Gay Woods Irish vocalist Date of Birth: 09.1948Год Country: Ireland

1. Biography of Gay Woods
2. Early Musical Career
3. Formation of Steeleye Span
4. Challenges and Departure
5. Later Career
6. New Beginnings
7. Recent Years

Biography of Gay Woods

Gay Woods was an Irish vocalist and a member of the original lineup of the British folk group 'Steeleye Span'. She was born Gabriel Corcoran in Dublin and lived next door to her future husband Terry Woods. Gay and Terry shared a passion for folk and blues music. In 1963, they performed together at a club in Dublin and got married in May 1968.

Early Musical Career

As a duo, Gay and Terry sang songs by the American folk group 'Carter Family' and Irish folk songs. Terry later joined the group 'Sweeney's Men', which played English and American folk music and their own compositions. During that time, Gay didn't officially join the group. In the following year, Gay and Terry Woods attended the Keele Folk Festival, where Terry met Ashley Hutchings of 'Fairport Convention'. Instantly, the two musicians connected.

Formation of Steeleye Span

In November 1969, the initial rehearsals for a new group, which would later become 'Steeleye Span', took place. The lineup of the future band kept changing until Tim Hart and Maddy Prior, who performed as a duo with English folk songs, joined the group. Gay was uncertain during this time as Tim and Maddy continued performing as a duo, and she had to support herself and her husband financially.

Challenges and Departure

In April 1970, the musicians recorded some material in the studio, which was later played on the radio. However, tensions between Terry and Tim, who had animosity towards each other, grew. Gay and Terry went to Nottingham immediately after the recording, and a week later, they were informed that Martin Carthy had replaced them. This angered Terry so much that even after 25 years, in 1995, he refused to attend 'The Journey,' a major reunion of 'Steeleye Span' members.

Later Career

During the summer of 1970, Gay and Terry joined the 'Dr. Strangely Strange', the Irish version of the 'Incredible String Band', and toured with them in Holland and Germany. However, the group disbanded shortly after. Terry returned to Ireland and recorded the only album with 'The Woods Band' in 1971. Gay and Terry continued performing as a duo and released four albums and a single between 1975 and 1978.

New Beginnings

Gay faced difficulties with pregnancy, experiencing a stillbirth and a miscarriage. In 1979, she decided to give up on having children and fell into depression. She also decided to quit music and pursued a career as a train driver. However, in 1980, Gay and Terry met Garvan Gallagher and Trevor Knight of the group 'Metropolis' at 'Mulligan Records'. They recorded a demo together, which helped Gay overcome her apathy. She ended her marriage with Terry, formed her own group called 'Auto Da Fe' with Trevor Knight and three Dutch musicians, and became highly popular in Ireland, earning more money than ever before.

Recent Years

In 1988, Gay gave birth to a child with Trevor and temporarily retired from music. In 1994, she received an offer to reunite with 'Steeleye Span' and recorded three albums with them but left the group for financial reasons. The last known information about Gay Woods is that she earned a degree in psychology from the University of Essex.