Features: An interview with Ric

This interview with Fairport Convention's Ric Sanders was conducted by Christian Ewen in 2006. The interview first appeared in Limited Edition – The Magazine for Cheshire and is reproduced here with our thanks.

Ric Sanders is one of England's most versatile fiddlers. Astonishingly effective at a diverse range of musical genres, he's played experimental rock with Stomu Yamashta's Red Buddah Theatre and Soft Machine, traditional folk with The Albion Band, and jazz with a trio that he shared with vocalist Vikki Clayton and drummer Fred Thelonious Baker.

But it's Fairport Convention where Ric's loyalties now lie, having been a full-time member of the legendary folkrock group since 1985.

Today, the band comprises founding member Simon Nicol (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), Dave Pegg (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chris Leslie (lead vocals, fiddle, mandolin) Ric on the violin and Gerry Conway (drums and percussion).

Speaking to Limited Edition via telephone from his secluded Oxfordshire cottage, it was just one week before Ric, aged 53, got on the road to play a 30-date tour of the UK dubbed Off The Desk taking its name from Fairport's most recent album. Interestingly for us, the band's stop at Cheshire's own Parr Hall in Warrington was scheduled for Thursday, March 2 – which I'm delighted to say I also attended.

"We're really looking forward to the Warrington gig, which is towards the end of the tour," said Ric back in January. "We love being on tour. It's what we do, what we're all about, and we enjoy doing that more than anything."

Although admitting to being 'geographically challenged' when it comes to knowing where the band are headed to play a gig, Ric added: "I've seen some wonderful places and I always have a nice time when I'm out on the road with the band, and that's because I'm doing what I love the most – which is playing our music live to audiences."

"I can recall playing the Middlewich Folk and Boat Festival and having a really fine time! It's not always easy travelling though.We're not exactly in the first blooms of youth, but it's worth going anywhere to perform because of that buzz you feel onstage. There's no feeling like it.We're not a band who is going to make a commercially massive record, but we'll keep on going 'till we drop."

Simon Nicol describes Fairport's sound today as 'electrocuted folk', a description, though intended to be humorous, is one that Ric readily agrees with.

"It's great to see Simon strap his Fender on these days and I think we're sounding really energised. An intuition has developed between us all when we're playing onstage. Playing so many gigs together for so many years now has allowed that intuition to blossom. We're not really a 'jamming' band these days though. There are moments where Gerry or myself, who I consider to be the 'loosest' players, add things here and there. Simon, Chris and Dave are much more anchored."

And what does Ric feel he brings to the band besides the improvisation? "I contribute instrumental pieces when we're working in the studio. I know they're in safe hands when they're being worked into the songs. Simon and Chris take care of the songwriting."

When asked what fans old and new alike can expect at a typical Fairport gig, Ric explained that the band likes to think of their performances as being "a meeting of friends".

"They're very sociable occasions and there's no barriers between us and the audience. It's customary that after our performances, we go out into the foyer and spend an hour or so signing autographs for the fans and having our pictures taken with them.We strongly believe that going out front to meet the fans is just as important as playing the gigs – and we all love a good natter!"

I can certainly vouch for that, having spent an hour or so chatting to Ric. I found him to be a most affable chap who was happy to converse on a variety of subjects – from the state of today's pop industry (and its unhealthy obsession with commercialism over artistic integrity) to the comic talents of the late, great Benny Hill. It was a thoroughly enjoyable interview to conduct.

Fairport Convention have begun 2006 in fine style. As well as their national tour, the band performed at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards ceremony in London on Monday, February 6.

Their appearance, which starred legendary former members Richard Thompson (guitar) and Dave Swarbrick (fiddle), celebrated the band's seminal album Liege & Lief' (1969) being voted 'Most Influential Folk Album Of All Time' by Radio 2 listeners.

