Dave Mattacks Interview: One Of Most Recorded Drummers Of All Time

Dave Mattacks is arguably one of the world’s best and most recorded drummers of all time. His recording credits include: Joan Armatrading, Mary Chapin-Carpenter, Sandy Denny, Nick Drake, Brian Eno, George Harrison, Jethro Tull, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Fairport Convention, Paul Simon, Cat Stevens, Richard & Linda Thompson, The Chills and XTC, to name just a few. Dave was a member of Fairport Convention for many years and he has worked with legendary producers and engineers including Glyn Johns, Joe Boyd, Geoff Emerick, and John Wood. Dave and his wife now live in the US, where he continues to record and tour.

Best known for his work with Fairport Convention, Mattacks has also worked both as a session musician and as a performance artist. Apart from playing the drums, he is also a versed keyboard player and occasionally played the bass guitar on studio recordings.

He began as a trainee piano-tuner before taking up the drums. He played with several jazz bands before joining the British folk rock band Fairport Convention in August 1969, with whom he worked on and off until 1997. In 1998, he moved to Marblehead, Massachusetts, United States, where he is a sought-after studio musician, record producer, and member of the band Super Genius, while still touring regularly with various acts in the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia.

He replaced Martin Lamble, who had died on 12 May 1969 in a road accident on the M1 motorway, as the drummer for Fairport Convention. Mattacks left Fairport Convention in early 1972 to join The Albion Country Band. Meanwhile, he had also contributed to numerous studio recordings such as the Morris Onproject, Nick Drake’s Bryter Layter, Steve Ashley’s “Stroll On” sessions, Steeleye Span’s debut album Hark! The Village Wait, John Martyn’s Solid Air and Harvey Andrews’ album Writer of Songs. He returned to Fairport Convention in order to help complete the 1973 album Rosie with a revamped line up of the band.

Mattacks also played on Nine (1974) but left halfway through the making of the follow-up Rising for the Moon, following an altercation with engineer Glyn Johns Some of Mattacks’ most notable participation in studio recordings in the late 1970s are the work on art rock studio albums by Brian Eno (Before and After Science) and 801’s Listen Now, as well as several Ashley Hutchings-related folk rock projects (The Compleat Dancing Master, Son of Morris On etc.). He also established himself as a touring drummer for Richard Thompson, playing on several of Thompson’s studio albums.

When Fairport Convention re-formed in 1985 after a six-year absence, Mattacks was recruited as drummer. He had already been playing with them again during annual reunions at the fledgling Cropredy Festival. Mattacks remained with Fairport until 1997. He has rejoined them on occasion, such as at Cropredy in 2019, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of Liege and Lief.