Midway through the 1990s the launch of Waterson:Carthy opened a fresh chapter for two longstanding pillars of British folk. Norma Waterson, oldest member of the storied family vocal group the Watersons, left a permanent imprint on traditional music in the 1960s; her later marriage to the influential guitarist and singer Martin Carthy created one of the genre’s enduring lineages. Carthy also became part of the Watersons, and the pair sustained their joint work into the early 1990s, at which point they began a new project that incorporated their daughter, the singer and fiddler Eliza Carthy. Across a run of widely praised folk releases, Waterson:Carthy extended the work of prior generations while injecting renewed energy drawn largely from Eliza’s youthful perspective. Their last album under the name, Holy Heathens and the Old Green Man, surfaced in 2006, yet the three continued to appear together in assorted combinations until Norma’s death in 2022.
Waterson:Carthy entered the catalog in 1994 with a self-titled Topic Records set and remained on the historic folk imprint throughout their existence. Although Norma and Martin contributed years of accumulated expertise, nineteen-year-old Eliza already carried an extensive résumé that included a 1993 partnership with fellow fiddler Nancy Kerr. Within the trio, vocals rotated equally among the three principals while Martin and Eliza managed most instrumental duties, with Kerr appearing as a guest on selected tracks. The follow-up, Common Tongue, arrived in 1996 and introduced a richer instrumental texture anchored by the new melodeonist Saul Rose. Buoyed by the reception of their opening pair of albums, the late 1990s became a peak period for the family; each member issued solo work. In an unusual coincidence both mother and daughter delivered their first solo albums in 1996; Norma’s self-titled release finished a close second for the Mercury Prize behind Pulp’s Different Class. After Martin’s Signs of Life appeared in 1998, the group reconvened for Broken Ground in 1999.
In 2000 Saul Rose yielded the melodeon chair to Tim Van Eyken, and Waterson:Carthy maintained an active schedule of touring and recording that produced A Dark Light in 2002 and Fishes and Fine Yellow Sand in 2004. Norma, Martin, and Eliza also participated in Blue Murder, a Waterson-related supergroup that performed regularly and issued the 2002 album No One Stands Alone. Between other commitments they reinstated an earlier Watersons custom of seasonal pre-Christmas concerts, honoring the group’s 1965 album Frost and Fire. Joining forces with the a cappella trio the Devil’s Interval, Waterson:Carthy recorded Holy Heathens and the Old Green Man in 2006, conceived as a successor to Frost and Fire. By then Rose had returned to the fold; although no further albums appeared under the Waterson:Carthy name, the musicians continued to share stages both collectively and in shifting combinations. Norma Waterson died on January 30, 2022.
