Maddy Prior

Maddy Prior
Peter Knight and Maddy Prior at Fairport's Cropredy Convention 2006.
Background information
Birth name	Madelaine Edith Prior
Born	(1947-08-14) 14 August 1947 (age 69)
Origin	Blackpool, Lancashire, England
Genres	Folk rock, Electric folk, Folk
Occupation(s)	Singer, Dancer
Instruments	Vocals, Percussion
Years active	1967–present
Labels	Park
Associated acts	Steeleye Span Maddy Prior and Tim Hart Brass Monkey Silly Sisters The Carnival Band June Tabor Rose Kemp (Prior's daughter)
Website	www.maddyprior.co.uk

Madelaine Edith "Maddy" Prior, MBE (born 14 August 1947) is an English folk singer, best known as the lead vocalist of Steeleye Span.

Born in Blackpool, Prior moved in her teens to St Albans, where she befriended the young Donovan Leitch and Mac MacLeod in The Cock pub. She later formed a duo with MacLeod called 'Mac & Maddy'. She became a roadie for visiting American musicians, including Reverend Gary Davis. They gave her useful advice about singing British folk songs instead of American songs. Her father, Allan Prior, was co-creator of the police drama Z-Cars, and wrote Stookie, a 6-part series for television, about a boy with his arm in a sling. Maddy sang the title song, which was released as a single in 1985. It reappeared on the Steeleye Span album A Rare Collection 1972 – 1996.

After a brief stint with Mac MacLeod in 'Mac & Maddy' (another act formed at The Cock pub), by 1966 she began performing with Tim Hart, another St Albans resident, and together they recorded two albums before becoming founding members of Steeleye Span in 1969. They were the backbone of the group until the early 1980s when ill-health forced Hart into semi-retirement. Prior plays the tambourine, spoons and ukulele, and always gives a sprightly performance of her individual dances. In 1974 Ralph McTell wrote "Maddy Dances" in her honour, included on his album Easy.

Prior married bassist Rick Kemp, though they have since divorced. The singer Rose Kemp is their daughter.

Prior has recorded session work, albums of her own songs and eclectic styles from medieval (with The Carnival Band), through electric folk — Steeleye Span and Maddy Prior appeared on television with a regular programme Electric Folk — prog-rock and traditional songs, including session work on Mike Oldfield's Incantations. She left Steeleye Span in 1997 but returned in 2002. The 1999 album The Journey was recorded in 1995, when Maddy was still in the band but not released until four years later. She was also one half of the duo Silly Sisters, which helped to boost June Tabor's career.