I spoke to Ric before the ceremony took place but he was obviously looking forward to the occasion. He said: "I'm absolutely delighted that Liege & Lief has been recognised for having such a significant impact on folk music. I'd say it was the Fairport album that really fired me. It's a fantastic piece of work and my first real introduction to the band. As I'm one of the 'new boys', I'll be looking on from the side of the stage with pride when Richard Thompson and Dave Swarbrick take to the stage with Simon during the awards ceremony. It'll be a landmark occasion in Fairport's vast history."

I put it to Ric though whether or not he ever wishes he was there with the band back in the late 1960s...playing his part on the likes of Liege & Lief' and Unhalfbricking (1969) which today stand up as bona fide classics of the folk genre. "It is nice to think from time to time what it would have been like to have been a member of Fairport from the beginning, but I wasn't ready as a musician back then. Also, it can be quite a dangerous road to go down to start thinking 'what if' about events which are now firmly rooted in history. All I can say is that I'm immensely proud of not only Fairport's legacy but what we do as a band today."

Ric grew up listening to all sorts of music – everything from contemporary jazz to Rodgers and Hammerstein in fact. "My dad was a jazz fan and he used to have lots of old 78s, so I grew up with big jazz bands and the likes of Duke Ellington and Count Basie – although I really liked show tunes from those big musicals as well. I've always kept my ears open, as it were, when it comes to music. It doesn't matter to me what type of music it is. If I like it, I'll listen to it."

Although the young Ric appreciated music in its many forms, he didn't harbour any instant desires to become a musician. "That came later," he says. "Everything changed for me in 1967 with The Beatles and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour. I can honestly say that listening to I Am The Walrus changed my life."

The Fab Four weren't the only ones to make an impression. Ric pricked up his ears to musical stirrings across the pond and immersed himself in the USA's West Coast rock scene

"I loved all that stuff, and I was big fan of The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and Frank Zappa. I knew then that I wanted to be a musician. How could I not be? Everything was so influential, impossible to ignore."

Now in his teens, Ric began to teach himself the violin. "Most wannabe musicians in those days wanted to learn the guitar, because you had these fantastic players around like Clapton and Hendrix. There wasn't a guitar in the family, though we did have a fiddle. I scratched the varnish off it, painted it white and stuck a pick-up on it. I then taught myself by playing the music of all my favourite artists on that fiddle.

Sugarcane Harris was a big influence back then – what a player he was – and I started listening to lots of contemporary jazz, which really formed the basis of my playing." Ric's "most singular influence" however is Stéphane Grappelli, who is regarded as one of the all-time great jazz violinists (ranking with Joe Venuti and Stuff Smith as one of the 'Big Three' of pre-bop).

It wasn't long before Ric became so proficient on the violin that he was able to turn professional.

His first engagement was in 1972 – touring Europe with Stomu Yamashta's Red Buddah Theatre. Ric then continued to explore the outer realms of progressive rock with Soft Machine. His fiddling was featured on the band's 1978 album Alive and Well, which was recorded during a concert in Paris. With his reputation now secure, he began to step into the spotlight with his 1980s group Second Vision, which featured guitarist John Ethridge, keyboardist Dave Bristow and drummer Mickey Baker.The group's sole album, First Steps, was released in 1980.

Opening his own recording studio (Morgreen Studios) in 1981, Ric began mostly recording folk albums by such artists as Martin Simpson and June Tabor. His interests in the genre were further strengthened during a stint with Ashley Hutchings' Albion Band, a group that also included several musicians who had previously played with Fairport Convention. It was through this association that Ric received a phone call from Dave Pegg asking him if he'd like to play with a newly reformed Fairport Convention on the group's instrumental album Glady's Leap (1985).

"It was like a dream come true," he said. "I loved Fairport Convention from being a teenager. Along with King Crimson, they were my favourite UK band during the late 1960s. When I received the phone call from Dave asking me to join, I readily accepted – no hesitation. To still be with the band 20 years down the line is just amazing."

Despite becoming an essential part of Fairport's sound during that time, Ric has continued to take an active interest in jazz and other musical forms. He has recorded solo albums and a violin tutorial introduced by Jools Holland.

