Articles by Paul Sexton

Prog Magazine contributor Paul Sexton is a London-based journalist, broadcaster and author who started writing for the national UK music press while still at school in 1977. He has written for all of the British quality press, most regularly for The Times and Sunday Times, as well as for Radio Times, Billboard, Music Week and many others. Sexton has made countless documentaries and shows for BBC Radio 2 and inflight programming for such airlines as Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific. He contributes to Universal's uDiscoverMusic site and has compiled numerous sleeve notes for the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and other major artists. He is the author of Prince: A Portrait of the Artist in Memories & Memorabilia and, in rare moments away from music, supports his local Sutton United FC and, inexplicably, Crewe Alexandra FC.

Articles by: Paul Sexton

"I thought it was my responsibility to tell the truth as I see it": Kris Kristofferson on Janis Joplin, Johnny Cash and country music

By Paul Sexton published 30 September 24

An interview with the late Kris Kristofferson: singer, songwriter, actor and legend

“I never mind faking it. I had a filthy cold on the night, so vocals were grabbed from other shows. It’s only artifice when you pretend it’s something it isn’t”: Peter Gabriel explains his passion for the video medium

By Paul Sexton published 11 September 24

Nearly 30 years after Sledgehammer cleaned up at the MTV Awards, he was pushing boundaries again with his Back To Front concert movie

Steeleye Span and Terry Pratchett - Wintersmith

“The book is quite dark, but never complete evil. It’s misunderstandings, and that’s what evil and sin are supposed to be”: How a Terry Pratchett Discworld novel became a Steeleye Span album

By Paul Sexton published 25 April 24

The late comic fantasy genius persuaded his favourite band to adapt 2006’s Wintersmith for folk rock, and both parties were delighted with the result

“It marked Jethro Tull as being quite different to most bands… Led Zeppelin didn’t do comedy. Well, not intentionally”: Ian Anderson kept up the silly and sarcastic on solo album Homo Erraticus

By Paul Sexton published 14 April 24

2014 title featured another outing for Gerald Bostock, and indulged the band leader’s passion for being an “amateur flute player”

“I would love to have been part of some of those great later pieces… But the price you pay is that some people’s lives are not happy”: What if Anthony Phillips hadn’t left Genesis?

By Paul Sexton published 7 March 24

Dispelling some of the myths surrounding his departure, the driving force of the formative days shares his theory on how the band might have collapsed anyway

“To me, it was like getting the car back on the road. The fact that we only managed to do about 10 shows before the wheels came off again was a bit of a slap from the gods”: Despite the challenges, Fairport Convention never gave up

By Paul Sexton published 2 January 24

Simon Nicol reflects on how British folk prog pioneers Fairport Convention took a career path rather than a short cut to temporary success

“People like bits of what we do, then they don’t like bits… and the reality is that half of the band don’t like half of what we do”: Steeleye Span never stop taking risks

By Paul Sexton published 9 November 23

Maddy Prior on building on the bedrock of traditional music - and knowing how far to take it

He took guitar lessons from Robert Fripp, set out to destroy his old self with an album he hoped would fail, then made the resulting niche his own – Al Stewart's prog credentials ring loud

By Paul Sexton published 6 November 23

“To me, the prog bands were Camel or something… who could play tons of solos, very musical and with lots of different time signatures. I’m not sure my stuff qualifies for that”

"It’s the biggest project I was ever involved with." How Steve Hackett made Genesis Revisited II

By Paul Sexton published 22 October 23

Steve Hackett corralled some of the biggest names in modern prog to re-interpret classic Genesis songs for Genesis Revisited II.

Strawbs, shot exclusively for Prog, October 2017

The making of Strawbs Settlement album

By Paul Sexton published 25 February 23

Strawbs mainman Dave Cousins discusses the band's 22nd album, 2021's Settlement

The story of Renaissance's Northern Lights

By Paul Sexton last updated 15 June 22

In 1978 UK proggers Renaissance found themselves in the UK Top 10 with this track from their album A Song For All Seasons

Ashley Hutchings poses in a brick doorway

Ashley Hutchings on the progressive spirit that fuelled his classic albums

By Paul Sexton last updated 26 January 22

The story of Ashley Hutchings is the story of modern-day folk music. He founded Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and The Albion Band, and tells Prog about the prog spirit that fuels him.

Jim Capaldi with flower petals on his eyes

In and out of Traffic: the fantastic career of Jim Capaldi

By Paul Sexton published 12 September 21

Jim Capaldi made wonderful music with Traffic, and on a run of seriously star-studded solo albums

Pentangle's Jacqui McShee lines up London show for September 3

By Paul Sexton published 17 August 21

Jacqui McShee to play Sutton venue The Sound Lounge - 150 yards from where she began her career

ChimpanA to take part in virtual concert to honour Carole King's Tapestry

By Paul Sexton published 22 February 21

ChimpanA give the progressive touch to Carole King's classic Tapestry album on livestream tomorrow

The Prog Interview: Alan Parsons on Abbey Road, The Beatles and more!

By Paul Sexton last updated 20 December 19

While at Abbey Road, Alan Parsons worked his magic on everyone from Pink Floyd to Al Stewart and The Beatles, then came out from behind the mixing desk to form The Alan Parsons Project.

Alasdair Roberts - What News album artwork

Progressive folk reviews round-up

By Paul Sexton published 26 February 18

Not yet rated

Paul Sexton scours the new releases to find there’s nowt so prog as folk, with the latest releases fromShirley Collins, Alasdair Roberts, Sham, Luke Daniels, Stick In The Wheel and more

Progressive Folk album reviews column

By Paul Sexton published 14 November 17

Not yet rated

Paul Sexton’s pick of acoustic-styled songsmiths, old and new, with the latest releases from Lankum, David Thomas Broughton, Jon Boden, Megan Henwood and Chris Simmons

Fairport Convention - Come All Ye — The First Ten Years album artwork

Fairport Convention - Come All Ye — The First Ten Years album review

By Paul Sexton published 7 September 17

Not yet rated

Fairport Convention’s initial decade, documented via familiar and unreleased material in a trove of 120-plus tracks

Lianne Hall - The Caretaker album artwork

Progressive Folk album reviews column

By Paul Sexton published 21 June 17

Not yet rated

Paul Sexton’s pick of acoustic-styled songsmiths, old and new, featuring Lianne Hall, William The Conqueror, The Black Guards, Jenny Lindfors, Ashley Hutchings, Anne Briggs and Stackridge

How Peter Frampton came alive

By Paul Sexton published 13 June 17

Those characteristic talkbox echoes can only mean one thing: Peter Frampton, the ‘Face of ’68’ and a main ingredient in Humble Pie. In 1976 he came alive with a live-album monster

"We've been going 50 years, it's time to make some effort." Procol Harum reflect on their golden era

By Paul Sexton published 24 May 17

The 50th anniversary of their debut may be approaching, showed Procol Harum weren’t slowing down. Prog caught up with frontman, the late Gary Brooker, and new lyricist Pete Brown to find out more

Flower Power: Galley Beggar looking sharp

Galley Beggar: Where folk meets psych-rock

By Paul Sexton published 23 May 17

Pastoral folk meets psychedelic rock in the cosmic sounds of Galley Beggar, who have managed to bewitch both prog fans and heavy metal heads alike with their mesmerising music