“Ashley Hutchings is the single most important figure in English folk rock”
So says Bob Dylan who refers to him as ‘Million Dollar Ash‘. What better title than ‘Million Dollar Bash’ (a Dylan song covered by Fairport Convention) for this very special event to celebrate the eightieth birthday ofAshley Hutchings. This unique concert will take place on Friday 18 April 2025 in Birmingham Town Hall with a line-up curated by Ashley’s son Blair Dunlop.
The concert will feature a host of artists representing many of the bands and collaborations that Ashley masterminded and nurtured over a career spanning six decades. What started when he was only 15, gathering school friends around him to emulate the music of the time, his career moved from the very early days of rock n roll to laying the foundations of modern day folk music.
In the mid 60s along with friends Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, he formed Fairport Convention. They covered Dylan and West Coast songs (Million Dollar Bash being just one example). They took inspiration from The Byrds’ rocky covers of several traditional songs to create the genre that would become known as English Folk Rock with their ground breaking album Liege & Lief.
Ashley would continue to entwine English traditional music with electric rock forming Steeleye Span and various incarnations of the Albion Band. Onwards through the 70s and his continued interest in Cecil Sharp’s collection of the English tradition with Morris dance at the centre then on to full scale theatre productions at the National combining spoken word and song with the Larkrise Band.
Beyond all that he continued to offer new young artists opportunities to bring to life new collaborations like the Rainbow Chasers, a small band that he still holds dear to his heart. He set up duos and trios to combine his passion for spoken word and song. His ‘little black book‘ has become an ever growing roster of talented musicians and performers, each chosen for a particular musical or performance skill that would fit Ashley’s newest project. Without exception all would carve their own career path in the following years.
Music of many genres has been the binding element of every path that Ashley’s career has taken. With a seemingly never ending thirst for knowledge he has always been open to new ideas and inspirations delving into theatre, dance, poetry and literature to continue broadening his creative ideals.
Such is the scope and importance of his work that Ashley has received many awards – The EFDSS (English Folk Dance and Song Society) Gold Badge Award, and an MBE for his services to music, the Italian Premio CiampiL lifetime Achievement, the BBC Radio 2 Good Tradition award, and along with his former Fairport band mates, the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards ‘Most influential folk album of all time’ for Liege & Lief.
Ashley Hutchings’ career has been long and successful; this very special concert will give an insight into a lifetime’s work.
Tickets will be on sale from 2 August 2024 available from: https://bmusic.co.uk/events/the-million-dollar-bash-ashley-hutchings-80th-birthday-celebration
“My friend Ashley Hutchings is the godfather of English Folk Rock. He made us a genre we can’t refuse” Bob Dylan July 2024
Featured Image Credit Bryan Ledgard
