Gerry Conway, veteran people and rock drummer who performed with Cat Stevens, Jethro Tull, Fairport Convention and others, died on Friday on the age of 76.
Fairport Convention singer, guitarist and co-founder Simon Nicol paid tribute to Conway in a Facebook publish over the weekend. He revealed that Nicol privately battled motor neurone illness — also called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s illness — which ends up in the gradual lack of motor neurons that management voluntary muscle groups.
Nicol known as Conway “my dearest drumming pal, someone I first worked alongside in about 1968 on various sessions and toured with in Al Stewart’s band way back when.” He praised his former bandmate as “wonderfully patient and wise, infuriatingly tardy (!) but always ready and eager to play, and blessed with his own inner calm and solidity. I’m going to miss him more than I can say.”
Gerry Conway’s Life and Career
Born in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England, in 1947, Conway made his recording debut with the British people band Eclection on their 1968 self-titled album. In 1970 he performed on Steeleye Span’s Hark! The Village Wait and Stewart’s Zero She Flies earlier than becoming a member of Stevens’ band as a recording and touring member. He performed on seven consecutive Stevens albums, from 1971’s Teaser and the Firecat by way of 1978’s Back to Earth.
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Conway later joined Jethro Tull for 1982’s The Broadsword and the Beast and 1987’s Grammy-winning Crest of a Knave. He additionally spent a lot of the last decade touring with Fairport Convention’s Richard Thompson, lastly becoming a member of the group in 1998. Conway appeared on 9 Fairport Convention albums, from 1999’s The Wood and the Wire by way of 2020’s Shuffle and Go — a long time after taking part in on three songs from the band’s 1973 album Rosie. Conway left the group in 2022 after being recognized with MND.
Stevens additionally paid tribute to Conway over the weekend, writing on social media: “Sadly my great old drummer, Gerry Conway, just passed away. What a lad, and what ingenuity and style. May God grant him the beautiful reward of peace everlasting.”
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Gallery Credit: Allison Rapp
