Career
Best known for his work with, Mattacks has also worked both as a session musician and as a performance artist. Apart from playing the drums, he is also a versed keyboard player and occasionally played the bass guitar on studio recordings. He began as a trainee piano-tuner before taking up the drums.
He played with several jazz bands before joining the electric folk band in August 1969, with whom he worked on and off until 1997.
He replaced Martin Lamble, who had died on 12 May 1969 in a road accident on the M1 motorway. Mattacks left in early 1972 to join The Albion Country Band.
Meanwhile he had also contributed to numerous studio recordings such as the Morris On project, Nick Drake"s Bryter Layter, Steve Ashley"s "Stroll On" sessions, Steeleye Spanish"s debut album Hark! The Village Wait, John Martyn"s Solid Air and Harvey Andrews" album Writer of Songs. He returned to in order to help complete the 1973 album Rosie with a revamped line up of the band.
Mattacks also played on Nine (1974) but left halfway through the making of the follow-up Rising for the Moon, following an altercation with engineer Glyn Johns.
Some of Mattacks" most notable participations in studio recordings in the late 1970s are the work on art rock studio albums by Brian Eno (Before and After Science) and 801"s Listen Now, as well as several Ashley Hutchings-related folk rock projects (The Compleat Dancing Master, Son of Morris On etc). He also established himself as a touring drummer for Richard Thompson, playing on several of Thompson"s studio albums. When re-formed in 1985 after a six-year absence, Mattacks was recruited as drummer.
He had already been playing with them again during annual reunions at the fledgling Cropredy Festival.
Mattacks would remain with Fairport until 1997. He has toured and recorded with:
He has toured with:
He has recorded with:.