Biography

One of the most respected and popular acts of the 1960s British folk revival, the Ian Campbell Folk Group was formed in 1958, having spent the two years prior operating as the Clarion Skiffle Group. Founded in Birmingham by Scottish-born Campbell, the original lineup comprised Campbell (guitar, vocals), his sister Lorna Campbell (vocals), Dave Philips (guitar), and Gordon McCulloch (banjo). McCulloch departed in 1959 and was replaced by John Dunkerley (banjo, guitar, accordion), and in 1960 the band was joined by fiddler Dave Swarbick. During the early '60s, the group appeared on television programs like the Hootenanny Show, Barn Dance, and Hullabaloo. In addition, they regularly played to full houses at the Royal Albert Hall, and the Royal Festival Hall in London, and in 1965, they became the first non-U.S. group to record a Bob Dylan song; their cover version of "The Times They Are A-Changin'" reached the U.K. Top 50 in March 1965. The band continued to evolve over the years, releasing albums, performing live, and adding and subtracting talented musicians including Brian Clark, Dave Pegg, and George Watts, well into the late '70s before officially disbanding in 1978. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi