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Cult singer-songwriter Bill Fay: ‘I didn’t leave the music business, the music business left me!’


In his last ever interview, the 80-year-old – admired by stacks of stars from Nick Cave to Jeff Tweedy – explains how God and war informed his distinctive folk pop, and how he got a second chance at success late in life

Blending art rock with folk and hints of jazz, the album merges plaintive ballads with experimental touches, with Fay’s voice perpetually tender. You immediately recognise this is something uncut by ambition and fashion; it’s just somebody humbly adding their voice to contribute some beauty in, and maybe make peace with, the world.” But the album flopped, Fay lost his record deal and released nothing more for decades. A new generation of fans followed, with compliments and cover versions streaming in, including from the War on Drugs, Kevin Morby, Julia Jacklin, Cate Le Bon and Mary Lattimore.

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Bill Fay