Prelude began to write their own material and built a following on the folk circuit and in 1973 they
recorded their first album,
How Long Is Forever?, on
Dawn Records at
Rockfield recording studios in Wales. From it came their best known recording, an
a cappella version of the
Neil Young song "
After the Gold Rush", on
Dawn. In the UK, it entered the
Top 50 on 26 January 1974, had a nine-week stay, peaking at Number 21. In
America, it entered the
Billboard Hot 100 on 5 October 1974, and had a 13-week stay, peaking at No. 22. Hume explained (in 1974) how the song came about: {{Blockquote| The group subsequently
toured the United States, but only scored one more hit "For a Dancer", which peaked at No.63. The group appeared on
Top of the Pops to promote the single. The follow-up "Trick of the Light" failed to chart. In 1981, they toured the UK with
Don McLean. Further success was achieved in 1982 when a re-recorded version of "After the Gold Rush" made the UK top 30. Vardy left the band in 1985. Irene and Brian Hume continued as a
duo until 1987, when they were joined by Jim Hornsby (guitar, dobro and vocals), Tony Hornsby (bass and vocals) and Ian Tait (drums and percussion). By 1993, the Hornsbys and Tait had left and Prelude continued as a duo once more. They still wrote and performed on the circuit, along with Chris Ringer (bass/vocals). In 2008, they were rejoined by original member Ian Vardy, and performed as a four-piece. In 2010, Chris Ringer departed and Prelude were joined by Paul Hooper on drums and percussion, (who had recently left
The Fortunes), and Steve Cunningham, ex
Lindisfarne, on bass guitar. A CD was recorded with the new line-up entitled
The Belle Vue Sessions, comprising mainly new Hume / Vardy compositions, was released in February 2011. In 2012, Steve Cunningham was replaced by Keith Tulip on bass. As of 2019, the current line-up continues to tour. ==Discography==