Principal Edwards Magic Theatre was an English

performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

collective in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

made up of about 14 musicians, poets, dancers, and sound and lighting technicians. It existed between 1968 and 1971, after which core members formed a more conventional

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band under the shortened name Principal Edwards.

Formation

The collective was formed by students at the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a public university , public research university in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of Min ...

, who had originally intended producing an arts magazine. Principal Edwards Magic Theatre biography, ''Prog Rock Archives''
Retrieved 28 August 2016 The initial musicians were Root Cartwright (guitar, mandolin, songwriter), Belinda "Bindy" Bourquin (violin, keyboards, recorder), David Jones (vocals, percussion), Jeremy Ensor (bass),

Martin Stellman Martin Stellman (London, July 28, 1948) is a British screenwriter and director best known for creating and writing ''The Interpreter'', starring Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn, and co-writing with Franc Roddam the 1979 British cult classic ''Quadrop ...

(vocals), Lyn Edwards (drums), and

Vivienne McAuliffe Vivienne Jill McAuliffe (19 July 1948 – 21 October 1998) was an English singer and songwriter, best known as lead singer of English jazz-rock fusion band Affinity and as a founding member of Principal Edwards Magic Theatre while at University of ...

(vocals). Dancers included Gillian Hadley (choreographer), John McMahon Hill, Eva Darlow and Monica Nettles, while Les Adey, Harry Housman and Chris Runciman were responsible for sound, lighting, props and effects. The name was taken from the Magic Theatre referenced in

Herman Hesse Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include ''Demian'', '' Steppenwolf'', '' Siddhartha'', and ''The Glass Bead Game'', each of which explores an individual's ...

's novel '' Steppenwolf'', and from Principal

Thomas Charles Edwards Thomas Charles Edwards (22 September 183722 March 1900) was a Welsh minister, writer and academic who was the first Principal of the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth. Life Thomas Charles Edwards was born at Llanycil, Bala, Merionethsh ...

, a

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

who was the first Principal of the

University College of Wales, Aberystwyth , mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all , established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'') , former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth , type = Public , endowment = ...

and an ancestor of Lyn Edwards. According to Cartwright, the name had "no religious overtones, we just thought tsounded neat."Biography at Allmusic
Retrieved 28 August 2016

Principal Edwards Magic Theatre, 1968–71

Their first public performance was at an event called "Dance of Words" organised by students (one of whom was Jeremy Ensor) in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

and hosted by

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

in May 1968, which also featured

Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Martin Lamble after their first gig.) They started o ...

Free Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procur ...

Tyrannosaurus Rex ''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosaurus'' live ...

Alexis Korner Alexis Andrew Nicholas Koerner (19 April 1928 – 1 January 1984), known professionally as Alexis Korner, was a British blues musician and radio broadcaster, who has sometimes been referred to as "a founding father of British blues". A major in ...

Gary Farr Gary Anthony Farr (19 October 1944 – 29 July 1994) was a British folk/blues singer best known as the founder and lead vocalist of the T-Bones, a British rhythm and blues band active primarily in the early to mid-1960s. After the break-up of ...

Pete Brown Peter Ronald Brown (born 25 December 1940) is an English performance poet, lyricist, and singer best known for his collaborations with Cream and Jack Bruce.Colin Larkin, ''Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music'', (Muze UK Ltd, 1997), , p. 80 Bro ...

's Poetry Band with

John McLaughlin John or Jon McLaughlin may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John McLaughlin (musician) (born 1942), English jazz fusion guitarist, member of Mahavishnu Orchestra * Jon McLaughlin (musician) (born 1982), American singer-songwriter * John McLaugh ...

on guitar, and poets

Brian Patten Brian Patten (born 7 February 1946) is an English poet and author. He came to prominence in the 1960s as one of the Liverpool poets, and writes primarily lyrical poetry about human relationships. His famous works include "Little Johnny's Confessio ...

and Michael Horowitz. They were signed by Korner's management team and, with Peel's active support, performed at similar events and gigs in London and elsewhere, sharing bills with

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

The Fugs The Fugs are an American rock band formed in New York City in late 1964, by the poets Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg, with Ken Weaver (musician), Ken Weaver on drums. Soon afterward, they were joined by Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber of The Holy ...

Family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talente ...

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

Ten Years After Ten Years After are a British rock group, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Between 1968 and 1973, the band had eight consecutive Top 40 albums on the UK Albums Chart. In addition, they had twelve albums enter the US ''Billboar ...

and others. The group were the first to be signed to Peel's

Dandelion Records Dandelion Records was a British record label started on 18 July 1969 by the British DJ John Peel. History The label was started as a way to get the music Peel liked onto record. Peel was responsible for "artistic direction" and the commercial ...

