Biography
Born Cecilia Rosemary Hardman on 26 February 1945 in Manchester, England, she began composing material at thirteen and delivered her inaugural folk-club set in 1965 at the Manchester Sports Guild. Over the ensuing three years she became a mainstay performer while also running several local clubs. Her debut album, Queen Of Hearts, appeared on the Folk Heritage imprint in 1968 and blended traditional pieces with newer compositions. By December of that year she had gone fully professional, and six months later she formed a duo with south London guitarist Bob Axford that concentrated exclusively on original songs. Their initial joint release, Second Season Came, came out on the short-lived Leader label and featured the widely praised and frequently recorded Hardman composition ‘Lady For Today’. She next issued the self-written solo track Firebird, and in 1974 she appeared at the Cambridge Folk Festival.
In 1978 Plant Life signed her, resulting in three albums whose session players included Dave Cousins of the Strawbs along with Maddy Prior and Rick Kemp. During 1980 she supplied the theme music for the children’s television series Talk Write And Read. Regular European tours followed, and in 1981 she made her first trip to Hong Kong. That same year she wrote and cut the single ‘The Man From Brooklyn’/‘Just One Time’, both sides inspired by Barry Manilow, whom she has long cited as a principal influence and for whose Birmingham fan-club branch she served as organizer for several years.
The 1983 album The Weakness Of Eve marked an effort to broaden her musical range, drawing on sources that stretched from Manilow to Whitesnake, the latter group’s official fan club she also administered for two years. For a period she performed as a duo with former Whitesnake guitarist Mel Galley. Persistent throat difficulties, brought on by smoky venues and inadequate sound systems, necessitated extended hospital care throughout the mid-eighties. By 1990 she had all but withdrawn from performing, save for a pair of one-off farewell concerts in Germany and Jersey in 1991. Many of her strongly romantic compositions have since been interpreted by other folk artists. She currently instructs swimming for Birmingham City Council and conducts online computer courses.
In 1978 Plant Life signed her, resulting in three albums whose session players included Dave Cousins of the Strawbs along with Maddy Prior and Rick Kemp. During 1980 she supplied the theme music for the children’s television series Talk Write And Read. Regular European tours followed, and in 1981 she made her first trip to Hong Kong. That same year she wrote and cut the single ‘The Man From Brooklyn’/‘Just One Time’, both sides inspired by Barry Manilow, whom she has long cited as a principal influence and for whose Birmingham fan-club branch she served as organizer for several years.
The 1983 album The Weakness Of Eve marked an effort to broaden her musical range, drawing on sources that stretched from Manilow to Whitesnake, the latter group’s official fan club she also administered for two years. For a period she performed as a duo with former Whitesnake guitarist Mel Galley. Persistent throat difficulties, brought on by smoky venues and inadequate sound systems, necessitated extended hospital care throughout the mid-eighties. By 1990 she had all but withdrawn from performing, save for a pair of one-off farewell concerts in Germany and Jersey in 1991. Many of her strongly romantic compositions have since been interpreted by other folk artists. She currently instructs swimming for Birmingham City Council and conducts online computer courses.
Albums
The Best of... The Plant Life Years
2025
The Weakness of Eve
2021
Stopped In My Tracks
2021
Eagle Over Blue Mountain
2021
Singles
