The Willows (English band)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Willows are an English, mixed-gender, six-piece, contemporary folk music band who are based in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire.[1] According to Neil Spencer of The Observer, their music is "polished Anglo-Americana folk" that owes "a clear debt to Fairport Convention ... but their newgrass leanings make Alison Krauss's Union Station as good a comparison".[1] The Daily Telegraph named the band's second album Amidst Fiery Skies one of the best folk albums of 2014.[2]
The Willows formed in 2010 in Cambridge and released their debut Extended Play (EP) the following year.[3] The band then consisted of vocalist Jade Rhiannon – also called Jade Ward; her husband Cliff Ward on banjo and guitar; Prue Ward on fiddle; Ben Savage on Dobro, vocals and guitar; and Stephen MacLachlan on piano, vocals and percussion.[3] The Willows' debut album Beneath our Humble Soil was released in 2012.[3] Evan Carson replaced MacLachlin for their second album Amidst Fiery Skies (2014),[2] and by the 2018 release of their third album Through the Wild, Katriona Gilmore had replaced Prue Ward on fiddle and double-bassist John Parker had been added to the lineup.[4]
