Ashley Hutchings: Always Chasing Rainbows – The Authorised Biography Volume 2: 1974-1992
by Brian Hinton & Geoff Wall

The first volume of Ashley Hutchings’ story, The Guv’nor & The Rise Of Folk Rock, came in book form, covering Hutching’s life up to 1973, including stints with Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and the Albion Country Band. This continuing volume, running to 435 pages, is on an easy-to-access CD-ROM, at least partly owing to its size. It continues the scholarly examination of Hutchings’ many twists and turns, taking in the different forms of the Albion Band, complete details of the Lark Rise To Candleford National Theatre production, and what has become known as the song-and-dance years. The cross-genre relationships and collaborations are extensively detailed, and the title neatly links Ashley’s current band, The Rainbow Chasers, with him being a restless musician, rarely fully satisfied and always seeking to improve or move on. Hutchings helped the two authors with the text and provided many of the 400-plus illustrations from his archive. While not aimed at the casual fan, along with its sister volume this provides a fascinating insight into a complicated, dedicated man whose work has been crucial to folk for 40 years and counting. You can get it directly from Geoff Wall at 5 Sunvale Close, Sholing, Southampton, SO19 8LX.