While many established British Country bands were folding or downsizing to duos or solos in the 2000s, The Long Haul made their debut on the Country scene in 2009 and quickly made an impression of excellence and are clearly in it for ‘The Long Haul’. The band is based in Brighton, Sussex and like many surviving bands they specialise in traditional classic Country, including Western Swing, Americana and two-step Texas shuffles. What stands them apart from many bands is that two of their members are prolific songwriters and many of their excellent songs are always included in their programme. BBC Radio 2’s Country music presenter, Bob Harris recently said of them while listening to their latest album, ‘An excellent band, I am really ejoying these songs’.
Simon Sparrow fronts the band and plays acoustic guitar and bass (although the latter only in a previous band) and, along with François, he writes the band’s material. A self confessed Country enthusiast, Simon is a big fan of Texas Country, Western Swing and singer/songwriters. His prize possession is a Martin D18 guitar which comes out to gigs from time to time.
Simon and François DeVille are the only original band members left. Francçois came to playing steel relatively late but was lucky enough to study, all too briefly, with the late great Jeff Newman – arguably the world’s best steel guitar teacher. His ‘Top Gun’ boot camp (one on one instruction for five days) was an exceptional learning experience. Jeff’s motto was one which François tries, with occasional success, to live up to: ‘Make It Pretty’. He first played pedal steel with another Country band, The Diablos, leaving them in 2014 to concentrate on The Long Haul
Duncan James plays lead guitar and is pretty nifty with the twang of his vintage Telecaster. A Country music aficionado, Duncan provides the snap and soul at the heart of The Long Haul, he has been obsessed with all things Western since being given a Davy Crockett hat and a copy of The Yellow Rose Of Texas at the age of five. He lived in the US for 10 years but returned, Telecaster in hand, to play ‘both kinds’ of music here. His guitar heroes are many and varied but include all the usual suspects, from Marty Stuart and the B-Bender style (he’s owned one for 25 years) through to modern players like Guthrie Trapp. An all-rounder, Duncan plays Country, blues, swing, rockabilly as well as British 60’s pop, on which he grew up.
Scott Warman joined the band in 2016, taking over from François on bass. Born in London, Scott started off playing electric bass after buying one in a jumble sale, thinking it was a normal guitar and only noticing it had four strings when he got it home. Moving onto double-bass, he now plays with a whole range of artists in the UK and the US working with Nashville performers Amelia White and Alice Wallace, Finley Quaye, New York Americana singer Annie Keating, Robbie Cavanagh, Demi Marriner, Plainsong guitarist Andy Roberts and singer/songwriters Simon James and Karl Bray. He has been heard on many BBC radio programmes, including Radio 4’s Loose Ends, Bob Harris Country on Radio 2, the Tom Robinson Show on 6 Music and Alex Lester’s Radio 2 Christmas Day programme! In 2017 he toured the UK, Holland, Italy and Switzerland for five weeks with Annie Keating’s band, which included radio and tv sessions across Europe. He’s also a ‘Whispering Bob All Star’, supplying the double bass on Bob Harris’s 2020 charity relase Stand By Me.
Newcomer James Chapmen regularly performs all over the United Kingdom with many different musicians and bands, playing a wide variety of genres from jazz and blues to funk and rock. Recently, James has been in the studio creating sound libraries for the company ‘Loopmasters.’ James developed his love for Country music from a young age listening to artists such as Nanci Griffith, Vince Gill and Alan Jackson. ‘It’s really nice to be involved with a Country band’, he said, ‘playing both originals and covers as it is a genre I really enjoy and it’s great fun to play with like-minded musicians who share the same passion.’
The Long Haul have released three cd albums, their eponymously titled first cd, was recorded entirely live at Metway Studios in their home town of Brighton. It features live favourites, including Workin’ Man Blues and Sunset Boulevard. Their second album, Beautiful Lies was released in 2017 and recorded in Brighton, Austin Texas and Nashville Tennessee; it was produced by British musician Eamon McLoughlin who was a founder member of the Greencards in 2003, has received two Grammy nominations and along with his touring and studio work he still found time to be the staff fiddler at the Grand Ole Opry. The Long Haul were fortunate enough to have some marvellous guest musicians on board such as Lloyd Maines on pedal steel and Chris Scruggs on lap steel and tic tac bass, John Jarvis on keys and of course Eamon on fiddle. Their third album, 21st Century Blues, was recorded at the end of lockdown and was released in October 2021. The latter two albums consist entirely of original songs.
Research by Nick Catford.