Ashley Hutchings & son Blair Dunlop star 

Liz Nicholls

The Big Ginger Tom Music team invite you to enjoy Ashley Hutchings and his son Blair Dunlop at Harwell Village Hall on Friday 28th March, celebrating Ashley’s 80th birthday

To quote the great Bob Dylan…. “My friend Ashley is the godfather of folk rock. He made us a genre we couldn’t refuse…” 

He’s referring here to Ashley Hutchings AKA “The Guvnor” who formed Fairport Convention in 1967, the group who went on to invent British folk-rock with the wildly influential album Liege & Lief.  

He subsequently formed Steeleye Span who also had enormous success and then the first of many Albion Bands. By 1977 the Albions were virtually the National Theatre house band with Ashley as music director.  

Ashley’s son Blair Dunlop is joining his father for this very special tour. A BBC Folk Award-winning singer-songwriter in his own right, the pair will reflect on a very special musical relationship in chat, music and song. 

Back to Bob Dylan who also said: “Ashley Hutchings is the single most important figure in English folk-rock”. He also said of his son: “Talent doesn’t talk – it Blairs” while The Independent called him an “award-winning singer-songwriter who has determinedly taken the traditions of folk in his own direction”.