Ric has also become an in-demand session player, whose impressive list of credits include Roy Harper, Jethro Tull,The Strawbs, Pentangle, Gerry Rafferty, Loudon Wainwright III, Robert Plant, The Fureys, Ashley Hutchings and many others. Ric, however, doesn't consider himself to be a session player.

"There's times I've been quite nervous doing session work, such as when I'm asked to play the violin in a 'country and western' style or a 'gypsy' style. I'm not very good at that sort of playing at all. I think it's important as a session musician to have your own voice."

But have there been any sessions that Ric has particularly enjoyed? "I loved working with Dave Cousins and Rick Wakeman on their Hummingbird album in May 2002. I can't tell you how funny Rick is. I had such a great time working with him and I couldn't stop laughing! I have very happy memories from that session."

In September 2002, Ric set to work with his own band, The Ric Sanders Group, which features Vo Fletcher and Mike Gregory, who Ric described as being "two of his closest friends". The group performs a wide repertoire of jazz and swing. That year, the trio recorded In Lincoln Cathedral, an album featuring a version of the Jimi Hendrix classic Little Wing. And guess which 'very special guest' artist performed keyboards on the recording? Yes, none other than Rick Wakeman himself.

"I basically plucked up the courage and asked Rick to play on the song. I was delighted when he agreed to do it and I love how the recording turned out. It was great working with Rick on Hummingbird but it felt really good to have him appear on one of my own albums." Ric continues to record with The Ric Sanders Group when he's hasn't got touring or recording commitments to Fairport Convention.

During August and September this year, the band have a few concerts planned. "I can freewheel a bit with my own group without much pressure. I have a nice summerhouse at home which we use as rehearsal space. There's a good vibe in that room. I've been doing it up in my spare time. The plan is that Vo, Mike and myself are going to start experimenting in there and see what comes about before we play our gigs scheduled for later in the year."

It was interesting to hear Ric say the words 'in my spare time' as I'm surprised he has any at all given his numerous musical commitments.

"I do enjoy gardening now and then and watching comedy DVDs. I love Tony Hancock, Ronnie Barker and Benny Hill. I quite like the nostalgia trip those comedians take me on. They remind me of more peaceful and innocent times. I think that today's society has regressed so much that we're practically barking at the moon. The world always seems ready for a fight! I must admit though that music to me is the centre of everything, even my spare time really. I've got the ubiquitous home recording studio and I love nothing more than composing in there. But when I'm not composing, I love listening to contemporary music."

"As an older musician, I do like to keep my ears to the ground and there's lots of music I've really enjoyed in recent years. I love The Prodigy for example, and I recently picked up new albums by Richard Ashcroft and Jack Johnson. I also believe that Pete Doherty is very talented – though he should be careful not to let that talent go to waste through his choice of lifestyle. I think he gets a lot of bad press however, and it's a shame because he strikes me as a young musician who really appreciates music on a broad scale. After hearing his work on Babyshambles' debut album, I thought it was great."

Given Ric's body of work, I asked him could he shed any light on his own particular approach to making music that will stand the test of time.

"I think it's important for musicians to keep an open mind and undertake broad listening experiences. I'm a firm believer that musicians improve upon their craft by allowing themselves to be open to various musical forms. It's almost like an applied science. I like to think that musicians are similar to scientists. Like scientists, the great practitioners of music are those who are prepared to experiment and study. I know for a fact that I won't get complacent. I was experimenting at 18 and I'm still doing it now."

Without any hint of false modesty, Ric believes that after more than 30 years' professional experience, he's only just beginning to get the hang of playing and making music at what he feels to be a technically proficient level.

"Eric Clapton said a similar thing: he was asked at the age of 60 whether he felt he'd learnt and done everything he could possibly do, and that maybe he'd begin slowing down. Clapton said, after all these years of making that he was just getting into his stride! And I can see his point. As a musician, you never stop learning."