Legacy (band)

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Legacy are a British-based acoustic band performing a fusion blend of traditional music & improvisation drawn from jazz to rock.

1 In the beginning
2 First Will
3 Change
4 2000
5 The present
6 External links

[edit] In the beginning

Legacy was formed in 1997 on the south coast of England near the town of Chichester. The critical members were: Mal Simms (vocals, bodhrán, guitar, cittern, and whistle), Paul Burgess (guitars, mandolin, bass, and percussion), Juliet (Jules) Bell, (fiddle, bodhrán, and vocals), and Clare Sanders (flute, vocals, whistle, and bodhrán). The band evolved from the fall out of Simms & Burgess' other band Calluna that folded the year before. Legacy's early sound was a mix of acoustic arrangements of the traditional music of Ireland, Scotland & England. The band hit the south coast scene in summer 1997 and the two girls fronting the band became popular with audiences.

[edit] First Will

Legacy's debut album, First Will, was released in summer 1998 and blended a mix of tunes and songs arranged by Legacy. The album brought the band to the attention of agents and festivals organisers and Legacy was invited to perform at the UK's largest indoor festival The Fareham & Gosport Festival the following April. In late 1998 Legacy began recording their follow up album Bamboozle which was released in April 1998. Bamboozle was a darker album and the sound was maturer and included guests such as all-Ireland fiddle champion Brendan McGlinchey, who remains a friend of the band.

[edit] Change

Although Legacy had built a following and was being invited to more festivals and larger venues the pressure on the band was starting to show. It was in Late 1999 that Juliet Bell left the band and was replaced by Brighton based fiddler Tim Cotterell. Cotterell was an experience musician that brought further improvisational skills to the band that went on to become their trademark. The band continued to perform further afield gaining further reputation in the traditional music scene.

[edit] 2000

2000 was a turbulent year for Legacy. Guitarist Burgess temporally left the band to care for his mother but the others continued with commitments using various stand-in players. The following year Burgess returned and Legacy toured Ireland and became busier than ever. 2002 saw the release of The Factory Girl EP which was 5 tracks taken from recording sessions intended to be their third album (The EP was extended in 2005 to a full album and includes further material from those session). The Factory Girl EP showcased the new Legacy line up and its polished sound brilliantly and Legacy's stunning jazzed up version of the popular tune 'The Mountain Road' first appeared on this release and remains a popular request to this day. Through 2002/2003 Legacy toured the the festival scene, the folk club circuit and even enjoyed a small tour to Holland as well as providing support for lager bands such as Dervish. The band began working on their next album which wasn't eventually released until 2005. In 2004 the band enjoyed a busy summer performing at many of the major folk festivals. Clare Sanders & Paul Burgess (Couple since 1999) relocated to the west of Ireland. The band toured Ireland in August 2004 for two weeks and regrouped for various other festival commitments.

[edit] The present

With Sanders & Burgess now in Ireland and the other half of the band in England the future of Legacy was in doubt. However, the band toured Denmark in February 2005 and their last performance to date was in August 2005 at the Broadstairs folk festival in Kent, UK. Simms & Cotterell continued performing as a duo and with other established musicians. Cotterell went on to perform with artists such as Martha Tilson and continued his regular spot in the Scottish based folk rock band The Electrics while Simms focused on his painting talents and developing himself as a solo performer (debut solo album released 2006). Sanders & Burgess have since completed the construction of a dedicated recording studio as well other musical activities. Legacy's catalog of recordings were made available in down-loadable formates from the Deviation Records label in 2005 and the bands 4th studio album, Polly On The Shore, was released in August 2005.

The band has not officially split up and there are rumors of Legacy's return in 2007.