Robert Kirby


Robert Kirby was a British-born arranger of string sections for rock and folk music. He was best known for his work on the Nick Drake albums, Five Leaves Left and Bryter Layter, but also worked with Vashti Bunyan, Elton John, Ralph McTell, Strawbs, Paul Weller and Elvis Costello.

Early life

He was educated at Bishop's Stortford College an independent school in Hertfordshire, and then Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.

At Cambridge

Patrick Humphries' book Way To Blue gives some details of Kirby's time at university.
He sang in a group called 'The Gentle Power of Song'. His tutor once told him that his compositions sounded like a breakfast cereal commercial. This was intended as an insult, but Kirby took this as his high praise: "As good as that, eh?" Kirby went to Caius College, Cambridge and made friends with Paul Wheeler. They were both members of the Caius Breakfast Club, also called "The Loungers". There were few rules. You had to have a Loungers' breakfast on Sundays, and 'stand by ye gate once a day and observe what strange creatures God hath made'. There was a rule that permitted an outsider to become a member. Robert and Paul were both friends with Nick Drake so they invited him to be the Oddefellowe. There is a line in Drake's song "Way To Blue" which seems to echo one of the rules of the Loungers:
"We will wait at your gate, hoping like the blind..."

The May Ball

Kirby recruited eight musicians to play alongside Nick Drake at the Caius May Ball. Kirby wore evening dress, and the seven women wore black ankle-length dresses with white feather boas. They performed in the library. Four of the songs were with the string orchestra and a couple of others were Drake solo. After every third song, they played classical music.

''Five Leaves Left''

When Joe Boyd recruited Drake to record an album, he already had a string arranger in mind, Richard A. Hewson. Drake rejected the few Hewson arrangements produced and announced that he already had a friend at university who could do a better job—Kirby. Drake had decided to leave university without completing his final year. When Kirby was offered the contract to arrange music for an entire album, he, too, gave up Cambridge university. Though Kirby arranged and conducted strings for the majority of Five Leaves, Harry Robinson was commissioned to arrange the strings for the centerpiece song, "River Man".
- John Wood, sound engineer for Five Leaves Left

Life as an arranger

Although Kirby had recorded arrangements for over 40 albums by 1978, it was a struggle to make ends meet. In the end he decided to work in marketing industry instead. He was rumoured still to have his scores for Drake's records in his mother's potting shed.. He also did some further arranging for Strawbs with Baroque & Roll, Déjà Fou and Dancing to the Devil's Beat. He talks extensively about his career in Nick Awde's study Mellotron, subtitled The Machine and the Musicians That Revolutionized Rock – the book opens with a quote from him.
One of Roberts lasting associations was with the Legendary Shelagh McDonald. It was Sandy Roberton, Shelagh's then producer who invited her to visit Robert's flat, and to introduce her to what was to be one of the legendary associations of all time. Robert's instant liking for Shelagh resulted in his orchestral arrangements for songs on both Shelagh McDonald's albums 'Stargazer' and 'Album'....The legacy of these recordings could possibly be regarded today as the genesis of 'Folk Rock'

Public performances of Nick Drake's music

On 2 July 2005, Kirby conducted an 18-piece orchestra in Manhattan's Central Park for a show of Drake's music, using his original scores. Five Leaves Left was performed in its entirety as well as excerpts from Bryter Later and Made To Love Magic. The show starred guitarist Josh Max and singer Julie James of the Manhattan-based group The Maxes, and was attended by 3,000 Drake fans from all over the US.

Death

Robert Kirby died in a West London hospital following emergency heart surgery after a short illness on 3 October 2009. He was 61 years old.

Legacy

His son Henry Kirby is also actively involved in music. His rock band, The Absolutes, have played in various venues in London.

Discography