell"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPq5ijmY6wQ

"The Battle of Evermore" (with Robert Plant)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP_iD1miEVQ

"The Leaves of Life" (with Alec Campbell)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcDFEoj91mA

"Knockin' on Heaven's Door"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSUgRkt-sOU

"The Quiet Land of Erin"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-boiaoe2tCM

Some people come at you like a nova, blindingly bright -- and then, in an instant, are too soon gone.