The Strawbs

One of the better British progressive bands of the early '70s, the Strawbs’ sound originated in English folk music. Founded in 1967 as a bluegrass-based trio called the Strawberry Hill Boys by singer/guitarist Dave Cousins. In 1969, the group now rechristened the Strawbs were signed to A&M Records, and cut their first album, the acoustic-textured Strawbs, that same year.

The Strawbs' 1973 album, Bursting at the Seams, featured two Top Ten U.K. hits, "Lay Down" and "Part of the Union," and one album track, "Down by the Sea," racked up substantial airplay on American FM radio. They also toured with Supertramp in their "Crime of the Century" tour, doing their own "Hero and Heroine" tour, which drew musical similarities and themes.

In February 2014 the band gigged with a line-up of Cousins, Lambert, Cronk, Wakeman and Fernandez. Their album Prognostic was issued in October 2014. In June 2015 Rolling Stone magazine listed "Hero & Heroine" as "one of the 50 greatest prog rock albums of all time"