(not to be confused with the pop music conductor/arranger of the same name) is one of the most respected musicians to come out of the early-'70s English folk-rock boom. A banjo/fiddle virtuoso -- but also a multi-instrumentalist with proficiency on guitar, keyboards, and bass, among other instruments -- he is best known for his work as a member of
. But
has also appeared on numerous recordings as a session musician, in addition to issuing his own albums.
was born in London in 1947, and took up the mandolin and the violin as a boy -- he entered the Royal Academy of Music in his early teens and graduated at 17. During the early to mid-'60s, he heard the recordings of Irish fiddle virtuoso
, which drew him to that style of music and playing. He later formed a duo with guitarist/singer
in the wake of the breakup of their original lineup.
He came aboard along with
Martin Carthy, one of the most revered and respected musicians on the English folk scene, and together with remaining original members
Ashley Hutchings,
Tim Hart, and
Maddy Prior, formed the first
Steeleye Span lineup to perform live and tour. A new album,
Please to See the King, followed early in 1971 --
Carthy was, of course, a star presence going in, and
Hutchings,
Hart, and
Prior, for a variety of reasons, may have made contributions that stood out very obviously, but the album was just as much a showcase for
Knight's work. He was all over that record, playing at least half a dozen instruments in addition to singing. He remained with the group for seven more albums across the next six years, joined in 1972 by his ex-performing partner
Bob Johnson, in what was the most commercially successful lineup of the band.
Knight was never lacking for contributions to these records, and outlasted
Carthy and
Hutchings in the group by several years, as the focus of the band shifted to
Hart and
Prior. He engaged in various extracurricular activities during this period as well, including participating in the work of
the Wombles.
In early 1977, after the recording of
Rocket Cottage,
Knight and
Johnson left
Steeleye Span. At this point, they took a sharp left turn in their work, choosing to write and produce an elaborate concept album called
The King of Elfland's Daughter. Based on a fantasy novel by Lord Dunsany and featuring a coterie of musical notables -- from pop/folk star
Mary Hopkin to legendary '60s blues wailer
Chris Farlowe -- the record, a mix of folk-rock and hard rock sounds, died an absolute death critically and commercially, appearing in the midst of the punk rock and new wave booms in England. By 1980, he was back in the
Steeleye Span lineup, however, and was still there right into the end of the first decade of the 21st century. It was during those years that
Knight even got to show off his classical training, with "A Cannon by Telemann" on the album
Back in Line (1986), which featured his overdubbed presence on an array of instruments. He has also been featured in numerous folk festivals on his own as a fiddle virtuoso, and played world fusion with
Moiré Music Group, a band led by saxophonist
Trevor Watts. His solo albums
An Ancient Cause and The Gemini Cadenza also show off his side interest in jazz.
Knight has also recorded one album with
Pentangle co-founder (and
Donovan/
Mary Hopkin/
John Martyn/
Kate Bush alumnus)
Danny Thompson.
–
Bruce Eder, Rovi