Biography Wikipedia
Group Members: Paul James, Andy Cutting, Dave Shepherd, Jo Freya, Nigel Eaton
Wikipedia:
Blowzabella are an English band who play bagpipes, hurdy-gurdies and an array of acoustic instruments to produce an inimitable, driving, drone-based sound influenced by British and European traditional dance music.
History
The band was formed in Whitechapel, London in 1978 by Bill O'Toole (bagpipes, flutes) from Sydney and Jon Swayne (bagpipes, flutes) from Glastonbury, both students in London. They invited to join them Chris Gunstone (bouzouki, tapan), Dave Armitage (melodeon, bombarde, percussion) and Juan Wijngaard (hurdy gurdy, Flemish bagpipes) who was soon replaced by Sam Palmer (hurdy gurdy). In late 1979 Bill O'Toole returned to Australia and was replaced by Dave Roberts (melodeon, percussion).
The band's name was taken from an English jig (and bawdy drinking song), "Blowzabella My Bouncing Doxie", popular in the late 17th century and early 18th century. Founder-member Bill O'Toole, who discovered the tune while researching potential bagpipe repertoire in the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, thought the name, with its combination of "blow" and "bella", summed up the band's sound.
In 1980 Dave Armitage left the band, to be replaced by Paul James (bagpipes, woodwind) and Cliff Stapleton (hurdy gurdy). In 1982 Chris Gunstone left and Dave Armitage rejoined the band for a brief period . Early in 1983 Dave Shepherd (fiddle, five-string fiddle, viola d'amore) became part of the lineup. Later, in 1983 (after the Winnipeg, Vancouver tour), Samuel Palmer left.
After the recording of the album Tam Lin with Frankie Armstrong in 1984, Dave Armitage, Cliff Stapleton left Blowzabella and were replaced by Nigel Eaton (hurdy gurdy) and Ian Luff (bass guitar, cittern, mandola, darabuka). For the recording of The Blowzabella Wall of Sound (1986) the lineup consisted of Nigel Eaton, Paul James, Ian Luff, Dave Roberts, Dave Shepherd and Jon Swayne.
Jo Freya (vocals, saxophone, clarinet) joined Blowzabella before the recording of A Richer Dust in 1988 (although she is credited as Jo Fraser in the album sleeve). Andy Cutting (melodeon) also became part of the band's lineup before 1990s Vanilla. However, the pressure of constant touring caused the band to split in December 1990, and each band member took on individual projects, and some continued to play together in duos and trios. In 1996 Dave Roberts died. In 1995 Ian Luff persuaded Andy Cutting, Jon Swayne, Nigel Eaton and Dave Shepherd to play a concert together in Bath, and from 1996 they continued to play a few concerts a year.
In 2002 Paul James contacted all the band members with the idea of a reunion to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Blowzabella in 2003. A lineup of Andy Cutting, Nigel Eaton, Jo Freya, Paul James, Ian Luff, Dave Shepherd, and Jon Swayne played together also Sam Palmer played on a couple of numbers, and renewed enthusiasm combined with lots of new material encouraged the band to continue touring and to record a new album. At the end of 2004 Nigel Eaton left the band and was replaced with Gregory Jolivet, a French hurdy-gurdy player. At the end of 2005 Ian Luff was replaced with Barnaby Stradling on bass guitar.
In July 2007 they released Octomento – the first album of new material since 1990; and in June 2010 the live album, Dance.
