CHRIS SIMPSON: THE MAGNA CARTA MAN
CHRIS SIMPSON: MUSIC AND MEMORIES
Who signed Magna Carta? Was it King John or a former traffic manager and mortuary assistant called Chris Simpson? In the case of the acoustic folk group it was definitely Mr. Simpson, the jovial Yorkshireman who signed his merry men to a major record label in days of yore.
The original Magna Carta was the great charter signed at Runnymede in 1215, recognising the rights and privileges of English barons, church and freemen. But the latter day contract between musicians and employers in 1970 was a somewhat less grand affair, signed not on parchment but on the back of a beer mat.
It’s a story that Simpson loves to tell, whenever he looks back on the ancient history of the group he has led for some four decades. And Chris has many stories to tell whenever a glass of ale comes to hand in the nearest comfortable inn. With Magna Carta’s great albums now freely available to all men of wealth and property (i.e. anyone who can afford to buy a CD), it is perhaps appropriate to recount the tale of the man who has worn many hats during an extraordinary career.
The singer songwriter has travelled the world and seen and done many things during his lifetime but the creation of Magna Carta, finest of all English folk groups is perhaps his proudest achievement. Declares the proud Yorkshire man: “I’m not a folk artist. I see myself as a writer who uses the acoustic guitar as my work bench to create songs.”
THE SIMPSON SAGA
Christopher John Simpson was born in Harrogate, Yorkshire on July 13th, 1942 and grew up in the Dales. He resided in London for many years during the heyday of Magna Carta and has lived and worked abroad from South Africa to the Middle East. In 2007 he had returned home to live in an idyllic Yorkshire cottage by a trout filled stream that provided the much-travelled composer with peace and tranquillity he needs.
Says Chris: “I’ve never liked cities and can’t under stand why people want to live on top of each other. So all my songs reflect that feeling. Dare I say that I was one of the first ecologists? Why fret away in a high rise city office, where can’t you hear the wind blow?”
The well known music critic Fred Dellar once called Chris Simpson ‘the English Paul Simon’ and Simpson admits that early on he was swept away by such Simon compositions as ‘The Sound Of Silence’, ‘Mrs. Robinson’ and ‘America’. “Yes, I loved Paul Simon’s work, he was such a fabulous writer. His ‘Something So Right’ inspired me to write one of my own best songs called ‘Mixed Up Sensations’.
Long before Chris embarked on the road as a songwriter with Magna Carta he underwent a musical apprenticeship playing in rock or pop groups, even trying to established a solo career under different names.
It was all part of growing up in the Sixties. However, he also he had quite a few unusual ‘day jobs’ including working as a post mortem assistant, which involved some grisly activities best left undescribed.
He also worked as a traffic engineer and studied religion, a curious combination of disciplines. “I did a degree in theology and qualified to be a Church of England priest. I got my degree but the guitar and music pulled me in a different direction.”
Inspired by his favourite pop artists he began recording as a solo artist often under different names and for a variety of labels. His first break came when he met Cyril Stapleton, a well-known bandleader.
CLAPTON’S PICK
“Cyril Stapleton and Geoffrey Everett the head of Radio Luxembourg decided to organise a talent search. They found a group from Newcastle called The Chosen Few with Alan Hull, who was later the singer with Lindisfarne. I was singing with a guy called Forbes Bainbridge. Because of the success of Peter & Gordon we became Chris & Forbes and along with The Chosen Few, we won the contest.”
Chris & Forbes did two singles for Fontana without much success. Then in 1966 Simpson signed to Decca and released a single ‘Virgin Sunrise’ under the name of Christopher Colt. Then it was time for another name change when his latest outfit was booked to support a big name rock group for a gig at Sussex University.
Chris: “We were called The Paul Stewart Movement and we arrived in a furniture van with our Vox AC 30s only to find huge Marshall Stacks and a double drum kit set up on stage. I was told it belonged to some outfit called Cream. We had set up in front of all their gear. Their totally stoned roadie came over and asked us if we had any spare guitar picks we could lend to Eric Clapton. I gave him a handful of picks and he said ‘Thanks man’. Then Clapton came over and he looked great in his long sideburns, just like he did on the John Mayall Bluesbreakers album cover.
