Judy Dyble

Judy Dyble

Judy Dyble is a British singer-songwriter from London, known for her work in British folk rock and rock, and for her early role in several important late-1960s groups. Born Judith Aileen Dyble in London in 1949, she dies in 2020.

Early work and Fairport Convention

Dyble’s first band is Judy and The Folkmen, which is active between 1964 and 1966. She is best known as the original vocalist and a founding member of Fairport Convention, singing with the group from 1967 to 1968. The band’s first album is recorded with her, and at that stage their repertoire is made up largely of American singer-songwriter material alongside a small number of original songs. After she leaves, Fairport Convention brings in Sandy Denny and moves towards the folk-influenced rock sound for which it later becomes known.

Trader Horne and other collaborations

After Fairport Convention, Dyble performs with Giles, Giles & Fripp, the group that later becomes King Crimson, and records several tracks with them alongside Ian McDonald. She also forms half of the duo Trader Horne with Jackie McAuley, releasing the album Morning Way in 1969. As a guest performer, she appears on The Incredible String Band’s 1968 album The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter on “The Minotaur’s Song”, and on G.F. Fitz-Gerald’s 1970 album Mouseproof.

Later career

Dyble leaves the music business from 1973 onwards to work as a librarian, then returns to performing later. Her later releases include Enchanted Garden in 2004 and Spindle and The Whorl in 2006. In 2008 she releases a double A-side single with northern band The Conspirators through Transcend; one side is a cover of Fairport Convention’s “One Sure Thing” and the other is “Take Me To Your Leader”, and the release reaches number 7 in the Official UK Indie Charts. A later album produced and arranged by Tim Bowness and Alistair Murphy appears in 2009, followed by Flow and Change, an album with Alistair Murphy released by Gonzo Multimedia in 2013.

Final recordings and performances

During 2016 and 2017, Dyble works on Summer Dancing, an album collecting her work with various collaborators. She also records material as Judy Dyble & Andy Lewis, released in 2017, and duets with David Longdon on “The Ivy Gate” for Big Big Train’s album Grimspound. She performs at Fairport’s Cropredy Convention Festival with her own group, The Band of Perfect Strangers, and also appears with the surviving original members of Fairport Convention to mark the band’s 50th anniversary.