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The Gathering features a veritable Who’s Who of key players, whose combined experience and membership have seen them record or perform with some of the most influential artists to grace stages and record collections across the world. Comprised of former and current members of Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, Lindisfarne, Magna Carta, The Albion Band, Jethro Tull, and Pentangle, never before (outside of the seminal festivals of folk-rocks’ brightest and finest period) has such a line up drawn from the genres’ most influential bands come together on stage to celebrate their shared heritage of songs and performances!

For booking please contact our tour manager, Keith Hammond at bigkmusic@btinternet.com

The Band:

Jerry Donahue - Guitars
From his early days in such bands as Fotheringay and Fairport Convention, to notable performances and/or recordings with Gerry Rafferty, Robert Plant, Joan Armatrading, Johnny Hallyday, George Harrison, Cliff Richard, Chris Rea, Warren Zevon, Bonnie Raitt, Hank Marvin, Roy Orbison, Nancy Griffith, The Yardbirds, and The Hellecasters, Jerry epitomizes the consummate guitarists guitarist. The son of the late 1940s/50s Big Band leader Sam Donahue and TV and film actress, Patricia Donahue, brother of the late Marc Donahue, and father of singer/ songwriter Kristina Donahue, Jerry has combined the Celtic folk music of his adopted home in the UK with his American rock, blues and country roots to arrive at his own, unique, unmistakable style.

Rick Kemp - Bass/ Vocals
As a member of Steeleye Span for over twenty years, Rick Kemp earned a great deal of admiration from more than just the folk fans. Kemp's intrepid, melodic bass playing is admired greatly among bassists for his ability to step outside the folk-rock genre to incorporate slap techniques and the use of a fretless bass in his work. In addition to Steeleye Span, Rick Kemp has played bass on a number of Maddy Prior recordings, and was a member the Maddy Prior Band in the 1980s.

Clive Bunker - Drums
It was as a drummer of "mix and match" description that Clive Bunker joined the fledgling Jethro Tull at the end of '67 to accompany Ian Anderson, Mick Abrahams, and Glenn Cornick in the early, heady days of the post blues-boom years of Brit-rock. Never the self-professed technical drummer, Clive made his impact, based on his throbbing, gritty engagement with the essence of blues and rock and roll, moved by the work of Ginger Baker, Mitch Mitchell et al. Today, Clive still remains a sought-after session musician, with many, many credits to his name amongst the world of old and not-so-old music groups, and is soon to be touring with The Legends of Folk band, The Gathering.

Ray Jackson - Mandolin/ Harmonica/ Vocals
Ray is a founding member of Lindisfarne, formed in 1969, which in turn evolved from Brethren, his first professional band. Lindisfarne had a very successful recording career with Ray as front man, beginning with the album Nicely Out Of Tune, continued with the ubiquitous Fog On The Tyne, and includes their hits Meet Me On The Corner, Lady Eleanor, All Fall Down and Run For Home. In The Night, a solo album, was released in 1980. Ray has also played both mandolin and harmonica as well as performing vocals on sessions for other leading recording artists, including Rod Stewart's Every Picture Tells a Story (Maggie May and Mandolin Wind) and on Smiler. Ray famously wrote the mandolin hook on Maggie May. On other sessions he has played for Chris de Burgh, Long John Baldry and Peter Hammill. Ray’s long career has seen him perform all over the world, including Japan and Australia, at such venues as Carnegie Hall, New York, The Olympia, Paris and The Troubadour in Los Angeles. He has played on the same bill as The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan and Traffic to name but a few. Ray left Lindisfarne in 1990 to pursue his career as an artist whilst continuing session work. After the Alan Hull tribute concert in 2005, Ray finds himself ready to come out of retirement from live performing, dust off the mandolin, oil the vocal cords, and hit the road with The Gathering!

Doug Morter - Guitars/ Vocals
Doug Morter launched his music career in 1969, playing with Hunter Muskett, supporting a young David Bowie, and went on his first major tour supporting Ralph McTell. Following, he had many gigs in UK and Europe, with partner Richard Digance, with major tours supporting Jethro Tull, Joan Armatrading, Elkie Brooks, Richard Thompson, Supertramp, Sutherland Brothers, Kinks, and Steeleye Span. After playing with Richard, Doug recorded and toured as part of the Maddy Prior Band, and as part of the Michael Chapman Band, and, in 1979, went on his first tour as part of the Albion Band. Doug then joined Magna Carta full time in 1980, after guesting on an earlier record. After three albums and a lot of foreign tours, Doug left in 1983 to re-join the Albion Band until 1985/6. In 1985, after releasing his first solo record, Doug started recording the first of two records with guitar virtuoso Jerry Donahue, which became the basis for The Backroom Boys, which still exists and tours whenever schedules permits. Doug is presently working with Then Came The Wheel, his collaboration with Alan Thomson, Arran Ahmun, from John Martyn’s band, and Foster Paterson from Donnie Munro’s band, "Celtic Blues" with Jens Falck, Paul Burgess, and Alan Thomson, and The Gathering. Whew! I need a drink just thinking about all of that.

Kristina Donahue - Vocals
Daughter of legendary guitarist Jerry Donahue, and granddaughter of the late 1940s/50s Big Band leader Sam Donahue, Kristina is a natural talent; singing and dancing before she could walk or talk. She made her rock and roll debut at the Fairport Convention Cropredy Festival in 1999 singing to an audience of more than 20,000 people. She was invited back the following year, performing a full set for both nights of the festival which garnered rave reviews from MOJO Magazine for her stage presence and versatility as a vocalist. "(She made) an immediate impression over the loudest band of the weekend, seemingly un-intimidated by such an extraordinarily difficult song or backing that bore the might of musical history." She most recently sang "The Battle Of Evermore" with Robert Plant and Fairport Convention at the 2008 Cropredy Festival. Kristina is looking forward to being back on the road with the Gathering again!