Exorcising Ghosts: Strawbs & Other Lives

Description

How did a working class boy from West London come to discover Sandy Denny and Rick Wakeman, work with iconic figures like David Bowie, Dickie Attenborough, and Dame Vera Lynn; meet royalty; change the face of commercial radio; and be granted God s abundant blessings by The Pope? Exorcising Ghosts, written by Strawbs singer and songwriter, Dave Cousins, tells an extraordinary story from the revivalist folk scene of the 1960s, through chart-topping albums and singles, to stadium rock shows of the 1970s. Dave Cousins spares no punches in the untold story of his discovery of Sandy Denny in a folk club in Earls Court and their time together in Denmark. He invited the unknown Rick Wakeman to join Strawbs, and within six months they moved from playing in folk clubs to headlining the Albert Hall. The subsequent incarnation of Strawbs found pop stardom with the notorious hit, Part of the Union, which ended in an acrimonious bloodbath in Los Angeles. Undeterred, Dave Cousins recast Strawbs as a prog-rock band, playing stadium shows across the USA and Canada. In 1980, Dave Cousins turned down the chance to sign to Elton John s record label and entered his secret life - the nascent world of commercial radio. Like a rollercoaster, Dave Cousins life has had its ups and down, but what a ride!"

Dave Cousins has recorded over 250 deeply personal and spiritual songs and published the lyrics as Secrets, Stories & Songs . In 2002 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in recognition of his work in music and radio."