 |
Rose Kemp | |
|---|---|
 Kemp performing at the Supersonic Festival, 2009. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 11 December 1984 Carlisle, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, bass, guitars, drums, keyboards |
Rose Kemp (born 11 December 1984) is an English singer and guitarist who performs in a variety of musical genres. She is the daughter of Maddy Prior and Rick Kemp of the folk-rock band Steeleye Span.
Kemp began her singing career performing live with Steeleye Span while still in her teenage years. This led to her being invited to contribute vocals to several albums by various folk artists. In 1996 she sang with The Carnival Band on their Carols at Christmas CD. In 2002 Park Records released the a cappella folk album Bib and Tuck by 'Maddy Prior And The Girls', a trio composed of Maddy Prior, Rose Kemp and Abbie Lathe. Kemp wrote, and sang lead vocals on, several of the album's tracks. Her first single, "The Milkman Makes Eggs" was an airplay favorite.
Kemp's first solo album Glance, an acoustic pop record, was released on Park Records in 2003. She subsequently toured with The Oyster Band as part of The Big Session, appearing with them across the UK and Europe.
2004 saw a considerable change in the direction of Rose's musical output. She recorded a mini-album, originally entitled The Free To Be Me EP, but later renamed simply Mini-Album, at Warehouse Studios in Oxford with members of The Fourers. The new recording was very much a rock record, with Kemp playing electric guitar and taking charge of the arrangements and production for the first time in her career.
Kemp signed an album deal with One Little Indian Records in July 2005, and recorded her second full-length album, A Hand Full of Hurricanes, at studios in Bristol and Cardiff with producer Charlie Francis. This album was released in February 2007. After a large amount of time spent touring the UK and Europe in support of the record, she began recording in summer 2007 at State of Art studios, Bristol. Her third studio album, Unholy Majesty was produced by Chris Sheldon and was released on 1 September 2007. The following two years saw Rose making appearances at the acclaimed Roadburn Festival (Tilburg, Netherlands) and Supersonic Festival (Birmingham, UK), as well as a headline tour and appearances supporting Porcupine Tree. She released a fourth album, Golden Shroud, in 2010, and promoted it on a tour with Mono and Grails.
In December 2010, a Rose Kemp cover version of the Cardiacs song "Wind and Rains is Cold" - recorded in collaboration with electronic musician Rarg - appeared on Leader Of The Starry Skies: A Tribute To Tim Smith, Songbook 1 , a fundraising compilation album to benefit the hospitalised Cardiacs leader Tim Smith. Kemp has also been known to cover another Cardiacs song, "Fairy Mary Mag," in concert as an a capella version.
Kemp also performs with SJ Esau as part of the experimental, often improvisational pop trio Jeremy Smoking Jacket. The group recorded an EP entitled "Now We Are Dead (and Other Stories)" which was released jointly by Enormous Corpse and Fact Fans in August 2005; Max Milton left the group in October 2006, but Kemp and Sam continued as a duo, recording a live session for Huw Stephens' show on BBC Radio 1 in November 2006. They have performed at the Glastonbury Festival and at Tate Britain. The pair are currently working on their first full-length album.
In February 2006 Kemp joined an instrumental Post-rock band called Snakes on a Plane as their lead guitarist. Originally a five piece, second guitarist Matt Williams aka Team Brick left and the band changed their name to VILNA, after a piece of music by the French band Weidorje. The four piece, whose other members are Joe Garcia, James King and Alex Bertram-Powell, gradually moved into more progressive/doom metal territory. Although VILNA ceased to be in 2007, Joe Garcia and James King would subsequently play in Rose's band and played on the 2008 album "Unholy Majesty." In 2009, King, Garcia and Bertram-Powell reunited to form the progressive psych band ANTA.
Kemp, with Maddy Prior and Abbie Lathe, co-facilitates singing workshops at Stones Barn in Cumbria.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
Steeleye Span are a British folk rock band formed in 1969 in England by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings and established London folk club duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. The band were part of the 1970s British folk revival, and were commercially successful in that period, with four Top 40 albums and two hit singles: "Gaudete" and "All Around My Hat".
Madelaine Edith Prior MBE is an English folk rock singer, best known as the lead vocalist of Steeleye Span. She was born in Blackpool and moved to St Albans in her teens. Her father, Allan Prior, was co-creator of the police drama Z-Cars. She was married to Steeleye bass guitarist Rick Kemp, and their daughter, Rose Kemp, is also a singer. Their son, Alex Kemp, is, like his father, a guitarist and has deputised for his father playing bass guitar for Steeleye Span. She was part of the singing duo 'Mac & Maddy', with Mac MacLeod. She then performed with Tim Hart and recorded two albums with him, before they helped to found the group Steeleye Span, in 1969. She left Steeleye Span in 1997, but returned in 2002, and has toured with them since. With June Tabor she was the singing duo Silly Sisters. She toured with the Carnival Band, in 2007, and with Giles Lewin and Hannah James, in 2012 and 2013. She has released singles and albums as a solo artist, with these bands and in several collaborations. She runs an Arts Centre called Stones Barn, in Bewcastle, in Cumbria, which offers residential courses.
