Editing Maddy Prior (section)

==Singing career==
After a brief stint with Mac MacLeod in 'Mac & Maddy' (another act formed at ''The Cock'' pub), by 1966 she began performing with [[Tim Hart]], another St Albans resident, and together they recorded two albums before becoming founding members of [[Steeleye Span]] in 1969.<ref name="Nickson">{{cite web|url={{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p2109|pure_url=yes}}|title=Biography: Maddy Prior|last=Nickson|first=Chris|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=26 May 2010}}</ref> They were the backbone of the group until the early 1980s when ill-health forced Hart into semi-retirement. Prior plays the [[tambourine]], [[Spoon (musical instrument)|spoons]] and ukulele, and always gives a sprightly performance of her individual dances. In 1974 [[Ralph McTell]] wrote "Maddy Dances" in her honour, included on his album ''Easy''.

Prior married bassist [[Rick Kemp]], though they have since divorced. The singer [[Rose Kemp]] is their daughter.

Prior has recorded session work, albums of her own songs and eclectic styles from medieval (with [[The Carnival Band (folk group)|The Carnival Band]]), through [[British folk rock]] — Steeleye Span and Maddy Prior appeared on television with a regular BBC 4 programme ''Electric Folk''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7RIwvvnNT0&t=194s  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/Q7RIwvvnNT0 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Steeleye Span - Electric Folk (BBC Four) 1974 |publisher=[[YouTube]] |date=2013-03-16 |access-date=2020-05-19}}{{cbignore}}</ref> — [[progressive rock|prog-rock]] and [[traditional music|traditional]] songs, including session work on [[Mike Oldfield]]'s ''[[Incantations (album)|Incantations]]''. She left Steeleye Span in 1997 but returned in 2002. The 1999 album ''The Journey'' was recorded in 1995, when Maddy was still in the band, but not released until four years later. She was also one half of the duo [[Silly Sisters (band)|Silly Sisters]], which helped to boost [[June Tabor]]'s career.

[[File:Steeleye Span - Fairport's Cropredy Convention 2006 (2).jpg|right|thumb|[[Peter Knight (folk musician)|Peter Knight]] and Prior performing with [[Steeleye Span]] in 2006.]]

Since 2003 Prior has run and hosted an Arts Centre called Stones Barn in [[Cumbria]]. Working with fellow singers and performers like Abbie Lathe and daughter Rose Kemp, Prior has offered residential courses focusing on singing, meditation, cookery and performance. Other events, hosted by other teachers, include classical Indian dances, painting and drumming. Prior campaigns on behalf of the charity [[Cancer Research UK]].

In 1983, Maddy Prior became the namesake for [[Madelyne Pryor]] of the [[X-Men]], created by [[Chris Claremont]] and [[Paul Smith (comics)|Paul Smith]]. The band was directly referenced five years after Pryor's first appearance in the comics in ''Uncanny X-Men'' #238 with Pryor's child self singing a line from "Gone to America", one of Steeleye Span's biggest hits. Claremont had previously named a one-shot character "Maddy Pryor" in ''Avengers Annual'' #10 (1981).{{cn|date=November 2024}}