Peter Knight

Peter Knight (born 27 May 1947) is an English folk musician. He was a member of British folk rock group Steeleye Span from 1970 to 2013.

Early life Born in London, Knight learnt to play the violin and mandolin as a child before going to the Royal Academy of Music from 1960 to 1964, enrolling at thirteen and graduating at sixteen. The recordings of the Irish fiddlers Michael Coleman and Michael Gorman

Career

Knight teamed up with guitarist and singer Bob Johnson until 1970 when he joined Steeleye Span. The parting was short-lived, as Johnson himself also joined Steeleye Span in 1972. In 1971, he performed on Roy Bailey's debut album.

In the mid-70s he was once secretly a member of The Wombles and appeared on Top of The Pops as Uncle Bulgaria, with Rick Kemp and Bob Johnson also in Womble suits; when speaking about his experience as a Womble, Knight said: "It's a bit embarrassing... but all my Wombles are in America," was how Mike Batt had raised the issue. "He was producing one of Steeleye Span's albums, and he was looking for someone to be the Wombles on Top of the Pops. We (Knight, Kemp and Johnson) all jumped at the opportunity."

He left Steeleye Span in January 1977, when it started to look as if the band was about to break up. Knight teamed up with Johnson again to record a concept album The King of Elfland's Daughter (1978), based on the novel by Lord Dunsany. It included one song sung by blues legend Alexis Korner and another by Mary Hopkin. In 1980 he returned to Steeleye Span and appeared on every one of their albums since then up until Wintersmith (released October 2013). Also in the 1980s, he met saxophonist Trevor Watts and was introduced to free improvisation. best known for his work with John Martyn. Knight formed Tanna with guitarist Kevin Dempsey and Tom Leary during the 2000s. He appeared as a guest on Mostly Autumn's 2007 album Heart Full of Sky and performed as a guest at their album launch show at the London Astoria on 10 February 2007. In 2012, he was appointed Patron of the Fiddle Festival of Britain. he still tours with as of 2026. He announced his decision to leave Steeleye Span at the end of 2013 on his website on 14 November 2013. Knight's exact reasons for leaving Steeleye Span are still unclear, but when asked in a 2013 interview, lead singer Maddy Prior said: "I'm not quite sure, maybe it's time to have a break and do other things. Gigspanner is his baby and that's what he wants to do. It's a bit late on for returns but I would never say it's out of the question."

Since 2016, he has performed as a duo with Bellowhead founder and melodeon player, John Spiers.

Personal life Knight lives with his wife, Deborah Walker Knight, who he married in Kingsand in 2011. Lipreading The Poet 2010 Doors At Eight Live from May 2010 tour 2015 Layers of Ages

The Wife Of Urban Law Live Released as Gigspanner "Big Band" / live at Fairport's Cropredy Convention, 9 August 2017 2020 Natural Invention Released as Gigspanner "Big Band" 2021 From Poets To Wives Compilation from the above 4 Gigspanner albums 2025 Turnstone Released as Gigspanner "Big Band"