Gerry Conway, a veteran folk and rock drummer who played with musicians like Cat Stevens, Jethro Tull, Fairport Convention and more, died on Friday. He was 76.
Conway had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease, in 2022. The diagnosis was revealed by Fairport Convention singer, guitarist and co-founder Simon Nicol, who shared a tribute to Conway in a Facebook post.
“My dearest drumming pal, someone I first worked alongside in about 1968 on various sessions and toured with in Al Stewart’s band way back when, as he looked in those days,” Nicol wrote. “He stepped away from the Fairport’s Cropredy Convention Official page stage after the Cropredy festival in 2022, and retired from touring. None of us knew that he was in the early stages of that pernicious horror Motor Neurone Disease - I didn’t know until today, when news of his death filtered out from the protection and privacy he and Jacqui Mcshee sought and deserved.Wonderfully patient and wise, infuriatingly tardy (!) but always ready and eager to play, and blessed with his own inner calm and solidity, I’m going to miss him more than I can say. Here’s one of my very favourite tracks of the countless number he played on - with Rosko Gee, Stevie Winwood, Jean Roussel and Chris Spedding, all backing another superb drummer chasing the spotlight with a mic - Jim Capaldi. Love you, you wonder. RIP xxx”
He included a link to a video of Capaldi singing “Love Hurts” from YouTube.
Stevens also shared a tribute on Facebook.
“Sadly my great old drummer, Gerry Conway just passed away,” he wrote. “What a lad, and what ingenuity and style. May God grant him the beautiful reward of peace everlasting.”
Conway was born in King’s Lynn in Norfolk, England in 1947, according to Ultimate Classic Rock. He made his recording debut with British folk band Eclection on their self-titled album in 1968. In 1970, he played on Steeleye Span’s “Hark! The Village Wait” and Stewart’s “Zero She Flies” before joining Stevens’ band as a recording and touring member. He played on seven Stevens albums in row starting with 1971′s “Teaser and the Firecat” through 1978′s “Back to Earth.”
He later joined Jethro Tull for 1982′s “The Broadsword and the Beast” and 1987′s Grammy-winning “Crest of a Knave.” He also spent a lot of time touring with Fairport Convention’s Richard Thompson and eventually joined the band in 1998 where he appeared on nine of the group’s albums. Conway exited the group in 2022 after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
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Saleah Blancaflor may be reached at sblancaflor@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @saleyley and Instagram.