'Magna Carta' History:
AboutWhat is the secret when so many artists bite the dust and disappear without trace? Simply, superbly crafted songs; great full length classic works such as Seasons and Lord of the Ages - and all based on a tight twin individual guitar sound and a unique style in vocals. MAGNA CARTA was founded by Chris Simpson, a Yorkshire Dalesman, in London in 1969. Chris Simpson - photograph by Peter Vroon After University he worked a strange assortment of jobs to keep body and soul together ranging from traffic engineer to post-mortem assistant. By night he played guitar in a variety of venues and with a society orchestra, working the houses of the rich and famous across the south, the great London hotels and one memorable gig for the Royal Family. There was a lot of rock n' roll in the Witches Cauldron, Belsize village; steamy nights in dives and blues joints, and one memorable gig supporting Cream at Sussex University. He recalls, 'Eric (Clapton) didn't have any guitar picks, so I gave him mine. In return he let us use their gear. It's the first time I had seen Marshall stacks and they frightened me to death. We stuck with Vox AC/.30's. Eric came out with a beautiful lady and danced to our set.' He realised that his forte lay with the acoustic guitar, and after catching Martin Carthy and the Thamesiders in the King and Queen, Foley Street; Davey Graham at Cousins; Alexis at the Marquee and the fledgling Pentangle in Tottenham Court Road, that was to be the road. Dylan had landed in Britain with Joan Baez, ringing the changes that were to go on to shape a whole generation, and the folk boom spilled over the edges of accepted formats to become a tour de force. Lonnie Donegan had kick started the whole thing with skiffle- a style that was not too demanding musically but broadened the appeal of the guitar. Without Lonnie there would have been no Quarrymen. Without the Quarrrymen - no Beatles. In 1969 a combination of luck and opportunism saw MAGNA CARTA record their first album with Danny Thompson on bass. Album cover for 'Seasons' (1970) 1970 saw Simpson's superb Seasons break out to be an international success with the world-wide hit Airport Song. They starred at the Cambridge Festival and by now were packing out the acoustic venues in the UK and Europe. They followed Seasons with Songs from Wasties Orchard featuring the molten talents of Davey Johnstone - still Elton John's longest running sideman. He replaced Magna's original Lyell Tranter, and they went on to record In Concert at the Concertegbouw, Amsterdam, beginning their lifelong love affair with Holland and around this time they performed 'Seasons' in the Royal Albert Hall conducted by John Dankworth and backed by the Royal Philharmonic. Phonogram lost the tape. It re-surfaced last year.(for further info see link) source: http://www.magnac.com/index.shtml |
Magna Carta Discography:
| Release Title and date | |
 | In Tomorrow (disc1) 2005 |
 | In Tomorrow (disc2) 2005 |
 | Live in Bergen 1987 2005 |
 | A Touch of Class, CD1 2002 |
 | A Touch of Class, CD2 2002 |
 | Seasons in the Tide 2001 |
 | Forever: The Classic Live Collection 2000 |
 | Rings Around the Moon 2000 |
 | Where to Now ? (disc 1) 2000 |
 | Magna Carta 1969 |
| dejavu retro gold collection cd 1 | |
| in concert | |
| steinway to heaven |
