Dave Pegg joined Fairport Convention 56 years ago and fully deserves some sort of medal. They’re playing their 49th Cropredy in August and touring the UK later in the year. He talks to us here about the first gigs he ever saw and played which, delightfully, involves …

… the night Hank Marvin took him to see Bjork.

… an all-nighter in Birmingham with John Mayall, Eric Clapton, Chris Farlowe and Spencer Davis.

… memories of his “school hero” Denny Laine.

… the fine art of getting it together in the country: life at the Angel pub in Little Hadham – “flea-bitten, enough hot water for one person and a lorry crashed through the wall into Dave Swarbrick’s bedroom”.

… the link between ticket sales and high blood pressure.

… what not to do when you meet McCartney.

… a night on the whisky with Rick Danko that ended in hospital.

… how a band lasts 58 years without falling out.

… the Island albums that made their reputation but never earned them any money.

… unsung Birmingham acts: Denny Laine & the Diplomats (Bev Bevan on drums), Steve Gibbons in the Uglys, Jeff Lynne in the Idle Race.

… narrowboats, pewter ale jugs, outdoor settees, Matty Groves, Meet On The Ledge and other cornerstones of the Cropredy experience.

… Dave Swarbrick’s “small holding” and further assorted knob gags.

Fairport Convention tickets here: https://www.davepegg.co.uk/gigs/fairportgigs/

Cropredy tickets here: https://www.fairportconvention.com/

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