While Judy Dyble was more of a cult figure than a superstar among fans of progressive British folk rock in the late 60s, her role as the first singer in Fairport Convention – pioneering the presence of a charismatic female front as a way to stand out from the blokey crowd – followed by a stint in an early line-up of Giles, Giles & Fripp meant that, when she returned to making music in the early 2000s after more than 30 years away, there was a small but attentive audience waiting.
They would not have been disappointed by the three solo albums she put out on indie label Talking Elephant between 2004 and 2006, now reissued in a clamshell box set by Esoteric. But they may well have been surprised.
