Woodworm Records

Woodworm Records was an independent British record label established in 1979 by Fairport Convention bassist Dave Pegg and his wife, Christine Pegg. Its immediate purpose was practical and closely tied to the history of the British folk-rock group: Fairport Convention had recorded performances during its 1979 farewell tour, but the band was approaching a break-up and no existing record company was prepared to issue the material. The situation was also shaped by medical advice given to fiddle player Dave Swarbrick, who had been advised to avoid further amplified music in order to protect his hearing. In response, the Peggs created Woodworm Records and released the resulting album, Farewell, Farewell. The label subsequently developed beyond that initial project. It became an outlet for further Fairport Convention recordings and for work by artists associated with the band and the wider British folk scene, including Dave Swarbrick and Steve Ashley. Woodworm therefore functioned not simply as a one-off vehicle for an archival live release, but as an artist-centered independent label connected to Fairport Convention's musical community. Its catalogue and activities were closely related to the group's continuing performance and recording network, while also reflecting the broader folk and folk-rock culture around the band. Woodworm's activities were associated with Woodworm Recording Studios, a facility at Barford St. Michael in Oxfordshire. The studio provided an important physical base for recording and was used by artists beyond the label's immediate roster, including Jethro Tull and Richard Thompson. This connection gave Woodworm a broader identity encompassing both recorded-music releases and a recording environment linked to established British folk-rock musicians. The label's active period ended after personal and business changes affecting the Peggs. Their divorce in 2004 resulted in the sale of the studio, and Woodworm Records was subsequently put on hold. Fairport Convention members then established Matty Grooves Records to continue the label's work in a new form. Woodworm is consequently best understood as a historically significant independent imprint in the Fairport Convention orbit rather than as a currently operating multinational music company.

Woodworm Records emerged from a specific problem in Fairport Convention's late-1970s career. In 1979, the British folk-rock band recorded performances during what was described as its farewell tour. The recordings acquired added significance because the band was facing an impending break-up, while fiddle player Dave Swarbrick had received medical advice to stop playing amplified music to protect his hearing. Despite the historical and musical value of the performances, no existing record label was willing to release them. Fairport Convention bassist Dave Pegg and his wife, Christine Pegg, responded by creating Woodworm Records. The label's first purpose was therefore not to compete as a general-purpose commercial company, but to give the band control over the release of material that the established record business had declined. Its first release was Farewell, Farewell, an album drawn from the farewell-tour performances. This foundation connected the imprint to independent release-making, live documentation, and the preservation of a significant moment in Fairport Convention's history. Woodworm soon grew beyond the initial album. It released additional work by Fairport Convention and recordings by artists connected with the band or the surrounding British folk scene. Among the artists identified with the label were Dave Swarbrick and Steve Ashley. The label's role was consequently both musical and communal: it provided a platform for Fairport-related projects while helping sustain a network of folk and folk-rock musicians outside the largest record companies. The Woodworm name was also closely associated with Woodworm Recording Studios in Barford St. Michael, Oxfordshire. The studio formed an important part of the label's operating environment and attracted other notable performers. Jethro Tull and Richard Thompson are among the artists associated with recording there. This studio relationship broadened Woodworm's significance beyond catalogue ownership, linking the label to a tangible production facility used by musicians from the British folk-rock tradition and related genres. The label's later history was shaped by changes in the Peggs' personal and business circumstances. In 2004, Dave and Christine Pegg divorced. The associated studio was sold, and Woodworm Records was put on hold. Rather than allowing Fairport Convention's label activities to disappear entirely, members of the band formed Matty Grooves Records to carry the work forward under a different imprint. Woodworm therefore belongs to the history of independent British folk music as a label created from artist necessity, expanded through a close-knit musical network, and ultimately succeeded by a related venture after the 2004 changes.

• 2004

  The label is put on hold

  [1]Woodworm Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Following the Peggs' divorce and the sale of the associated recording studio, Woodworm Records is placed on hold.

• 2004

  Matty Grooves Records is formed

  [1]Woodworm Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Fairport Convention members establish Matty Grooves Records to continue Woodworm's label-related work.

• 1979

  Woodworm Records is founded

  [1]Woodworm Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Dave Pegg and Christine Pegg establish the label to issue Fairport Convention's recording of performances from its 1979 farewell tour.

• 1979

  Farewell, Farewell is released

  [1]Woodworm Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The new label's first stated purpose is fulfilled with the release of Fairport Convention's farewell-tour recording, titled Farewell, Farewell.

An independent British folk and folk-rock label rooted in Fairport Convention's artist community, created to preserve and release music that mainstream labels were unwilling to issue and later expanded to related artists and recordings.

• Live album · 1979

  Farewell, Farewell

  Woodworm Records' founding release, compiled from performances recorded during Fairport Convention's 1979 farewell tour. The album was created after established record companies declined to issue the material, making it the release that directly prompted Dave and Christine Pegg to establish the label.

• Recorded music

  Fairport Convention catalogue

  Woodworm later released albums by Fairport Convention in addition to its founding farewell-tour project. The supplied reference material does not identify the individual album titles or release dates, but establishes Fairport Convention as the label's central artist relationship.

• Folk recordings

  Releases by Dave Swarbrick and Steve Ashley

  The label's catalogue expanded to include work by Dave Swarbrick and Steve Ashley, demonstrating its connection to artists in Fairport Convention's wider folk and folk-rock circle. Specific titles and release dates are not identified in the supplied reference.

• 2004

  Place Woodworm Records on holdStrategy

  Background

  The Peggs' divorce led to the sale of Woodworm Recording Studios in Barford St. Michael, Oxfordshire.

  Action taken

  Woodworm Records was put on hold after the associated studio was sold.

  Aftermath

  Fairport Convention members formed Matty Grooves Records to continue the label's work under a new name.

  Source

• 1979

  Create an independent label for the farewell-tour recordingStrategy

  Background

  No existing record label was willing to release Fairport Convention's recording of its 1979 farewell-tour performances, while the band's future was uncertain and Dave Swarbrick had been advised to avoid amplified music.

  Action taken

  Dave Pegg and Christine Pegg formed Woodworm Records and used it to release the recording as Farewell, Farewell.

  Aftermath

  The label expanded into further Fairport Convention and related folk releases.

  Source

1. 1Woodworm Recordsen.wikipedia.org