Michael Eavis | |
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 Eavis in 2024 | |
| Born | Athelstan Joseph Michael Eavis 17 October 1935 Pilton, Somerset, England, UK |
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| Known for | Co-creator of Glastonbury Festival |
| Children | 5, including Emily Eavis |
Sir Athelstan Joseph Michael Eavis (born 17 October 1935) is an English dairy farmer and the co-creator of the Glastonbury Festival, which takes place at his farm in Pilton, Somerset.
Eavis was born in Pilton, Somerset, [1] on 17 October 1935, [2] and grew up at Worthy Farm in the village. His father was a dairy farmer and a Methodist local preacher, and his mother a school teacher. Eavis was educated at Wells Cathedral School, followed by the Thames Nautical Training College in Greenhithe, Kent, after which he joined the Union-Castle Line, part of the British Merchant Navy, as a trainee midshipman. His plan was to spend twenty years at sea, and return with a pension to help subsidise the income from the family farm.[ citation needed ]
After his father died when Eavis was 19, he inherited the family farm of 150 acres (61 ha) and 60 cows. [3] He worked at Mendip Colliery at Nettlebridge or New Rock colliery at Stratton-on-the-Fosse on the Somerset Coalfield for a couple of years to help supplement the income from the farm. [4] [5]
Eavis and his first wife, Ruth, had three daughters, but divorced in 1964. [3] He married Jean Hayball, with whom he had a son and a daughter, Emily. Jean died of cancer in 1999, and Eavis has since married his third wife, Liz. [3] In common with his parents and second wife, Eavis remains a practising Methodist, [6] although he has also stated that he is "not really bothered" about the existence of God. [7] He is a teetotaler and does not smoke. [3]
In 1969, Eavis and his second wife Jean visited the Bath Festival of Blues. Inspired by seeing the performance of Led Zeppelin, Eavis hosted the Pilton Pop Folk & Blues Festival in 1970. The following year a free festival, Glastonbury Fayre, was organised by Andrew Kerr and associates. It later developed into Glastonbury Festival. [8]
In 2010, the festival's 40th year, Eavis appeared on the main stage at the festival with headline artist Stevie Wonder, to sing the chorus of the latter's "Happy Birthday".
Eavis has credited a number of influences for his political views, including traditions of nonconformity in his family, as well as his time as a miner, during which he was a member of the National Union of Mineworkers. [4] During the early 1980s he was involved in establishing a local branch of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and subsequently agreed to make the Glastonbury Festival a fundraiser for CND, as it was from 1981 to 1987. [9] [10]
After recovering from stomach cancer, Eavis stood as a candidate for the Labour Party in the 1997 general election in Wells, polling 10,204 votes. [11] In 2004, however, he suggested that disillusioned Labour voters should switch their vote to the Green Party in protest at the Iraq War, [12] though he returned to supporting the Labour Party in 2010. [13]
In 2005, Eavis was quoted in The Guardian as being a supporter of hunting. "I don't hunt myself, but I support the people who want to hunt. With all that's going on in the world, it was outrageous to ban it." [14] In 2006, he was appointed as President of the Somerset Chamber of commerce and Industry. [15]
In 2011, Eavis was quoted as lamenting the decline in political activity associated with the Glastonbury Festival. [16] He was guest editor of the Western Daily Press newspaper on Glastonbury's 'fallow' weekend, 23 June 2012. [17]
Eavis invited Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to appear at the 2017 festival, introducing the Run the Jewels' set. Eavis supported Corbyn's anti-nuclear and anti-austerity policies, saying "he's got something new and precious, and people are excited about it. He really is the hero of the hour." [18]
Eavis has apportioned profits from his Glastonbury Festival to support charitable causes, including local projects such as the restoration of the Tithe Barn, Pilton. [19] [20] In November 2008, during an appearance on the BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs , Eavis stated that the Festival could never lose its licence due to the contribution it makes to the local economy. [21]
In 2009, Eavis starred in a short film to promote Somerset, commissioned by Inward Investment Agency Into Somerset. [22]
Eavis served as vice-president (alongside Rebecca Pow MP) of Somerset Wildlife Trust until June 2018: he stepped down following an online petition criticising his support for badger culling. In response to the petition, Eavis claimed that signatories "probably live in Kensington" and had "never seen a badger". [23]
Eavis holds honorary degrees from the University of Bath (Doctor of Arts honoris causa, 2004) [24] and the University of Bristol (Master of Arts honoris causa, 2006). [25] In the 2007 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to music. [26] [27] [28] [29] He was appointed Knight Bachelor in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to music and charity. [30]
In 2009 Eavis was nominated by Time magazine as one of the top 100 most influential people in the world. [31] In 2012, he was awarded an honorary Master of Arts degree from the University for the Creative Arts. [32]
In 2015 train operator First Great Western named High Speed Train powercar 43026 Michael Eavis. [33] After this was withdrawn, 802013 was named after him in April 2019. [34]
Eavis was awarded the Freedom of the Town of Glastonbury on 3 May 2022. [35]
In early 2024 Eavis was knighted at Windsor Castle, by the Princess Royal, for services to music and charity. [36]
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