1963–1968: Early period The band formed as the Strawberry Hill Boys in early 1963 by
Dave Cousins and
Tony Hooper. Cousins had met Hooper on his first day at
Thames Valley Grammar in
Twickenham, and the two shared musical interests, being fans of the Foggy Mountain Boys and Earl Taylor and the Stoney Mountain Boys. This, in addition to them rehearsing in the flat of Susie Shahn, daughter of American painter
Ben Shahn, in
Strawberry Hill, London in south west London, led to the duo naming themselves in a similar fashion. They started out as a
bluegrass group with sets formed of
Flatt and Scruggs and
The Stanley Brothers covers with Cousins on vocals, guitar,
dulcimer and
banjo, and Hooper on vocals and guitar. Eventually Cousins began writing his own songs, becoming the principal songwriter and leader of the band. Their first gig took place at a folk club in
Clapham. Soon after Cousins and Hooper successfully auditioned for a live BBC radio session in Maida Vale that was broadcast in April 1963. Their pass allowed them to secure further radio work, including a spot in June on
Saturday Club which featured
the Beatles. Their musical direction evolved around this time, moving from bluegrass towards folk and pop. The result was
All Our Own Work, consisting mostly of Cousins' material with Denny contributing the song "
Who Knows Where the Time Goes?". Cousins recalled the confusion from management who thought they were an American act. This was followed by "
The Man Who Called Himself Jesus" in November, featuring a spoken introduction by actor
Richard Wilson. It was produced by
Gus Dudgeon and
Tony Visconti, who reprised their roles on the band's debut studio album
Strawbs, released in May 1969. It features
Nicky Hopkins on piano,
John Paul Jones of
Led Zeppelin fame on bass, and a string section. A&M had sent the band $15,000 to help with production costs, only to find after recording that the sum was in fact to cover three albums. Wakeman stayed with them for one further album,
From the Witchwood, then departed to join
Yes.
1971–1973: Commercial peak Wakeman was replaced by Welsh keyboardist
Blue Weaver, formerly of
Amen Corner and
Fair Weather, following a chance meeting with Cousins. This line-up recorded
Grave New World in late 1971 which marked the band distancing themselves further from their folk roots towards
progressive rock. Cousins wrote "
Benedictus", the opening track, about Wakeman's departure after Visconti had introduced Cousins to the Chinese text
I Ching as he thought about the future of the band. Strawbs co-founder Hooper departed after touring
Grave New World, as the band had far outgrown his original vision for it and wanted to pursue production work. The pair formed
Hudson Ford, followed by
The Monks and High Society.
1973–1980: Progressive rock period and disbanding Cousins and Lambert quickly rebuilt the band, recruiting
Renaissance keyboardist
John Hawken,
Stealers Wheel drummer
Rod Coombes, and
Chas Cronk on bass. Hawken was reluctant to play any instrument except the piano at first, but soon took to the Mellotron and Moog synthesizer which expanded the group's sound into
progressive rock. Released in March 1974, the album went to No. 35 in the UK.
Rolling Stone reporter Ken Barnes wrote: "Strawbs moved from folkier days to a lush, stately and mellotron-dominated sound, with similarities to Yes,
King Crimson and
the Moody Blues. They wrote more compelling songs than the former two, and possessed more lyrical/musical substance than the latter." The follow-up,
Ghosts, and tended to concentrate on the North American market with relatively little touring in the UK. In 2015, a UK tour with the electricl band was postponed after Cousins required surgery after an accidental fall dislodged a kidney stone. The tour was rescheduled for 2016, featuring a mix of acoustic and electric band performances in the UK and the US. As a result he reduced his workload by folding Witchwood Records and signed with
Esoteric Records to handle more of the group's business affairs.
Settlement was released in 2021 and according to Cousins, was disliked by the rest of the group. He replaced drum parts that Fernandez had put down without his knowledge, which Cousins thought was necessary to improve the songs. Fernandez refused to have his name put on the album as a result. In May 2023, after completing the album, Cousins addressed claims that he had dumped Cronk, Lambert, Fernandez, and Bainbridge, noting that none had been invited to perform at the band's final concert at
Fairport's Cropredy Convention on 11 August. He stated that he had not "excluded" them and that Fernandez had ceased to be a member in 2020 after recording
Settlement, that Cronk and Lambert had declined their invitation to perform at the show, and that Bainbridge, now a US resident, was unable to obtain his green card in time to travel and rehearse. The show featured a line-up of Cousins, Weaver, Ford, Willoughby, Mauritz Lotz, Cathryn Craig, Schalk Joubert, Kevin Gibson, and a guest appearance from Adam Wakeman. ==Band members==