Editing Silly Wizard (section)

{{short description|Scottish folk band}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2014}}
{{Refimprove|date=September 2010}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name                = Silly Wizard
| image               = File:Silly Wizard2007.JPG
| caption             = Members of Silly Wizard perform at [[Celtic Connections]] with [[Phil Cunningham (folk musician)|Phil Cunningham]] and Friends, February 2007
| background          = group_or_band
| origin              = [[Edinburgh]], [[Scotland]]
| genre               = [[Celtic music|Celtic]], [[Traditional music|traditional]]
| years_active        = 1970–1988
| label               = [[Transatlantic Records|Transatlantic]], Highway, [[Shanachie Records|Shanachie]], [[Green Linnet Records|Green Linnet]]
| website             = [http://www.harbourtownrecords.com/silly_wizard.html Silly Wizard's "Official" History Pages]
| current_members     = 
| past_members        = [[Andy M. Stewart]] (deceased)<br/>[[Johnny Cunningham]] (deceased)<br/>[[Phil Cunningham (folk musician)|Phil Cunningham]]<br/>[[Martin Hadden (folk musician)|Martin Hadden]]<br/>[[Bob Thomas (musician)|Bob Thomas]]<br/>[[Gordon Jones (folk musician)|Gordon Jones]]<br/>[[Bill Watkins (musician)|Bill Watkins]]<br/>[[Chris Pritchard (folk singer)]]<br/>[[Madelaine Taylor]]<br/>[[Neil Adam (musician)|Neil Adam]]<br/>[[Freeland Barbour]]<br/>[[Alastair Donaldson]] (deceased)<br/>[[Dougie MacLean]]
}}

'''Silly Wizard''' were a [[Music of Scotland|Scottish folk]] band that began forming in [[Edinburgh]] in 1970.  The founder members were two like-minded university students—[[Gordon Jones (folk musician)|Gordon Jones]] (guitar, [[bodhran]], vocals, bouzouki, mandola), and Bob Thomas ([[guitar]], mandolin, mandola, [[banjo]], concertina). In January 1972, Jones and Thomas formed a trio with their flatmate Bill Watkins (guitar, vocals, fiddle) and performed (occasionally unpaid) under various band names in [[Edinburgh]] folk clubs.  In the spring of 1972, Watkins returned to Birmingham and, in June 1972, Chris Pritchard (vocals) came in as his replacement. In July 1972, this newly formed trio were offered their first paid booking at the Burns Monument Hotel, Brig O' Doon, [[Scotland]], and needed a band name in a hurry. The name "Silly Wizard" was chosen and the continuing stream of bookings ensured that the name became permanent. In September 1972, the trio recruited [[Johnny Cunningham]] (1957–2003) ([[fiddle]], [[viola]], [[mandola]], vocals)<ref name="Cunninghams">{{cite web|url=http://www.harbourtownrecords.com/johnny.html|title=Johnny Cunningham 1957–2003: Defining Wizardry|author=Laurie Devine|date=July 1993|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204214401/http://www.harbourtownrecords.com/johnny.html|archivedate=4 February 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref> and Silly Wizard started to take off.