Magna Carta

In September, 2009, I was brought face to face, as it were, with a global rock legend. We had devoured the English folk-rock band Magna Carta in the early 1970s, through albums like Seasons, Songs from Wasties Orchard and Lord of the Ages. Anyway, it was announced that Magna Carta would be playing in Port Elizabeth, so I went along, with a few bits of paper and a pen at hand, just in case ...

The gig was at Toni's Place in Newton Park, and I posted an item on my other blog, Global Rock Legends, about the evening. Anyway, Chris Simpson was the driving force behind the band and the main songwriter. He carried the name forward, and this time was accompanied by Tom Hoy. The sketches were fragile things, done in difficult lighting, with mics and other obstructions making things tricky. This is Simpson, with a few dabs of watercolour added later.

Tom Hoy might recognise his somewhat distorted features here.

Sometimes there's no helping how a drawing, done in semi-darkness, comes out. Here Simpson looks like a character from a Bruegel painting.

I rather liked the subtlety of this work, which seems to capture the character of Simpson in his older years. I only dared risk a modicum of colour. Actually, there is more colour on the original. For some reason the scanner did not pick up those nuances - in this work and the others.

Tony Hoy, who was an able accompanist to the powerful personality that is Simpson.

One of the patrons at the show - where everyone's age was starting to show.

Another music lover soaks up the sounds.

This is Simpson again, methinks, in a none too flattering view.