Guitarist
Brian Willoughby began his professional career
with Mary Hopkin in 1971 and has recorded and
toured with a range of artists, including Monty Python,
Sweet’s Brian Connolly, Joe Brown, Jim Diamond, New World
and Roger Whittaker.
Joining Strawbs in 1979, he played lead guitar
on Ringing Down The Years, Don’t Say Goodbye,
Halcyon Days, Greatest Hits Live (CD/VCR/DVD),
The Best Of British Folk Rock, The King (featuring
Maddy Prior), The Complete
Strawbs (CD/DVD), Blue Angel and
the boxed set A Taste of Strawbs.
As a duo, Dave Cousins & Brian
Willoughby recorded two albums, Old School
Songs and The Bridge. They provide
the opening track Ringing Down The Years on
the Sandy Denny tribute record Georgia
On Our Mind.
|
In
2001, Cousins, Willoughby and Dave
Lambert as Acoustic Strawbs, produced
Baroque & Roll and toured internationally
until August 2004. Their historic Strawbs
documentary DVD, Live In Toronto, was released
in 2005, followed by the Canadian album Full Bloom.
Brian
featured as lead guitarist in Strawbs-associated
bands High Society and The Monks,
whose Suspended Animation won him a gold
award in Canada.
Playing acoustic guitar on Nanci Griffith’s
Other Voices Too, Brian also toured with her (British
concert VCR/DVD available on Elektra) and Nanci and
Brian appeared together on British TV’s
Gloria Hunniford Show. |
Black
& White is a record of Brian’s
songs, co-written with Nashville’s Cathryn Craig,
Michael Snow and Bill Lloyd,
featuring Cathryn on vocals, with a guest appearance
by Mary Hopkin.
Alice’s Song, written by Cathryn
and Brian, was released in the UK
as a single by Acoustic Strawbs, in aid of
The National Autistic Society.
Brian appears on Cathryn’s Pigg
River Symphony and their first joint album, I
Will is on Goldrush Records.
Fingers Crossed, Brian’s
solo guitar instrumental album, was released in 2005 on RGF
Records and the British magazines Guitar and
Guitar Buyer published features on him in May,
2005. An interview with Brian appeared in the
February 2006 issue of the American magazine, Guitar
Player. |
Mary
Hopkin’s Live The Royal Festival Hall 1972, has
Brian alongside bassist Danny Thompson,
The Pop Arts String Quartet and conductor Tony
Visconti.
Brian plays lead guitar on British singer John
Wright’s The Gypsy Life album.
In February and March 2007, Brian accompanied
Nanci Griffith on UK promotional dates, including
a live broadcast on Radio 2 with the BBC Orchestra.
Cathryn & Brian’s song for international
peace, Rumours Of Rain, has been recorded with
the pupils of Askham Primary School and will be used in a documentary
to raise money for children who are victims of war. The recording
also features US and British Folk stars Tom Paxton,
Nanci Griffith, Ralph McTell and Martin Carthy,
along with members of Lindisfarne, Pentangle, Fairport
Convention, Steeleye Span and Strawbs. |
