Along with many of his contemporaries such as Nic Jones, Tony Rose and Martin Carthy, Dave Burland is one of the seminal influences of the Folk Revival and an inspiration to following generations of folk artists. A highly respected and long-established performer, Dave has a wide repertoire of material ranging from the traditional to the contemporary. The deadpan humour of his mischievous, and often surreal, introductions is legendary. Since 1968 he has toured throughout Europe, Hong Kong and Australia and been a welcome guest at clubs and festivals throughout the UK.
The rich, mellow tones of Dave Burland’s voice and his distinctive guitar style have featured on over 50 albums and recordings alongside the likes of Richard Thompson, Kate Rusby, Dick Gaughan, Bob Pegg, Nic Jones, Mike Harding, Hedgehog Pie and The Albion Band.
His first solo recording, A Dalesman’s Litany, an album of traditional songs, was voted Melody Maker Folk Album Of The Year in 1971. In contrast, his third release Songs And Buttered Haycocks featured songs by writers including Richard Thompson, David Ackles and Mike Waterson. His 1979 album You Can’t Fool The Fat Man drew from such diverse sources as Randy Newman and Cyril Tawney. In 1992, Dave recorded the works of Richard Thompson on His Master’s Choice, which featured Richard himself on lead guitar. Dave’s highly acclaimed 1996 Benchmark album focused on an eclectic selection of traditional material.
Dave is a contributive team player and has been a member of the folk-rock band Hedgehog Pie and also recorded The Songs Of Ewan MacColl with Tony Capstick and Dick Gaughan. He joined Sara Grey and Roger Wilson in the Lost Nation Band for a European tour in the 1990s.