Steeleye Span are a British folk rock band formed in late 1969 by bassist Ashley Hutchings after he left Fairport Convention. More than fifty years and dozens of albums later, singer Maddy Prior is the only member with a continuous link to the early years, and the list of people who have passed through the band runs to nearly thirty names. This is the complete list of Steeleye Span members, current and former, with instruments and years.
Current Steeleye Span Members
| Member | Instruments | Years active |
|---|---|---|
| Maddy Prior | Vocals, percussion, banjo | 1969–1978, 1980–1997, 2002–present |
| Liam Genockey | Drums, percussion | 1989–1997, 2002–present |
| Julian Littman | Guitars, mandolin, keyboards, vocals | 2010–present |
| Jessie May Smart | Violin, vocals | 2014–present |
| Andrew “Spud” Sinclair | Guitars, vocals | 2015–present |
| Roger Carey | Bass, vocals | 2017–present |
| Violeta Vicci | Violin | 2019–present |
| Athena Octavia | Violin, vocals | 2023–present |
Maddy Prior has sung on every Steeleye Span release except Horkstow Grange (1998) and Bedlam Born (2000), the two albums made during her absence from the band. Liam Genockey first joined in 1989 as the replacement for Nigel Pegrum.
Former Steeleye Span Members
| Member | Instruments | Years active |
|---|---|---|
| Tim Hart | Guitars, dulcimer, mandolin, banjo, keyboards, vocals | 1969–1978, 1980–1982 (died 2009) |
| Ashley Hutchings | Bass, vocals | 1969–1972 |
| Gay Woods | Vocals, bodhran, concertina, autoharp | 1969–1970, 1995–2001 |
| Terry Woods | Guitars, concertina, mandolin, banjo, vocals | 1969–1970 |
| Dave Mattacks | Drums, percussion | 1969–1970 (session), 1997–2001 (unofficial member) |
| Peter Knight | Violin, keyboards, guitars, mandolin, banjo, vocals, bass, recorder | 1971–1977, 1980–2013, 2023 |
| Martin Carthy | Guitars, keyboards, banjo, vocals | 1971–1972, 1977–1978 |
| Bob Johnson | Guitars, vocals | 1972–1977, 1980–2000, 2002 (died 2023) |
| Rick Kemp | Bass, drums, vocals, guitar | 1972–1978, 1980–1986, 1995, 2000–2016 |
| Nigel Pegrum | Drums, percussion, flute, recorder, oboe | 1973–1978, 1980–1989 |
| John Kirkpatrick | Accordion, vocals | 1977–1978 |
| Mark Williamson | Bass | 1986 |
| Chris Staines | Bass | 1986–1987 |
| Tim Harries | Bass, piano, keyboards, guitars, vocals | 1988–2002 |
| Michael Gregory | Drums, percussion | 1995 |
| Terl Bryant | Drums, percussion | 2001–2002 |
| Ken Nicol | Guitars, vocals | 2002–2010 |
| Pete Zorn | Guitars, woodwind, vocals | 2009–2015 (died 2016) |
| Benji Kirkpatrick | Bouzouki, banjo, mandolin, guitar, vocals | 2017–2022 (inactive 2019–2022) |
How the Original Line-Up Formed (1969–1972)
Ashley Hutchings had co-founded Fairport Convention in 1967 and left after the 1969 road accident and the Liege & Lief sessions. On the London folk club scene he met the established duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior, and the first line-up was completed by the husband-and-wife team of Terry Woods and Gay Woods. The name came from a character in the traditional song “Horkstow Grange”, an idea Martin Carthy passed on to Hart.
That five-piece never played live. The Woodses left shortly after the debut album Hark! The Village Wait (1970), and were replaced by Martin Carthy and fiddler Peter Knight, the line-up that recorded Please to See the King and Ten Man Mop (both 1971). After manager Jo Lustig arrived, traditionalists Carthy and Hutchings left to pursue folk projects, and electric guitarist Bob Johnson and bassist Rick Kemp took their places, bringing rock and blues influences.
Who Was in the Classic Chrysalis-Era Band (1972–1978)
The Johnson and Kemp line-up made Below the Salt (1972) and Parcel of Rogues (1973), then added drummer Nigel Pegrum in 1973, making the band a six-piece for Now We Are Six (1974), Commoners Crown (1975) and the hit album All Around My Hat (1975). Knight and Johnson left in 1977 to work on The King of Elfland’s Daughter; Martin Carthy returned on guitar with accordionist John Kirkpatrick for Storm Force Ten (1977) and the live album Live at Last (1978), before the band split at the end of the decade.
Why the Line-Up Kept Changing in the 1980s and 1990s
Knight and Johnson rejoined in 1980 for Sails of Silver, after which Tim Hart left the band and, eventually, commercial music altogether. Rick Kemp departed in 1989 with a shoulder injury; after two tours with different bassists (Mark Williamson and Chris Staines had covered in 1986 and 1987), Tim Harries became the permanent replacement. Nigel Pegrum emigrated to Australia soon after Tempted and Tried (1989) and was replaced by Liam Genockey.
The band’s twenty-fifth anniversary concert in 1995 brought back almost every past member, and founding singer Gay Woods rejoined full-time, partly because Prior was having vocal problems. Prior left in 1997, as did Genockey, and Woods fronted Horkstow Grange (1998) and Bedlam Born (2000) with Dave Mattacks drumming as an unofficial member. Johnson retired with health problems during Bedlam Born, Woods left after the tour, and for a while the band was just Peter Knight and Tim Harries plus guests.
How the Band Reformed and Who Joined Since (2002–present)
In 2002 Knight persuaded Prior and Genockey to rejoin and coaxed Johnson out of retirement for Present – The Very Best of Steeleye Span, a two-disc set of re-recordings. Johnson’s health kept him off the road, and Ken Nicol of the Albion Band stepped in on guitar at the eleventh hour; the Prior, Kemp, Knight, Genockey and Nicol line-up made They Called Her Babylon (2004). Pete Zorn joined for the fortieth-anniversary tour in 2009, Julian Littman in 2010, and Peter Knight, the last link to the 1971 band, left in 2013 (returning for a guest spell in 2023).
Since then the band has rebuilt around Prior and Genockey with Jessie May Smart, Spud Sinclair, Roger Carey, Violeta Vicci and Athena Octavia, the group that recorded Est’d 1969 (2019). Tim Hart died on 24 December 2009, Pete Zorn in 2016 and Bob Johnson in 2023.
Steeleye Span Members FAQ
Who founded Steeleye Span?
Ashley Hutchings, with Tim Hart, Maddy Prior, Terry Woods and Gay Woods, in late 1969.
Is Maddy Prior still in Steeleye Span?
Yes. She left between 1997 and 2002 but has been the band’s singer continuously since the 2002 reunion.
Who has played bass for Steeleye Span?
Ashley Hutchings, Rick Kemp, Mark Williamson, Chris Staines, Tim Harries and, since 2017, Roger Carey.
How many drummers has the band had?
Nigel Pegrum, Liam Genockey, Michael Gregory and Terl Bryant were official drummers; Dave Mattacks played as a session and unofficial member, and the early albums were made largely without a drummer.
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