John Fahey

'On Clive Selwood's elderly gramophone revolves one of the amazing records of John Fahey. I'm not sure in how many places in London you can obtain these essential jewels....but I know you can find them at Chris Wellard's shop in New Cross. Please don't talk them into selling you the LPs they're holding for me." - Peel in his Perfumed Garden column in International Times, December 15th-28th, 1967

'The Kenny Dalglish of the guitar... stupid thing to say, but I've said it - Peel (06 March 2001)

Career Outline
(no more than two paragraphs, please)

Links to Peel
Peel's enthusiasm for Fahey's music led to the release of several of his albums - The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death, Blind Joe Death, Death Chants, Breakdowns and Military Waltzes, The Yellow Princess - in the UK, and to a tour in 1969 which included a session for Night Ride, with some of the tracks being played on the following Sunday's Top Gear. Peel served as Fahey's driver during this tour, according to his wife Sheila's account in Margrave of the Marshes. Fahey expressed his gratitude by sending Peel a mint Blind Lemon Jefferson 78 as a Christmas present.

On his show of March 31, 1986, Peel said he'd "only just found out that John Fahey had died last year" - which turned out to be untrue.

Festive Fifty Entries
None

Sessions

 * One session only. No known commercial release.

1. Recorded: 1969-05-22. First broadcast: 28 May 1969. Repeated: 17 August 1969.
 * Buckingham Stomp (Bucktown Stomp) / Death Of The Clayton Peacock / Sunflower River Blues / In Christ There Is No East Or West/ Steel Guitar Rag / Dance Of The Inhabitants Of The Palace Of King Philip XV / Some Summer Day / Poor Boy
 * NB: The last three of these were not transmitted in the original broadcast (on 'Night Ride'), but were broadcast (on 'Top Gear') on 22 June 1969.

Other Shows Played
(Please add any new or missing info. Preliminary listing below includes data from Lorcan's Tracklistings Archive, accessed via Lorcan's Tracklistings Archive Search)

("One of my most prized possessions," says JP, who only plays a short extract from this 6-minute track. "One of these days I shall lock myself in here and play all of that...Music for playing to your friends late at night...")
 * 1967
 * 31 December 1967: Sail Away Ladies (LP: The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party And Other Excursions) Takoma
 * 1968
 * 03 July 1968: The Death of the Clayton Peacock (LP - The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death) Transatlantic
 * 1969
 * 18 May 1969: Sail Away Ladies
 * 11 October 1969: Joy To The World (LP - The New Possibility: John Fahey's Guitar Soli Christmas Album) Takoma
 * 1976
 * 06 December 1976: Sail Away Ladies (with anecdote about JP's brother Alan borrowing Fahey albums for soundtack of TV report he's making on a travelling circus - and then "losing" them)
 * 1981
 * 05 September 1981: The Last Steam Engine Train (The Dance of Death and Other Plantation Favourites) Takoma
 * 1985
 * 09 January 1985: Poor Boy, Long Ways From Home (LP – Blind Joe Death) Takoma ("a goal every time he gets into the arena")
 * 1986
 * 29 December 1986: 'Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming (LP-The New Possibility: John Fahey's Guitar Soli Christmas Album)' (Takoma)
 * 1987
 * 15 June 1987: 'On The Sunny Side Of The Ocean (LP-The Transfiguration Of Blind Joe Death)' Takoma
 * 02 November 1987: You'll Find Her Name Written There (LP - I Remember Blind Joe Death)
 * 1992
 * 29 May 1992: Revelation (album - God, Time And Causality) Shanachie
 * 1993
 * 08 October 1993: Lewisdale Blues (album - The Voice Of The Turtle) Takoma
 * 11 December 1993: Bottleneck Blues
 * 1994
 * 08 July 1994: Unknown (LP - Rain Forests Oceans & Other Things) Varrick
 * 04 March 1994: May This Be Love/Casey Jones (LP - Rain Forests Oceans & Other Things) Varrick
 * 30 December 1994: Dance Of The Inhabitants Of The Palace Of King Philip XIV Of Spain (2xCD - Return Of The Repressed) Rhino
 * 10 June 1994: St Patrick's Hymn (LP - Rain Forests Oceans & Other Things) Varrick
 * 25 November 1994: I'm Gonna Do All I Can For My Lord (CD - Return Of The Repressed) Rhino
 * 1995
 * 20 January 1995: Sligo River Blues (2xCD-Return Of The Repressed) Rhino
 * 03 February 1995: Dance Of The Inhabitants Of The Palace of King Philip XIV of Spain (12" - Research and Destroy) White Label
 * 10 March 1995: Worried Blues (CD: Return of the Repressed) Rhino
 * 1998
 * 13 May 1998: Jesus Is A Dying Bedmaker (CD - America) Takoma
 * 28 October 1998: Sail Away Ladies
 * 24 November 1998: Song For Sara (CD - Georgia Stomps Atlanata Struts) Table Of The Element
 * 1999
 * 25 March 1999: (John Fahey & Cul De Sac) Tough (LP - Unknown) Thirsty Ear
 * 28 October 1999: Sail Away Ladies (Peelenium 1965)
 * 22 December 1999: Medley (LP - The New Possibility) Takoma
 * 2000
 * 21 December 2000: Medley: Hark, The Herald Angels Sing / O Come All Ye Faithful (LP - The New Possibility: John Fahey's Guitar Soli Christmas Album) Takoma
 * 2001
 * 22 February 2001: Sail Away Ladies (LP - The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party) Takoma
 * 06 March 2001: Sun Gonna Shine In My Back Door Someday Blues (LP - Return Of The Repressed) Rhino
 * 18 December 2001: Carol Of The Bells (LP - The New Possibility) Takoma
 * 20 December 2001: Silent Night (LP-The New Possibility) Ace
 * 2002
 * 19 November 2002: Remember (LP - ) (Revenant)
 * 18 December 2002 (with Richard Ruskin) Christmas Medley: Oh Tannenbaum / Angels We Have Heard ...
 * 2003
 * 07 January 2003: Charley Bradley's Ten Sixty-Six Blues (LP- )' Revenant
 * 27 February 2003: Revelation on the Banks of the Pawtuxent (LP- The Dance of Death & Other Plantation Favourites) Takoma