Roy Harper (singer)

Roy Harper
Harper in 2011
Background information
Born	(1941-06-12) 12 June 1941 (age 82) Rusholme, Manchester, England
Genres	Folk folk baroque folk rock indie folk progressive folk
Occupation(s)	Singer, musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals guitar harmonica
Years active	1964–present
Labels	Science Friction Liberty CBS Harvest Chrysalis Beggars Banquet I.R.S. Bella Union
Website	royharper.co.uk

Roy Harper (born 12 June 1941)^[1] is an English folk rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has released 22 studio albums (and 10 live ones) across a career that stretches back to 1966. As a musician, Harper is known for his distinctive fingerstyle playing and lengthy, lyrical, complex compositions, reflecting his love of jazz and the poet John Keats.^[2] He was also the lead vocalist on Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar.”

Harper's influence has been acknowledged by Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Pete Townshend, Kate Bush, Pink Floyd, and Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, who said Harper was his "primary influence as an acoustic guitarist and songwriter."^[3] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph described him as "one of Britain's most complex and eloquent lyricists and genuinely original songwriters... much admired by his peers".^[4] Across the Atlantic, his influence has been acknowledged by Seattle-based acoustic band Fleet Foxes, American musician and producer Jonathan Wilson, and Californian harpist Joanna Newsom, with whom he has also toured.

In 2005, Harper was awarded the MOJO Hero Award, and in 2013 a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. His most recent album, Man and Myth, was released in 2013. In 2016, Harper celebrated his 75th birthday by performing concerts in Clonakilty, Birmingham, Manchester, London, and Edinburgh.