She was an accomplished songwriter and a talented guitarist and pianist, but any discussion of the late Sandy Denny has to begin with her voice. It was quite an instrument - a pure, haunting sound. The ancient folk-songs she sang seemed to come naturally to it, as did the images of nature and seasons passing that filled her songwriting. "Late November" was one of her song titles, and there was something autumnal about her singing : beneath the beauty, a bitter chill and a sense of things passing. This sense seems to have been always with her ; her best known song was called "Who Knows Where The Time Goes," and it was written when she was nineteen.

Before joining Fairport, Denny made a reputation in the British folk scene as part of the duo Sandy and Johnny, and, briefly, as the lead singer of the Strawbs. Fairport Convention established her as on of the brightest talents of British folk. On leaving Fairport, she immediately formed her own band: Fotheringay, which featured guitarists Jerry Donahue and Trevor Lucas (later Denny's husband), bassist Pat Donaldson and drummer Gerry Conway. The group's one self-titled album is excellent, but the group disbanded within a year. As Donahue and Lucas went on to join Fairport Convention, Denny struck out on a solo career, releasing two classic albums in short order. The North Star Grassmen and the Ravens and Sandy are as good as British folk-rock gets - Denny was at the top of her form as both singer and songwriter, and both albums benefit from some fine Richard Thompson guitar. These albums, however, are currently out of print in this country. Like an Old-Fashioned Waltz continues in this vein, and then Denny joined her husband in Fairport for one studio album (Rising For The Moon) and one live album (A Moveable Feast). Her final studio album, Rendezvous, has been heavily criticized for its glossy pop production, but it still has some lovely tracks.

In April 1978, Denny fell down a flight of stairs, and died days later of a cerebral hemorrage. Trevor Lucas passed away in 1989. Their daughter, Georgia Lucas, who was less than a year old when her mother died, has recently given birth to Denny's grandchildren.

DISCOGRAPHY Fotheringay (by Fotheringay), 1970 The North Star Grassmen and the Ravens, 1971 Sandy, 1972 Like an Old-Fashioned Waltz, 1974 Rendezvous, 1977 The Original Sandy Denny (early recordings), 1978 Who Knows Where The Time Goes (box set anthology), 1986 Sandy Denny and the Strawbs (early recordings), 1991 The Best of Sandy Denny, 1991 The Attic Tracks, 1972-1984 (Sandy Denny and Trevor Lucas), 1995 Gold Dust - Live at the Royalty, 1998 No More Sad Refrains - The Anthology, 2000

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