Rick Kemp (born 15 November 1941 in Little Hanford, Dorset) is an English bass player, songwriter, vocalist and record producer, best known for his work with the pioneering electric folk band, Steeleye Span. Kemp has been a member of Steeleye Span for twenty years in total - between 1972 and 1986, and then from 2000 to 2009. In the 1960s he shot to prominence through his work with singer-songwriter Michael Chapman, and had a reputation within the music industry as a very strong rock and blues session bassist, before his transition into electric folk. In 1971, Kemp played with King Crimson, shortly before the band recorded their album, Islands. However, he turned down the opportunity to join them on a full-time basis, and reportedly departed the band after just two weeks. Kemp has played bass on a number of Maddy Prior recordings, and was a member the Maddy Prior Band in the 1980s. The 1990 album Happy Families was officially credited to Maddy Prior & Rick Kemp. Kemp also played on albums by former Steeleye Span member Tim Hart in the 1970s and 1980s. He has released three solo albums: Escape (1996), Spies (1998), and Codes (2004). The line-up for his solo albums generally consists of a traditional Blues three-piece, with Kemp working alongside Spud Sinclair on guitar and Charlie Carruthers on drums. Since 1997, Kemp has been the producer for the ceilidh dance band, Whapweasel. More recently he has played guitar (as opposed to bass) with them. After rejoining Steeleye Span in 2000 and touring with them regularly, Kemp announced in 2009 that he would be retiring from music.
