Ashley Hutchings

Ashley Hutchings (born January 26 1945) is a folk musician.

Hutchings was born in Southgate, London, England but moved to Muswell Hill while still a child. He formed several groups, including "Dr K's Blues Band" in 1964. When he met guitarist Simon Nicol, they rehearsed on the floor above Nicol's father's medical practice. The house was called "Fairport" and lent its name to the group they formed together.

Hutchings has quite possibly founded more groups than any other bass-player. The most famous are Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span (formed after he left Fairport in 1970) and the ever-changing Albion Country Band (formed after leaving Steeleye in 1971). He has made several thematic albums with session musicians gathered from across the traditional and folk-rock spectrum, with himself credited as the producer. A series of albums called The Guv'nor collect rare recordings from several Hutchings-related groups. In 2004 Hutchings retired the Albion band and in 2005 he returned as part of a quartet, called Rainbow Chasers.

Burning Bright (2005) is a boxed set of four CDs, with many rare and previously unreleased recordings.

Discography

Fairport Convention

*See Fairport Convention

Steeleye Span

*See Steeleye Span

Albion Band

Battle of the Field (1976)
The Prospect Before Us (1977)
Rise Up Like the Sun (1978)
The BBC Sessions (1978)
Lark Rise to Candleford (1980)
Light Shining (1982)
Shuffle Off (1983)
Under the Rose (1984)
Stella Maris (1987)
Live at the Cambridge Folk Festival (1987)
Give Me A Saddle I'll Trade You A Car (1989)
The Best of 1989/90 (1990)
In Concert (1993)
Acousticity (1993)
Captured (1994)
Albion Heart (1995)
Demi Paradise (1996)
The Acoustic Years 1993 - 1997 (1997)
Happy Accident (1998)
Before Us Stands Yesterday (1999)
Christmas Album (2000)
The HDT Years (2000)
An Evening With (2002)
An Albion Christmas (2003)

Albion Dance Band

I Got New Shoes (1988)

Albion Morris

Still Dancing After All These Years (2003)

Ashley Hutchings and Albion Band

No Surrender (2003)

Ashley Hutchings as producer and bass-player

Morris On (1971)
The Complete Dancing Master (1974)
Son of Morris On (1976)
Rattlebone and Ploughjack (1976)
Kicking Up the Sawdust (1977)
An Hour With Cecil Sharp (1986)
By Gloucester Docks I Sat Down and Wept (1987)
The Guv'nor vol 1 (1993)
A Batter Pudding for John Keats (1996)
The Guv'nor vol 2 (1997)
The Guv'nor vol 3 (1999)
The Guv'nor vol 4 (1999)
Folk Aerobics (2001)
Over the Downs (2001)
The Ridgeriders (2001)
Street Cries (2001)
The Guv'nor vol 5 (2002)
Grandson of Morris On (2002)
Human Nature? (2003)
As I Cycled Out One May Morning (2003)
Great Grandson of Morris On (2004)
Burning Bright (2005) (box set)
Morris On the Road (2005)

Ashley Hutchings with John Kirkpatrick

The Compleat Dancing Master (1974)

References

Hinton, B., & Wall, G. (2002). Ashley Hutchings: The Authorised Biography. London: Helter Skelter. ISBN 1-900924-32-3