; though the label's co-founder Clive Selwood later described them as "the most pretentious act I have ever come across", and Peel's radio producer John Walters described them as "incorporating all kinds of arty-farty nonsense"; and performed at the first

Bath Festival of Blues The Bath Festival of Blues was a music festival held at the Bath Pavilion Recreational Ground in Bath, Somerset, England, on Saturday 28 June 1969. It featured a lineup of British blues bands, including Fleetwood Mac (the headliners), John M ...

in June 1969. They released their first

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

, "Ballad (of the Big Girl Now and a Mere Boy)", in July 1969, followed the next month by their first album, ''Soundtrack'', produced by Peel and the band, and so called because music was only one aspect of their performance, which also incorporated dance, lighting and poetry. Most of the songs were composed by Cartwright, with lyrical contributions by other band members and associates. According to reviewer

Pete Frame Peter Frame (born 10 November 1942 in Luton, Bedfordshire, England) is an English music journalist and historian of rock music. He has produced outlines of the history of rock bands for various magazines, such as ''Sounds'', ''NME'', '' Melody ...

of ''

Zigzag A zigzag is a pattern made up of small corners at variable angles, though constant within the zigzag, tracing a path between two parallel lines; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular. In geometry, this pattern is described as a ...

'' magazine, the album was "brimming with invention: time changes, unusual chord changes, interesting lyrics...". The sometimes whimsical, sometimes epic (verging on

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

) writing style of Cartwright, was paired with the eclectic lyrical contributions of David Jones, Gillian Hadley and Monica Nettles, and was performed by vocalist Vivienne McAuliffe. The violin and recorders of Bindy Bourquin were another key element of the group's trademark sound. Lyn Edwards, originally on bongos, took over on the

drumkit A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player ( drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsti ...

. With their education conflicting with their musical activities, members left their studies at Exeter and moved together into a large farmhouse/commune near

Kettering Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of Ket ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

to rehearse and as a base for their extensive touring, often as a support act for more established bands. During this time, the group opened for several acts including Pink Floyd,

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

, and

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...

. On one Friday evening in the 1969-1970 academic year they performed at a student dance at Rugby College of Engineering Technology, though people just stood and watched in awe. One member of the Entertainments Committee of the Students' Union had seen them elsewhere and they were booked on his recommendation and they produced a fantastic performance. In 1970, they recorded their second album, ''The Asmoto Running Band'', produced by

Nick Mason Nicholas Berkeley Mason, (born 27 January 1944) is an English drummer and a founder member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. He is the only member to feature on every Pink Floyd album, and the only constant member since its formation in ...

of Pink Floyd, and named for an

in-joke An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or a private joke, is a joke whose humour is understandable only to members of an ingroup; that is, people who are ''in'' a particular social group, occupation, or other community of shared interest. It i ...

about a roadie's poorly-written comment that they should aspire to being "a smooth running band". It was released by Dandelion in January 1971; according to Cartwright, the first side of the LP was "a green concept album, in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way." They won a residency at the

Hampstead Theatre Club Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. Roxana Silbert has been the artistic director since ...

in London, but there were differences over future direction. The original collective split up in December 1971, according to Cartwright as a result of "serious tensions between fringe theatre and rock priority, together with business hassles."

Principal Edwards, 1972–74

In early 1972, the core trio of Root Cartwright, Belinda Bourquin and David Jones, formed a new more rock-oriented band, with the abbreviated name of Principal Edwards. They were joined by musicians Richard Jones (bass, previously of the

Climax Blues Band Climax Blues Band (originally known as The Climax Chicago Blues Band) is a British blues rock band. The band was formed in Stafford, England, in 1967 by vocalist and harmonica player Colin Cooper (1939–2008), guitarist and vocalist Pete Hayco ...

), Nick Pallett (guitar, vocals), and Geoff Nicholls (drums). Over the next three years they mounted three complete stage musicals, touring around the country; ''King of Changes''; ''Stone Age Sam''; and ''The Glass White Gangster''. They were managed by Miles Copeland, and signed to

Deram Records Deram Records was a subsidiary record label of Decca Records established in the United Kingdom in 1966. At the time, U.K. Decca was a different company from the Decca label in the United States, which was owned by MCA Inc. Deram recordings w ...

, who released their album ''Round One'', again produced by Nick Mason, in 1974. However, the album was not a commercial success. After recording some more material, not released at the time but issued by

Cherry Red Records Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything But the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as well ...

in 2008 as ''The Devon Tapes'', the band broke up.

Life after Principal Edwards

Since the 1970s, members' fortunes have varied greatly. Singer Martin Stellman directed

Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has been described as an actor who reconfigured "the concept of classic movie stardom". Throughout his career spanning over four decades, Washington ha ...

in ''

For Queen and Country ''For Queen and Country'' is a 1988 crime drama film co-written and directed by Martin Stellman and starring Denzel Washington in Panavision. Washington stars as Reuben James, a Black British former paratrooper, who joined the British Army to escap ...

''; David Jones ran a community centre; and Root Cartwright became a gardener and photographic artist. Bindy Bourquin and Richard Jones married and both went into teaching. Jones plays in two bands: The Climax Ceilidh Band and Meridian. Nick Pallet and Geoff Nicholls played Twang and Bongo on ''

Animal Kwackers ''Animal Kwackers'' was a popular children's television series produced by Yorkshire Television and broadcast on Britain's ITV in the 1970s. The Animal Kwackers were a four-piece pop band consisting of Rory, a lion; Twang, a monkey; Bongo, a ...

