The Settlers

The Settlers were an English folk-orientated music group, originally from the English West Midlands, who formed in the mid-1960s. The band folded in the early 1980s, relaunched in 2018, and disbanded again in 2021. Formation and genre The group started as a trio, but almost immediately expanded by adding a bassist to their line-up. The original members were: Cynthia "Cindy" Kent (vocals and tambourine), born 7 August 1945, Oldbury, Worcestershire; Mike Jones (vocals and guitar), born Michael Edwin Jones, 16 September 1943, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, died 11 May 2008, Exeter, Devon; John Fyffe (banjo), born 3 July 1943, Uddingston, South Lanarkshire, Scotland; Mansel Davies (double bass), born 22 March 1942, South Wales. The Settlers were initially known as the Birmingham Folk Four, but became known as the Settlers after the relative success of their first single, "Settle Down". A six-month residency on a BBC television series, Singalong, led to support bookings on tours with, among others, Dusty Springfield, Roy Orbison and the Small Faces. The Settlers have generally been referred to as a folk group. However, like the Seekers, the successful Australian group with which they shared marked similarities, some of their material gravitated towards mainstream pop which, taking its cue from American singer-songwriters Bob Dylan and Joan Baez and such groups as Peter, Paul and Mary, We Five, and The Byrds, readily absorbed folk influences in various ways in the mid-1960s. The Settlers’ melodic style was largely settled before the advent of British folk-rock in the guise of Fairport Convention and Pentangle later in the sixties. In 1969, the band appeared with Cliff Richard, Una Stubbs, and William Hartnell amongst others in a six-part religious themed drama serial on ITV. The series, produced by Tyne Tees TV, was not networked and thus reached a limited audience. Only three of the six episodes have survived.