Biography
Vashti Bunyan, recognized as a folk singer and songwriter, earned her primary renown through the 1970 album Just Another Diamond Day. Rediscovered well into the following century, the recording resurfaced via fresh CD release and earned recognition among the period’s standout musical revelations. Born during 1945 in South Tyneside, she traces direct lineage to the writer and preacher John Bunyan (1629-1688). While enrolled at the Ruskin School of Fine Art and Drawing, she first turned to guitar; at age 18 the institution expelled her after excessive songwriting displaced her painting commitments. Already inclined toward an independent path, she traveled to New York, where Bob Dylan’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan left a lasting impression. Upon returning to London she resolved on a music career; theatrical agent Monte Mackay introduced her to Rolling Stones manager and producer Andrew Loog Oldham. Recalling her in 2007 as an English counterpart to Juliette Gréco, Marie Laforet, and Françoise Hardy, Oldham placed her with Decca Records and supplied the Mick Jagger/Keith Richards composition “Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind” for her opening single. The release drew scant notice, prompting a move to Columbia for the May 1966 follow-up “Train Song.”
She entered the circle of Oldham’s Immediate Records after its launch that same year and taped several tracks, chiefly her own compositions, none of which appeared commercially at the time. She also contributed one side to a duet with Twice as Much, Immediate’s counterpart to Simon & Garfunkel, titled “The Coldest Night of the Year.” Its Phil Spector-inspired production and layered harmonies displayed her voice at its most pop-oriented. This period aligned with what might be termed the “dolly bird” chapter of her trajectory, when she participated in the Swinging London milieu at least musically; one enduring example of her work from those years, the atmospheric “Winter Is Blue,” surfaced in Peter Whitehead’s 1967 documentary Tonite Let’s All Make Love in London. Not long afterward she departed London aboard a horse-drawn wagon for a two-year trek toward communal life in the Hebrides, aiming ultimately to encounter folk figure Donovan on the Isle of Skye. Along the way she met American producer Joe Boyd, already known in London for work with Pink Floyd and Fairport Convention. Continuing to compose throughout her travels, she joined Boyd in 1969 to capture her debut album, the delicate Just Another Diamond Day, which received contributions from Fairport Convention’s Simon Nicol and Dave Swarbrick as well as the Incredible String Band’s Robin Williamson. Upon finishing the record she relocated to Ireland and withdrew from music to raise a family.
Long unavailable and sought after by collectors, Just Another Diamond Day received a CD reissue in summer 2000 that generated widespread critical enthusiasm and corresponding commercial interest. Suddenly inquiries and messages of support reached her from admirers and journalists alike. In 2005 she issued Lookaftering, its title referencing the years spent caring for her family; the album appeared on Fat Cat’s DiCristina imprint with artwork by her daughter. The release prompted concerts extending as far as New York City and other international venues; by then sufficient attention had gathered around the rediscovered artist for her New York appearance to receive notice in The New York Times. In 2007 Fat Cat/DiCristina issued Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind, gathering her 1960s Decca, Columbia, and Immediate sides alongside 1964 demo recordings.
During 2008 the feature documentary Vashti Bunyan: From Here to Before appeared, and in an interview that year she disclosed the start of new songwriting. In 2014 she confirmed completion of her third album, Heartleap. Self-recorded and self-produced, the project was declared her final release; Heartleap reached the public in October 2014.
She entered the circle of Oldham’s Immediate Records after its launch that same year and taped several tracks, chiefly her own compositions, none of which appeared commercially at the time. She also contributed one side to a duet with Twice as Much, Immediate’s counterpart to Simon & Garfunkel, titled “The Coldest Night of the Year.” Its Phil Spector-inspired production and layered harmonies displayed her voice at its most pop-oriented. This period aligned with what might be termed the “dolly bird” chapter of her trajectory, when she participated in the Swinging London milieu at least musically; one enduring example of her work from those years, the atmospheric “Winter Is Blue,” surfaced in Peter Whitehead’s 1967 documentary Tonite Let’s All Make Love in London. Not long afterward she departed London aboard a horse-drawn wagon for a two-year trek toward communal life in the Hebrides, aiming ultimately to encounter folk figure Donovan on the Isle of Skye. Along the way she met American producer Joe Boyd, already known in London for work with Pink Floyd and Fairport Convention. Continuing to compose throughout her travels, she joined Boyd in 1969 to capture her debut album, the delicate Just Another Diamond Day, which received contributions from Fairport Convention’s Simon Nicol and Dave Swarbrick as well as the Incredible String Band’s Robin Williamson. Upon finishing the record she relocated to Ireland and withdrew from music to raise a family.
Long unavailable and sought after by collectors, Just Another Diamond Day received a CD reissue in summer 2000 that generated widespread critical enthusiasm and corresponding commercial interest. Suddenly inquiries and messages of support reached her from admirers and journalists alike. In 2005 she issued Lookaftering, its title referencing the years spent caring for her family; the album appeared on Fat Cat’s DiCristina imprint with artwork by her daughter. The release prompted concerts extending as far as New York City and other international venues; by then sufficient attention had gathered around the rediscovered artist for her New York appearance to receive notice in The New York Times. In 2007 Fat Cat/DiCristina issued Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind, gathering her 1960s Decca, Columbia, and Immediate sides alongside 1964 demo recordings.
During 2008 the feature documentary Vashti Bunyan: From Here to Before appeared, and in an interview that year she disclosed the start of new songwriting. In 2014 she confirmed completion of her third album, Heartleap. Self-recorded and self-produced, the project was declared her final release; Heartleap reached the public in October 2014.
Albums
Singles
