Half Century

Keen-eyed music fans amongst you will suspect that the t-shirt I'm modelling so winsomely in this picture celebrates the classic Fairport Convention line-up which recorded what many view as the definitive English folk-rock album, ‘Liege and Lief’, back in 1969. And you'd be correct. Let's hear it for Denny & Swarbrick & Thompson & Nicol & Hutchings & Mattacks.

‘Classic’, the line-up may have been but this version of the band actually only existed for a matter of months. Nevertheless, despite more changes of personnel than you could shake a (fiddle) stick at, Fairport Convention celebrate 49 years as a going concern this year. I salute them!

But I can go one better than those young upstarts – because today is my 50th birthday!

With typical perversity, today’s selection on Folkie’s Jukebox isn't from ‘Liege and Lief’ but was included on Fairport's previous album, 'Unhalfbricking', also released in 1969 but featuring a slightly different line-up. It seems apt for today though... 'Who Knows Where the Time Goes?' www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bzXV1UPD80

(Thanks very much for all your recent stars, hearts, follows and general loveliness. I’m sorry not to have had a lot of time to thank everyone personally but your support is, as always, very much appreciated xx)