Dave Cousins

It's remarkably difficult to write a biograph of Dave without delving into the history of the group, which is covered in great depth elsewhere. Put simply, Dave is the Strawbs and has been throughout their history. The only other band he's ever said he'd like to have been part of was Sandy Denny's Fotheringay.

Dave with Tony Hooper were the co-founders of the Strawberry Hill Boys, playing together first as the short-lived Gin Bottle Four. The Strawbs emerged from these bluegrass roots in late 1967/early 1968. Renowned in the mid 60s as the fastest UK banjo-picker around, as his own haunting compositions began to displace the bluegrass/traditional material, Dave developed a well-respected guitar playing style with unusual guitar tunings which complemented them to perfection.

Undoubtedly the heart and soul of the Strawbs - as songwriter, front man and lead singer Dave has led the band throughout its many changes: from early days through folk-rock with a progressive flavour to the fully fledged rock band they are today. His complex epic songs, are the cornerstone of The Strawbs' appeal - delivered in his unmistakable vocal style, accompanied by his characteristic 12 or 6 string acoustic guitar over a rock backing, particularly organ and mellotron. His compositions form the vast bulk of the Strawbs output, many of them drawing - sometimes rather painfully -on his own direct experiences.

He has performed frequently as a much in demand acoustic duo with Strawbs guitarist Brian Willoughby. He has a solo album (the superb "Two Weeks Last Summer"), which rates with many of the band's releases, and two albums with Brian ("Old School Songs" and 1994's "The Bridge") to his credit.

Alongside his musical activities Dave has also maintained a parallel career in both marketing and local radio (his degree at Leicester University was in statistics). In the 60s and 70s he used to compile a weekly radio show for Danish radio, showcasing the best of UK pop music.

He left the Strawbs in 1980 to become Controller of Radio Tees, later relocating to Devon in 1982 to take over as Managing Director of DevonAir (the song "Forever Ocean Blue" on Ringing Down The Years was for many years the station's sign-off song). In the early 1990s, he moved back up to London and has worked in both TV and radio. He formed a marketing consultancy, St. Davids, and now lives just outside West London. He has been instrumental in many successful franchise applications business ventures involving local radio stations in the UK, including Orchard FM, Wessex FM, Minster Sound, Gemini Radio, Alpha FM, Thames FM, Xfm, Neptune Radio and most recently setting up Portsmouth's Victory Radio.