Nigel John Pegrum is a music producer and former drummer, most known for playing on many albums by Steeleye Span.
Below the Salt is the fourth studio album by Steeleye Span and their first after they joined the Chrysalis label. The album takes medieval influence and combines it with the band's British folk rock style. The lineup on the album includes Bob Johnson and Rick Kemp making their debuts in the band. By this point, Ashley Hutchings had left the band, leaving Tim Hart and Maddy Prior as the only remaining founding members.
Tim Hart was an English folk singer and multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founding member of British folk rock band Steeleye Span.
All Around My Hat is a 1975 album by Steeleye Span, their eighth and highest-charting; it reached number 7 on the UK Albums Chart, and stayed on the chart for six months. It was produced by Mike Batt, who also produced their follow-up album Rocket Cottage. It briefly made the band a household name in the UK. In the United States it became the band's first album to chart, reaching number 143.
Now We Are Six is the sixth studio album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span. Its title refers to both its sequence among their albums, and the band's size, in light of the addition of drummer Nigel Pegrum. The album was released in 1974 through Chrysalis Records. It reached number 13 in the UK albums chart.
Frederick Stanley 'Rick' Kemp is an English bass player, guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and record producer, best known for his work with the British folk rock band Steeleye Span.
Commoners Crown is the seventh studio album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span, released in 1975 by Chrysalis Records. It was their second album with the band's most commercially successful line-up. The album reached number 21 in the UK album charts.
Rocket Cottage is the ninth studio album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span. It was released in 1976 by Chrysalis Records. Produced by Mike Batt, it was hoped that the album would cement the band's popular and commercial success, building on their breakthrough into the UK Top 10 with their previous album All Around My Hat and its title track, which reached #5 on the UK singles chart. By the time it was released, the sudden explosion of the British Punk scene saw audience tastes in the UK rapidly shift away from formerly popular genres like folk rock and progressive rock, and groups that previously been critical favourites, like Steeleye Span and Yes, soon found themselves being derided as "dinosaurs". Rocket Cottage did not reach the Top 40, and it was the last album recorded by the "classic" mid-seventies lineup of the group, with Peter Knight and Bob Johnson both subsequently leaving the group.
Storm Force Ten is the tenth studio album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span, released in 1977 by Chrysalis Records. Until their 2013 album Wintersmith, released 36 years after Storm Force Ten, this album was the band's last production to reach the charts, topping out at 191 on Billboard's Pop charts. After Rocket Cottage, Bob Johnson and Peter Knight left the band. As there was still a contractual obligation, they invited Martin Carthy back again. Back in 1971 when Martin Carthy had joined he had recommended John Kirkpatrick but they decided on fiddler Peter Knight instead. This time they accepted his recommendation and Kirkpatrick's fiery accordion playing replaced Knight's fiddle.
Live at Last is a live album by the British folk rock band Steeleye Span. It is the first live album the band issued, after eight years of performing and releasing 10 studio albums. It was originally intended to be a farewell album. "This then is our eleventh and final album. Steeleye Span amicably disbanded five days after making this recording for reasons that are irrelevant here.”
Sails of Silver is the eleventh studio album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span. It was released in 1980 by Chrysalis Records. The album was produced two years after the band's ostensible break-up. At the request of Chrysalis Records Peter Knight and Bob Johnson both returned, replacing their own replacements Martin Carthy and John Kirkpatrick, who departed after the release of Live at Last. Despite being produced by Elton John's producer Gus Dudgeon, Sails of Silver was a commercial failure, and this proved a final straw for Tim Hart, who departed the band, leaving Maddy Prior as the band's sole remaining founding member.
Back in Line is the twelfth studio album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span. The album was released in 1986, after a hiatus of almost 6 years. It is their first album without founding member Tim Hart, who quit the music business entirely. It is also the last album they recorded with Maddy Prior's husband, Rick Kemp, until They Called Her Babylon; Kemp suffered a shoulder injury that forced him to stop playing for a long time.
Bedlam Born is the 16th studio album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span. It is the second of two albums made by a line-up consisting of Gay Woods, Bob Johnson, Peter Knight and Tim Harries, and only the second album on which Maddy Prior did not make an appearance. The title refers not to a bedlam, but to Christ's birth in Bethlehem. "There is a child in Bedlam born" is a line from "Stephen".
Bloody Men is the 20th studio album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span.
They Called Her Babylon is an album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span. The title track deals with the Siege of Lathom House in 1644, during the English Civil War, during which Charlotte Stanley, Countess of Derby, held out for four months against Parliamentarian efforts to take the house.
Parcel of Rogues is the fifth studio album by English folk rock group Steeleye Span. It was released in 1973 by Chrysalis Records. The album was their most successful album thus far, breaking into the Top 30.
Cogs, Wheels & Lovers is the twenty-first studio album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span. It was released on 26 October 2009. It is the band's fourth studio album to feature the line-up of Maddy Prior, Peter Knight, Rick Kemp, Ken Nicol and Liam Genockey.
SJ Esau is the music project of Sam Wisternoff, an experimental pop musician from Bristol, England. Although ostensibly a solo project, Wisternoff is often joined by the drummer Sean Talbot and has incorporated a variety of other musicians into recording projects and live performances.
