Dave Cousins (born David Joseph Hindson; 7 January 1945) is an English musician who has been the leader, singer and most-active songwriter of

Strawbs Strawbs (or The Strawbs) are an English rock band founded in 1964 as the Strawberry Hill Boys. The band started out as a bluegrass group, but eventually moved on to other styles such as folk rock and progressive rock. They are best known ...

since 1967.

Career

Cousins is a founder member of the

, which started out as the Strawberry Hill Boys, playing

bluegrass music Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music that developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States. The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Like mainstream country music, it la ...

, then moved on to folk,

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk music, folk and rock music, rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the American fo ...

, and

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

. He also performs as an acoustic duo with Strawbs guitarist Brian Willoughby, and as Acoustic Strawbs with Willoughby (until August 2004), Dave Lambert and Chas Cronk (since September 2004). Cousins grew up in

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and ...

, and in the 1970s returned to live there, rehearsing in Chiswick's Mawson Arms pub. He holds a

degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathemati ...

in statistics and

pure mathematics Pure mathematics is the study of mathematical concepts independently of any application outside mathematics. These concepts may originate in real-world concerns, and the results obtained may later turn out to be useful for practical applications ...

from the

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_la ...

, and has also followed a career in radio. He was a producer for

Denmark's Radio DR (), officially the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in English, is a Danish public-service radio and television broadcasting company. Founded in 1925 as a public-service organization, it is Denmark's oldest and largest electronic media enterp ...

1969–1979, was programme controller for Radio Tees (1980–1982), and the managing director of Devon Air in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

(1982–1990). Since 1991, Cousins has been in charge of St. David's Research, and has been instrumental in many successful franchise applications business ventures involving local radio stations in the UK; stations such as Thames Radio ( Kingston-upon-Thames), Radio Victory (

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...

) and

XFM Radio X is a British National commercial radio station focused on alternative music, primarily indie rock, and owned by Global. Radio X launched in 1989 as a pirate radio station, a licensed London-wide station in 1997 and nationally in 2015 ...

in London. He runs Witchwood Records, an independent record label. Cousins tours North America and Europe with Acoustic Strawbs, several months every year. In February 2012, a new venture with producer Chris Tsangarides was announced, the Dark Lord Records label; the first release was by band Spit Like This on 21 May. In 2014 Cousins' autobiography ''Exorcising Ghosts: Strawbs and Other Lives'' was published by Witchwood Media Limited. In December 2021, Cousins announced a withdrawal from live performance due to his health.

Special appearances

In 1980, Cousins made a guest appearance on '' On Through the Night'', the debut album by British heavy metal group Def Leppard. Cousins' speaking voice can be heard at the beginning of "When the Walls Came Tumblin' Down", reciting a melancholy tale that serves as the track's intro.

Albums

* '' Two Weeks Last Summer'' (1972) (with Roger Glover, Rick Wakeman, Dave Lambert, etc) * '' Old School Songs'' (1980) (with

Brian Willoughby Brian Willoughby (born 20 September 1949) is a British guitarist. He has worked with many musicians, notably Dave Cousins and The Strawbs Strawbs (or The Strawbs) are an English rock band founded in 1964 as the Strawberry Hill Boys. Th ...

) * ''The Bridge'' (1994) (with Brian Willoughby) * ''

Hummingbird Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but the vast majority of the species are found in the tropics ar ...

'' (2002) (with Rick Wakeman) * ''Wakeman and Cousins "Live 1988"'' (2005) (with Rick Wakeman) * ''High Seas'' (2005) (with Conny Conrad) * ''

The Boy in the Sailor Suit ''The Boy in the Sailor Suit'' is a studio album by Dave Cousins. Track listing All songs written by Dave Cousins except where noted #"Never Take Sweets from a Stranger" – (4:41) #"Mellow Moon" – (6:19) #"The Smile You Left Behind" – (3:0 ...

'' (2007) * '' Secret Paths'' (2008) * '' Duochrome'' (2008) (with Ian Cutler) live recordings from the US tour in March 2008 * '' Moving Pictures'' (2015) solo acoustic live recording from The Kent Stage, Kent, Ohio US 15 March 2008

References

External links

Dave Cousins at the official Strawbs website

Official Strawbs website

Witchwood Records website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cousins, Dave 1945 births Living people Appalachian dulcimer players English male singers English folk guitarists English male guitarists English songwriters Alumni of the University of Leicester People from Hounslow Strawbs members British male songwriters People from Chiswick

Career

Special appearances

Albums

See also

References

External links