Person · Male
Roy Harper
English folk singer
- From
- Rusholme, Clonakilty
- Since
- 1941–present
- Rating
- ★ 4.65
- Releases
- 45
- progressive folk
- british folk rock
- contemporary folk
- folk rock
- psychedelic folk
- singer-songwriter
About
Roy Harper (born 12 June 1941) is an English folk rock singer, songwriter, poet 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.
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Harper's influence has been acknowledged by Led Zeppelin, 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." 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". 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. He performed additional concerts in 2019 and 2025.
Discography
Albums
-
Sophisticated Beggar Apple Music
-
Come Out Fighting Ghengis Smith Apple Music
-
Folkjokeopus Apple Music
-
Flat Baroque and Berserk Apple Music
-
Stormcock Apple Music
-
Lifemask Apple Music
-
Valentine Apple Music
-
HQ Apple Music
-
Bullinamingvase Apple Music
-
Commercial Breaks
-
The Unknown Soldier Apple Music
-
Work of Heart
-
Born in Captivity Apple Music
-
Whatever Happened to Jugula?
-
Loony on the Bus
-
…Descendants of Smith
-
Once
-
Death or Glory? Apple Music
-
The Dream Society Apple Music
-
The Green Man
-
Man & Myth
Singles
Live
-
The BBC Tapes: 6 Volume Set
-
Beyond the Door
-
The BBC Tapes, Volume II: In Concert 1974
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The BBC Tapes, Volume I: 1969–1973
-
The BBC Tapes, Volume III: 1974
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The BBC Tapes, Volume IV: In Concert 1975
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The BBC Tapes, Volume V: 1975–1978
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The BBC Tapes, Volume VI: In Concert 1978
-
Live at Les Cousins
-
Unhinged
-
In Between Every Line
-
Flashes From the Archives of Oblivion Apple Music
Compilations
Links
Official
Concerts
Married
Parent
Supporting musician
Also known as
H. Ash · ロイ・ハーパー
Identifiers
- MusicBrainz
- 8fc0c1d2-9be0-464f-98ee-ae7ae5b0086b
- ISNI
- 0000000114935702
- IPI
- 00058734060
Data from MusicBrainz, saved 6 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.