As well as playing with the Strawbs in the 80s and 90s, Brian has been a session player/sideman in much demand, playing with the likes of Mary Hopkin, Roger Whittaker, Monty Python, Joe Brown and Jim Diamond and Nanci Griffith. A few years back Brian performed live with Nanci on her Glasgow, Dublin and London Barbican dates.
Black And White is Brian's brilliantly understated acoustic solo album, with a focus on Willoughby's songs, co-written with such artists as Michael Snow, Bill Lloyd, Cathryn Craig and Mary Hopkin. Willoughby provides most of the sparse instrumentation on guitars and the lyrics are effectively handled by Cathryn, with the exception of one song featuring a performance by the wonderful Mary Hopkin.
Working in between Brian's Strawbs commitments, Brian and Cathryn developed an extremely popular live act in the UK folk clubs. I Will is the first true duo album recorded by Brian and Cathryn, a splendid collection of songs, many of which appear in their live act. A polished achievement, with some excellent songs, including a version of Dave Cousins' "There Will Come The Day" with Cathryn taking the vocal.
In 2004, Brian decided to leave the Strawbs in order to concentrate on the work he was doing with Cathryn, and in later that year he released an instrumental solo album Fingers Crossed, which got very good reviews in the "musicians" music press. It features a few tracks of interest to Strawbs fans (an instrumental version of "Alice's Song", a version of "Cry No More" from The Bridge, the instrumental opening to "Face Down In The Well"; and the title track, which was the piece which Dave Cousins played to Mary Hopkin which got Brian his first job!
2004 also saw the release of "Rumours Of Rain", the folk supergroup project conceived by Brian and Cathryn (for more details see below.)
In 2005 the duo performed their first duo concerts in Cathryn's native USA, with a view to building up as strong and loyal a following as they have achieved in the UK.
Brian doesn't appear on the first two Cathryn Craig albums. He does appear on some tracks on Cathryn's Pigg River Symphony CD which feature interpretations of traditional Appalachian folk songs. The duo's records are all available via the online shop on their websites : www.cathryncraig.com or www.brianwilloughby.com.
In 2008 they completed work on a new album Calling All Angelswhich was released in Fenruary 2009. A revised version of "Alice's Song" was issued in Jan 2009 for download, with (with Antonia Pagulatos on viola and violin and Phil Rynhart on keyboards, getting loads of radio interest.
And in September 2009, to the delight of Strawbs fans attending, Brian and Cathryn once again appeared with the Strawbs at the 40th anniversary celebrations in the so-called "Blue Angel" line-up, also featuring Blue Weaver, Tony Fernandez and Chas. Cathryn sang stunningly with Dave in the set - including two numbers which have always been Dave's solo preserve, "New World" and "Benedictus", and Brian offered up his trademark effortless searing guitar breaks. A solo set from the duo also attracted many new fans, though a loud bang at the end (the much missed Fred Wedlock switching his compere mike on) made everybody sit up sharpish.
In 2010, the Craig & Willoughby Rockin' Rhythm Revue made its debut at the Eel Pie Club in Twickenham - for photos and review, click here .
See also The Three MustGetBeers
SinglesRumours Of Rain (Radio Edit)/ Rumours Of Rain (Long Version)/Video Document
Following the Iraq war, Cathryn and Brian assembled a virtual "supergroup" from the UK folk world to record Cathryn's song, "Rumours Of Rain". Those involved on vocals included Harvey Andrews, Martin Carthy, Rod Clements, Bob Fox, Benny Gallagher, Clive Gregson, Nanci Griffith, Jez Lowe, Jacqui McShee, Ralph McTell, Tom Paxton and Steve Tilston as well as our own Dave Lambert and Chas Cronk. Even Brian sang for once, hidden away in the chorus.
Instrumentally, Fairport weighed in heavily with Gerry Conway, Ric Sanders and Chris Leslie, Rick Kemp of Steeleye Span played bass and Rod Clements of Lindisfarne played dobro and Lambert added bodhran. Probably the first time that members of Strawbs, Lindisfarne, Pentangle, Fairport and Steeleye have all played on the same track.
The single contains both the long and short versions. Brian and Cathryn had the process of making the single captured on video - the single has a six and a half minute QuickTime video documentary as a bonus track.
For more details, see the Rumours of Rain website.