He was very grateful for the picks and said ‘Thanks man, somewhere down the road I want you to remind me of that.’ Eric was with some beautiful girl and he danced to every tune we played, stuff like ‘Bebop A Lula’ and ‘Roll Over Beethoven.’ Then Cream played and he announced a number from 1927 by the Memphis Jug Band called ‘Take Your Finger Off It.’ It was wonderful – they were so good. But I never met Eric again!”
‘Paul Stewart’ went the way of ‘Christopher Colt’ as the music scene underwent rapid changes during the late Sixties. Few could hope to compete with Cream or the Jimi Hendrix Experience, but there was undoubtedly room for bands where songwriting and musicianship were considered important. While many were going the hard rock and blues route, the alternative world of folk beckoned. Chris Simpson was keen to find the right environment for his own writing and singing and a trip to a famed London folk venue helped push him in a new direction.
YE ANCIENT BEER MAT
Magna Carta was formed in May 10, 1969 featuring Chris Simpson (guitar, vocals, harmonica), Lyell Tranter (guitar, vocals) and Glen Stuart (vocals). However it took a while before all the members were assembled and the group’s name was chosen. Chris remembers that they signed their first record deal on the back of a beer mat in a pub. “Yeah” he laughs. “A lady called Barbara Hayes of CBS rated me as a songwriter and gave me a lot of help and encouragement. She cut me down to size when I thought I was the greatest songwriter in the world. But she helped me find my individuality and kicked me into shape. I owe her great deal. She organised a showcase session for myself, my ex-wife Mary and Lyell Tranter who was a classically trained musician from Australia.
“We played all the songs we had that night and Barbara got A&R man Brian Shepherd down to hear us. I had known him as a tape operator at Radio Luxembourg. At the end of the session he said ‘I think we’ve got a deal.’ I picked up a beer mat in the pub and said ‘Would you sign this?’
Sadly I’ve lost the beer mat since but he signed it and I said ‘That constitutes a contract.’ It was our first contract and we cut four tracks with the Johnny Arthey Orchestra, myself, Mary, Spike Hughes on bass and Lyell Tranter. It was like Mantovani meets the New Seekers. Luckily that didn’t survive but there was this contract. “
They began work on an album and Glen Stuart now joined the putative group. Says Simpson: “Glen Stuart was always an uneasy bedfellow in musical terms. Lyell and myself advertised for another member to complete the group and ended up with Glen. Sadly it ended in acrimony, but let’s just leave it at that.”
Chris feels the true origins of the group came when he and Lyell visited the London folk venue Les Cousins one night and were blown away by a bill that included The Strawbs, Mike Chapman and Ralph McTell. “I listened to all these artistes and I just crept out and didn’t play a note. But that all changed later, when we formed Magna Carta. We were different from any other group around but we were essentially English with a lot of American feeling. Then we recorded the first ‘Magna Carta’ album, which was born out of that beer mat contract!”
GENESIS? `TOO BIBLICAL MAN`
The name of the band has always been somewhat controversial. Chris: “I originally wanted to call us Village but Brian Shepherd said there was a blues band with that name. We had to think up some more titles. In those days groups had weird names like Procol Harum and Jethro Tull. So I came up with ‘Genesis’ because I had a background in theology. Brian goes: ‘Genesis? Too Biblical.’
The next name on my list was Magna Carta. He says: ‘I like that one. What does it mean?’ I explained it was the great agreement between King John and The Barons, a charter of freedom. He goes ‘Freedom, freedom…protest song…that’s the one!’ I can’t stand the bloody name actually. But we got stuck with Magna Carta.”
‘Magna Carta’ was first released in 1969 and included a song called ‘Romeo Jack’. Explains Chris: “’Romeo Jack’ was about a rake – who was me! The production was by Brian Shepherd who later became the head of EMI. He was a lovely guy but he did naff all in the studio. The next album ‘Seasons’ (1970) included ‘Elizabethan’ and ‘Airport Song’ one of the group’s most popular pieces.
“By the time we did ‘Elizabethan’ we had Gus Dudgeon producing. ‘Airport Song’ was a hit four times in Holland and popular all over the world. They bought us champagne and roses when it became Tony Blackburn’s ‘Record Of The Week’ on the radio.”
AIRPORT SONG
However a change in the way pop charts were compiled and distribution problems meant that ‘Airport Song’ failed to make the UK charts. “These things happen,” says Chris philosophically.
