Darryl Way
Richard Darryl Way (born 17 December 1948 in Taunton, Somerset, England) is an English rock and classical musician who was a founding member of the progressive rock band Curved Air and co-writer of their albums from 1970 to 1976. He is best known as a violinist but also plays keyboards.
Also recorded as Richard Darryl Way
Darryl Way
- Name
- Darryl Way
- Birth Name
- Richard Darryl Way
- Born
- 17 December 1948
- Birthplace
- Taunton, Somerset, England
- Occupation
- * Songwriter
- Nationality
- United Kingdom
- Fields
- progressive rock
- Education
- Royal College of Music
- Languages
- English
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Documentary summary
Richard Darryl Way (born 17 December 1948 in Taunton, Somerset, England) is an English rock and classical musician who was a founding member of the progressive rock band Curved Air and co-writer of their albums from 1970 to 1976. He is best known as a violinist but also plays keyboards.
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
wikidata · Q2493793 · wikipedia · Darryl Way
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Darryl Way • Birth Name — Richard Darryl Way • Born — 17 December 1948 • Birthplace — Taunton, Somerset, England • Instrument — * Violin • keyboards • Genre — * Progressive rock • folk • acid folk • classical • Occupation — * Songwriter • musician • Years Active — 1968–present • Label — Cherry Red Records • Past Member Of — Curved Air
Early life
Early life
Way began his musical training at Dartington College of Arts, and later studied at the Royal College of Music.
Career
Career
Way met Francis Monkman and they formed the band Sisyphus, which evolved into Curved Air. After three albums and a hit single with Curved Air, Way left in 1972 and formed the band Darryl Way's Wolf, which also recorded three albums before splitting. His next band, Stark Naked & the Car Thieves, went on hiatus when Curved Air reformed in late 1974. After their Curved Air – Live album, the band split, only to be reformed by Way primarily using members of Stark Naked & the Car Thieves. He recorded two studio albums with this new incarnation of the group before leaving again. Way played on two tracks on Jethro Tull's 1978 album Heavy Horses. He then went on to release several solo albums, including Concerto for Electric Violin, which premiered on The South Bank Show with the Royal Philharmonia Orchestra in 1978. There was a subsequent performance at Leeds Town Hall in the early 1980s which was broadcast live on BBC Radio Leeds. Curved Air reunited briefly in 1990 and a live recording of their reunion concert was released in 2000. In November 1996, Way's opera, The Russian Opera, premiered at The Place Theatre in London, and his songwriting work includes music set to lyrics by Steven Berkoff. In 2008, Way took part in a series of Curved Air reunion concerts.
With Curved Air
With Curved Air
• Air Conditioning (1970) including Vivaldi • Second Album (1971) on which he co-wrote their sole charting hit Back Street Luv • Phantasmagoria (1972) • Live (1975) • Midnight Wire (1975) • Airborne (1976) • Renegade b/w We're Only Human (1984) • Live At The BBC (1995) • Alive, 1990 (2000)
With Darryl Way's Wolf
With Darryl Way's Wolf
• Canis Lupus (1973) • Saturation Point (1973) • Five in the Morning b/w Bunch of Fives (1973) • Night Music (1974) • Darryl Way's Wolf (compilation from Canis Lupus and Saturation Point) (1974)
With Trace
With Trace
• Birds (1975)
With Pierre Moerlen's Gong
With Pierre Moerlen's Gong
• Expresso II (1978)
With Jethro Tull
With Jethro Tull
• Heavy Horses (1978)
Solo
Solo
• Concerto for Electric Violin (1978) - Francis Monkman synthesizes an orchestra • Little Plum b/w Sweet Dreams (1982) - produced by Martin Gordon for Snat Records • As Long as There's a Spark... (1983) - EP • Little Plum (remix) b/w Love Is The Driver (1984) • Edge of the World (1984) • The Human Condition: Suite for String Orchestra, Piano and Percussion (1987) • Under the Soft (1991) • Classical Rock (music for TV and Film) (2010) • Ultra Violins (2013) • Children Of The Cosmos (2014) • Myths, Legends And Tales (2016) • Vivaldi's Four Seasons In Rock (2018) • Destinations (2019)
Identity
Identity
Darryl Way is recorded with the occupation violinist. Classed in the genre progressive rock. Recorded with the occupation composer. Recorded with the occupation musician. Recorded as musician, composer and violinist.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1948
Darryl Way was born on 17 December 1948.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Darryl Way”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q2493793: Darryl Way
General reference · Wikidata
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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