Chris Simpson

Chris grew up in the Yorkshire Dales, in a 16th century stone house lit by candles where, in the words of his song Wild Horses:

No T.V. or electric light
And the darkness fell like a Winter's night
Silence was a friend you did not question...

He is a true Dalesman. His influences are an eclectic mix of Steinbeck, Dickens, Buchan and Hemingway together with Elvis, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee and Chuck Berry. He has experienced a wide range of jobs, including butcher's boy, millhand, postman, farm worker, and post-mortem assistant.

He went to London University, where he started to play the guitar. There he met Lyell Tranter, an Australian guitar player, and Glen Stuart, an actor with a five octave range. They played at Coalhole Folk Club in Cambridge in May of 1969, and that was the birth of Magna Carta.

Chris Simpson is the heart of the band, and has written most of the band's songs.