How Roy Harper shaped Kate Bush into an icon
English folk rock singer Roy Harper was well known for eclectic sound, his talents acknowledged by the likes of Jimmy Page, Pete Townsend, and Ian Anderson. Inspired by the artists he saw during a residency at the Soho folk club Les Cousins, he went on to develop his distinctive fingerstyle and verbose, lengthy compositions. His unique sound appealed to many progressive rock artists, making a lasting impact on Kate Bush.
As Harper’s stock in the folk scene grew, he started outgrowing it. His sound defied genre, and until the Harvest label came knocking, nobody knew exactly what to do with it. “The record companies knew there was something going on and wanted to be part of it,” he told Record Collector, “but it was only when Harvest was formed that this kind of underground music began to find its own labels”. But around the mid-1960s, people like himself and Pink Floyd started gaining major traction.
He drew inspiration from poetry, particularly the Beat Generation and Romantic movements, his music a souped-up mix of their avant-garde writing, blues, jazz and progressive rock. His work often took on a socially conscious tone, inspired by American blues. In any case, although he rose within folk circles, he felt he was “as far-out as you get on contemporary”.
Bush noticed the waves Harper was making and once dubbed him the “rebellious boy with the big heart” for subverting the folk scenes’ expectations. They soon wound up collaborating, making appearances on each other’s material. In Harper’s final release with Harvest, 1980s The Unknown Solider, Bush provided backing vocals on ‘You’. The album also featured David Gilmour, co-wrote half its tracks as well as laying down the guitar.
Harper returned the favour later that year, providing backing vocals on ‘Breathing’ for Bush’s seminal Never For Ever. The landmark album was the first by a British female solo artist to top the UK charts, and also the first to enter the chart itself at No. 1. Bush was quick to praise his guidance, taking to BBC Radio to say he was: “One of the greatest English songwriters we’ve had, and people just don’t realise it. And I really think that when they do we’re going to have another top songwriter up there. He’s brilliant.”
On the album itself, she also thanked him, for “holding onto the poet in his music”. Harper, who would reunite with her again on 1990’s Once, had much the same to say. “Kate is a fantastic musician and very professional as well,” he said. “Working with Kate is a very smooth operation because she always knows what she wants to do, surprising you too, which is what good musicians always do.”
