2018 found Judy Dyble releasing solo album Earth Is Sleeping, and continuing to marvel at the quality of her collaborators down the years. That year the late vocalist discussed her past, present and future with Prog.
“I just keep saying yes to stuff and hope it works out. And usually it does!” So says Judy Dyble about her remarkable career rejuvenation which began in 2004, after a 34-year hiatus, with her album Enchanted Garden.
In 1967 she was a founder member of Fairport Convention and was briefly in a protoversion of King Crimson with Michael and Peter Giles, Robert Fripp and Ian McDonald. From 1969 until 1970 she was in Trader Horne, an acclaimed if short-lived duo with Jackie McAuley.
Her new album Earth Is Sleeping includes contributions from long-time musical collaborator Alistair Murphy, Matt Malley from Counting Crows and Matt Stevens from The Fierce And The Dead.
How do you go about writing your material?
What usually happens is that someone will say, “Let’s do a collaboration,” and I’ll say, “Okay, I’ll send you some words.”
Sometimes they’ll send me a piece of music and I’ll listen to that and find a tune within it and words that will fit. I did write the music for one of these tracks, See What Your Words.
Your voice remains amazing. How do you keep it in shape?
When we’re recording I run through the songs a couple of times, but I need to be doing it before it works properly. It’s like with gigs – I keep thinking, “I must rehearse this,” but I never do until I’m in the car on the way there. I don’t get together with my band very often, so we always do a run-through of everything and that warms my voice up enough to sing well live.
I really should do more rehearsing. I should look after my voice better, but it’s really a case of opening my mouth and hoping that something comes out of it that sounds okay! It’s not that I don’t take my singing seriously; I’m just a bit scared of overdoing it and it just going hoarse.
Your lyrics seem to locate something magic beyond the everyday, such as on I Found A Rainbow.
It’s there when I look for it, and it also kind of hits you when you’re not expecting it. Some scientists did trap a rainbow in a piece of glass – you can google that. I thought, “Ah, that’s really sad. What would happen if you opened it up again?” But yes, there’s a huge amount of magic in everyday stuff.
What’s the story behind Faded Elvis?
A friend of mine went on holiday to the Isle of Wight. The hotel entertainment in the evening was an Elvis impersonator, and she said it was just dreadful. She sent me a photograph of him and I thought of this backstory, which is made up completely. I’ve had a beautiful video made for it by an Italian film director, Francesco Paladino. It’s so sad. Most of the songs I write are a bit melancholy.
I only do the vocals, then people take them away. Most of the joy is actually waiting for what people do with them
The album Summer Dancing that you made last year with Andy Lewis sounds modern, but it also owes a lot to psychedelia. Does that remain an important era for you?
No, not really, because we didn’t know it was the psychedelic era when it was happening! The album with Andy was wonderful to make. It was organised and recorded within two weeks, then Andy took it all away and added his psychedelic blibs and blobs. Again, I only do the vocals to these things, then people take them away and do something magnificent. Most of the joy is actually waiting for what people do with them.
Does it bother you that you’re still being referred to as the ex-Fairport Convention singer?
I don’t mind. I’m happier when it’s put that I was the first female singer in Fairport. My contribution to Fairport was part of the beginning and without me being in it, they wouldn’t have gone on to do what they did. And if I’d stayed it would have been a different band.
King Crimson might also have been a very different band if you’d stuck around.
It’s all pie in the sky, but it would be interesting to revisit some of the songs that I did with Giles, Giles And Fripp, and Ian. It would be really nice – but it’s never going to happen. I don’t know who isn’t talking to who these days!
You were at the King Crimson concert at Aylesbury Friars in 2016. What did you think of it?
I’m very fortunate that people who are so talented want to work with me. I’m continually amazed
I thought they were just magnificent, and I loved the fact that they had three drummers. It was wonderful to hear those songs like Starless. I was entranced by the whole thing. And I’m pleased that they are forever moving forward. Yes and some of those other bands who try to do new stuff have problems in getting it across to their old audiences, it seems.
Your revived musical career seems to be going from strength to strength now.
I’m very fortunate that people who are so talented want to work with me. I’m continually amazed that the musicians I have worked with have all been absolutely brilliant. I expect to work with brilliant people – and I do!
The most wonderful thing I’ve done in recent years is singing with David Longdon on the Big Big Train track The Ivy Gate. I’m currently working on an album with David and it’s going to be huge fun, because he has a fabulous voice.
