Sandy Denny

"Transcendental. I’ve never heard a voice like Sandy Denny’s. She started out with the band Strawbs, which she left when she realized they weren’t particularly folk enough for her, and joined Fairport Convention, where her, and many others, would make folk-rock history. Quite honestly, since I wasn’t around for this generation of folk, the only songs I like by Fairport Convention, are Sandy Denny’s songs. Her voice is simply breathtaking in its beauty and power, dynamic range, etc. Practically 40 years have transpired since Sandy’s untimely death and there have been countless collections of her works and there is one partial redeeming quality to this one: her voice is a pure and beautiful instrument, even with just a piano or a guitar. When you listen to such songs as You Never Wanted Me or Late November you can take in the breathtaking beauty of such a magnificent voice. You could probably cite countless singers and folk artists who have been influenced by Denny but who knows where the time goes? I will cite one observation that may or may not have been entertained yet. Richard Thompson adds a brief, rather uneventful prologue to her biography and this triggered in me a major, major epiphany. Richard has written a ton of folk songs in his long canon since he played with Sandy Denny, and you can only imagine what each of these songs would have sounded like if the dearly departed Ms. Denny had been singing them instead of his crusty voice being there. They would both be in some musical Hall of Fame somewhere." - Jim Harris