'', a British children's programme similar to ''

The Banana Splits ''The Banana Splits'' is an American television variety show produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and featuring the Banana Splits, a fictional rock band composed of four costumed animal characters in red marching band hats with yellow plumes. ...

'', which would also feature Tony Hannaford from G.T. Moore and the Reggae Guitars as Boots, with all three ending up in the EMI/Cobra-signed act Electrotunes in 1980.Electrotunes - "If This Ain't Love" b/w "Bodywork", written by Tony Hannaford. Cobra/EMI Records 1980, catalogue number: COB 5 Lyn Edwards worked extensively in theatre, as well as children's television ('' Play School'') and BBC radio. He is currently teaching drums in schools and playing in several bands. Jeremy Ensor toured (as sound engineer/tour manager) with

McGuinness Flint McGuinness Flint was a rock band formed in 1970 by Tom McGuinness (musician), Tom McGuinness, a bassist and guitarist with Manfred Mann, and Hughie Flint, former drummer with John Mayall; plus vocalist and keyboard player Dennis Coulson, and mul ...

Dick Heckstall-Smith Richard Malden Heckstall-Smith (26 September 1934 – 17 December 2004) was an English jazz and blues saxophonist. He played with some of the most influential English blues rock and jazz fusion bands of the 1960s and 1970s. He is known for pri ...

Band,

Groundhogs The groundhog (''Marmota monax''), also known as a woodchuck, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. The groundhog is a lowland creature of North America; it is found through mu ...

Albion Country Band The Albion Band, also known as The Albion Country Band, The Albion Dance Band, and The Albion Christmas Band, were a British folk rock band, originally brought together and led by musician Ashley Hutchings. Generally considered one of the m ...

and

Greenslade Greenslade were an English progressive rock band, formed in the autumn of 1972 by keyboard player Dave Greenslade and bassist Tony Reeves, with keyboardist Dave Lawson and drummer Andrew McCulloch. History The band made their live debut at ...

(co-producing two of their LPs) and then worked as an A&R man for

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

and

Phonogram Records Phonogram Incorporated was started in 1970 as a successor to Philips Phonographic Industries, a unit of the Grammophon-Philips Group (GPG), a joint venture of Philips N.V. of the Netherlands and Siemens A.G. of Germany. Phonogram was the name ...

signing, amongst others,

Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...

The Only Ones The Only Ones were an English rock band formed in London in 1976, whose original band members are Peter Perrett, Alan Mair, John Perry and Mike Kellie, they first disbanded in 1982. They were associated with punk rock, yet straddled the music ...

, and

Graham Bonnett Graham Bonnet (born 23 December 1947) is an English rock singer. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist and as a member of several hard rock and heavy metal bands including Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, and Impellitteri.Pr ...

. He currently lives in

north London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nort ...

and is an IT consultant. Chris Runciman is still on the road as a tour manager/production manager, and sound and lights engineer for, amongst others,

Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a precocious teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he h ...

Steve Earle Stephen Fain Earle (; born January 17, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, author, and actor. Earle began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982. Initially working in the country music g ...

, and

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

. In recent years he worked as a technical consultant to Sir

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the B ...

Montserrat Montserrat ( ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, with r ...

, helping design and then managing the Montserrat Cultural Centre. Les Adey was the lighting technician for

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

. Serious illness and breakdowns have befallen some of the other former members. Dancers John McMahon Hill, Vivienne McAuliffe and Les Adey are deceased.

Discography

As Principal Edwards Magic Theatre

*"Ballad (Of The Big Girl Now And A Mere Boy)" / "Lament For The Earth" (1969)

Single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

*''Soundtrack'' (1969) LP, Dandelion Records *''The Asmoto Running Band'' (1971) LP, Dandelion Records :: (The track "The Asmoto Running Band" also appeared on an untitled sampler). (1971) EP, Dandelion Records *''Soundtrack'' / ''The Asmoto Running Band'' (1994) CD,

See For Miles Records See for Miles Records (SFM) was a British record label which was one of the first British re-issue specialists predating the emergence of compact discs. See for Miles reissued most of the records of many labels including Dandelion Records on C ...

:: (The track "Autumn Lady Dancing Song" from ''The Asmoto Running Band'' is omitted from this CD). *''Soundtrack'' (2006) CD,

:: (The "Ballad..." / "Lament for the Earth" single featured as bonus tracks on this CD). *''The Asmoto Running Band'' (2006) CD,

As Principal Edwards

*''Round One'' (1974) LP, Deram *"Captain Lifeboy" / "Nothing" (1973) single, Deram *"Weekdaze" / "The Whizzmore Kid" (1973) single, Deram

Other song titles

* "The Kettering Song" * "Enigmatic Insomniac Machine" * "The Death of Don Quixote" * "Freef(R')All" * "Weirdsong of Breaking Through at Last"

References

External links

Official websiteA Day with Principal Edwards Magic Theatre - International Times, 12 February 1970
{{Authority control Deram Records artists English rock music groups Musical groups established in 1968 Musical groups disestablished in 1975