Legendary Folk Singer & Fiddler Dies At 75

Rex Features via The Telegraph

One of the greatest aspects about the country music community is the fact that it really is a true “community.” Everyone comes together to form one big family, no matter where they’re from. The community has also adopted artists from similar forms of music into its fold, from Americana, to gospel, to folk. 

Although musician and singer-songwriter Dave Swarbrick was not born in the United States, he still made great contributions to country’s cousin genre of folk music. Known as “Swarb,” his main claim to fame was through his violin playing, which allowed him to collaborate with many great artists throughout his 56-year career.

Sadly, on Friday (June 3), Swarb’s son, Alex, confirmed that his father had passed away that morning.

The news was first announced through a statement by Fairport Convention, a folk rock band Swarb collaborated with on multiple occasions. According to the statement, Swarb had been seriously ill for some time, and he passed away in the hospital.

Swarb kicked off his relationship with Fairport Convention in 1969, when he played on their third studio album, Unhalfbricking. He then appeared with them on another album that same year, called Liege & Lief. To this date, Liege & Lief is still considered by many to be the best folk-rock album ever. 

In addition to his work with Fairport Convention, Swarb also released some solo albums and collaborated with dozens upon dozens of other artists. The extensiveness of his discography goes to show just how influential he was as an artist.

There’s no doubt about it, the world has lost another great talent. You can watch him perform along with the iconic English guitarist and folk singer Martin Carthy in the video below.

Our prayers go out to Swarb’s friends, family, and fellow artists during this sad time.