Strawbs
Strawbs was named for the Strawberry Hill district of London.
The Strawbs was the first act signed by A&M Records, Ltd. in Great Britain in May 1968. The group broke in Canada before the U.S.
Strawbs had more members who were eventually signed to A&M as members of other bands and as solo artists than any other group on the label. David Cousins, Sandy Denny, Richard Hudson and John Ford, and Rick Wakeman all released albums for A&M Records.
Billboard reported the "Part of the Union" single reached #2 in Bangkok on March 24, 1973 and #8 in Singapore on April 7, 1973.
The Strawbs evolved from an acoustic folk band to an electric band. The change happened in 1973.
They left A&M as their sales slowed down.
Ghosts New Music On A&M Records
Nomadness New Music On A&M Records
20th Century Masters press release
The Strawbs, David Cousins' Simple Visions. Frank Jarvis. Goldmine, August 21, 1992, 30.
| Name | Member Years | Instruments |
|---|---|---|
| Ron Chesterman | 1968-1969 | bass |
| Rod Coombes | 1973-1975 | drums, percussion, vocals |
| Dave Cousins | 1968-1975 | vocals, dulcimer, banjo, guitar, recorder |
| Chas. Cronk | 1973-1975 | bass, synthesizer, vocals |
| Rod Demick | 1987 | bass |
| John Ford | 1970-1972 | vocals, bass |
| Claire Deniz | 1969 | |
| John Hawken | 1973 | keyboards, sythesizer |
| Tony Hooper | 1968-1971 | vocals, autoharp, guitar, tambourine |
| Richard Hudson | 1970-1972 | drums, vocals, sitar |
| Robert Kirby | 1975 | keyboards |
| Dave Lambert | 1972-1975 | guitars, vocals |
| John Mealing | 1975 | keyboards |
| Chris Parren | 1987 | keyboards |
| Rick Wakeman | 1970 | organ, celeste, clarinet, piano, harpsichord, sythesizer |
| Blue Weaver | 1971-1972 | keyboards |
| Brian Willoughby | 1987 | guitar |
| Name | Birth | Death |
|---|---|---|
| Ron Chesterman | 1943-11-27 | 2007-03-16 |
| Rod Coombes | 1946-05-15 | |
| Dave Cousins | 1945-01-07 | |
| Chas. Cronk | ||
| Rod Demick | 1947-03-17 | |
| John Ford | 1948-07-01 | |
| Claire Deniz | ||
| John Hawken | 1940-05-09 | |
| Tony Hooper | 1943-09-14 | 2020-11-18 |
| Richard Hudson | 1948-05-09 | |
| Robert Kirby | 1948-04-16 | 2009-10-03 |
| Dave Lambert | 1949-03-08 | |
| John Mealing | 1942-04-05 | |
| Chris Parren | ||
| Rick Wakeman | 1949-05-18 | |
| Blue Weaver | 1947-03-11 | |
| Brian Willoughby |
| Name | See associated acts |
|---|---|
| Rod Coombes | Stealers Wheel |
| Dave Cousins | Dave Cousins |
| Rod Demick | Demick / Armstrong |
| John Ford | Hudson-Ford |
| Richard Hudson | Hudson-Ford |
| Chris Parren | Hudson-Ford |
| Rick Wakeman | Rick Wakeman & Roger Daltrey, Rick Wakeman |