‘Songs From Wasties Orchard’ (1971) the band’s third album was their second on Fontana’s subsidiary Vertigo and has been acclaimed by critics as their ‘magnum opus.’ With the help of the late Gus Dudgeon, ‘Wasties’ became a best seller and remains one of Magna Carta’s best-loved works.
Simpson: “By the time we got to ‘Wasties Orchard’ Gus had become a friend as well as our producer. In 1970 he had taken over a fairly primitive acoustic act, which had made a promising first album and transformed the next album, which was ‘Seasons’. He made into a work of art that sold in truckloads all over the world. However, by the time we did ‘Wasties’ Lyell had gone back to Australia and the great Davey Johnstone came in.”
This fine young guitarist had played on ‘Seasons’ and was invited to record the whole of ‘Songs From Wasties Orchard’ with the group. Chris recalls that he first he saw Davey Johnstone in action was while performing ‘12 Street Rag’ on a mandolin upside down and behind his head on a wet morning at the Cambridge Folk Festival.
“He was one helluva dude! He is one of the greatest musicians I have ever known. He’s not good – he’s frightening. Funnily enough the only truly great acoustic stuff he did was with Magna Carta.” Not long after Davey Johnstone made his contribution to ‘Wasties’ and to ‘In Concert’ (1971), he left Magna Carta to forge a new career with Elton John and Kiki Dee. He made his debut with Elton on ‘Madman Across The Water’ (1971). Gus Dudgeon also departed from Magna Carta after ‘In Concert.’ Says Chris: “I thought we were finished and then we made ‘Lord Of Ages’ (1973) with Tony Cox producing and that eclipsed everything we had done before.’
INSPIRATION
When people ask Simpson about the source of his inspiration he explains the lyrics are often born out of everyday observations. “I lived in London for 12 years and I would often just walk along noticing people and what they were doing. A third of this collection of songs was written on the road. Otherwise I’d see song writing as a discipline and I’d sit down at 9.30 a.m. and work until 8 p.m. and just write. We once did an album called ‘Lord Of The Ages’ (1973) which is about God and where it came from I’ll never know. I felt scared and frightened just hearing it played in some venue. The record would come on and then people would write to me say the songs had given them hope, peace and belief.”
Simpson believes ‘Lord Of Ages’ sold over a million copies but says he never received any royalties. “It was all down to management problems. I should be a multi-millionaire by now. But – forget it! “
Magna Carta released ‘No Truth In The Rumour’ (Ariola) in 1979 and carried on into the Eighties, when Chris Simpson teamed up with singer Linda Taylor who performed on his solo album ‘Listen To The Man.’ The couple subsequently travelled to the Middle East to run a music club.
Says Chris: “By 1981 we had become a rock band and then I realised we weren’t a rock band anymore. Just when I thought it was all over I was invited to play in the Middle East, if I could bring a girl singer with me. I knew Linda Taylor who had been singing on sessions with us. Suddenly it changed from being a rock band to going back to where we started, with a lady singer”
The pair went to the Middle East for two years and hosted a club called Downstairs at the Intercontinental Hotel, Abu Dhabi. Chris: “Talk about luxury. All the stars used to drop in. In one week we had the comedian Jimmy Edwards, Johnny Speight, The Hollies, Cilla Black, Kenny Ball and Acker Bilk. We created an alternative atmosphere to the usual lounge suit vibe at the club and the policy won hands down.”
THE FUTURE BECKONS
By 1986 Chris and Linda were back in the UK reviving Magna Carta. In 1988 they released ‘One To One’ and then in 1990 Chris and Linda married and continued the group as a duo, expanding the line up as necessary for various tours. (Sadly they split up in 2010).
The group played a ‘farewell’ concert in Holland in 2009 but Chris plans to continue live work with trips to South Africa planned for 2010.
Looking back was Chris satisfied with Magna Carta’s career? “Oh yes I was satisfied with what we achieved. Were we robbed and ripped off along the way? Yes we were. But there was so much great music created and there is more that we can do. When I finally stop playing and can’t play anymore I’ll concentrate on writing books. I’ve written two already!”
Further Reading: ‘The Complete Works Of Magna Carta’ (Chris Simpson) 2002
Monday, June 28th, 2010 in Hot New Repertoire Releases.
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