Bridget St John (born 4 October 1946 in Surrey, England) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for the three albums she recorded between 1969 and 1972 for John Peel's Dandelion record label.
She was born Bridget Anne Hobbs in South London on October 4, 1946, and grew up in a musical household where her mother and sisters were all accomplished pianists. St. John took piano lessons at her mother's behest, but she didn't get along with her teacher and quit when she was 11. After studying the viola for a while, St. John bought a guitar with 20 pounds her grandmother gave her shortly before she finished high school. While attending Sheffield University, she learned to play her guitar and fell in with the budding British folk music community.
Her first performances were at Sheffield University in 1964–5, and her very first "proper gig" was at a pub in Rotherham. She soon began appearing at leading folk venues in the U.K., where she crossed paths with Nick Drake, Paul Simon, and David Bowie, among others. In 1967 St John spent 3 months in Aix-en-Provence as part of her French studies. During this period she met American singer-songwriter Robin Frederick.
The origin of her stage name; which has been her legal last name since 1975.stems from 1968 in London. She picked up a S-Z phone directory and flipped through and tested out last names that sounded right with Bridget.
When it was time to return to England, St John travelled back to London with Frederick. It was through Frederick that St John met John Martyn when he was living in Richmond. He was instrumental in getting St John's music out to a larger audience. In 1968 a mutual poet friend of theirs, Pete Roche, put St John in touch with John Peel for his "Nightride" radio show. Peel was immediately impressed with her talent.
St. John made her first appearance on BBC Radio in 1968, and when Peel launched his Dandelion Records label, she was one of the first acts signed. St. John recorded three albums for Dandelion -- 1969's Ask Me No Questions, 1971's Songs for a Gentle Man, and 1972's Thank You For … -- and while they received strong reviews, sales were middling, and St. John was forced to look for a new label when Dandelion went under in late 1972.
She recorded a fourth album for Chrysalis Records, 1974's Jumblequeen, and provided backing vocals on albums by Mike Oldfield, Kevin Ayers, and Michael Chapman. But St. John's career took a dramatic left turn when she traveled to the United States in 1976 and opted to stay, making a new home in New York's Greenwich Village. While she played occasional club shows during her first few years in New York, she soon retired as a performer, and virtually disappeared from the public eye in the 80’s.
St. John began to re-emerge in the '90s, appearing with the Strawbs at a New York performance in 1993, performing a handful of U.K. club gigs, releasing a collection of rare and unreleased recordings (Take the 5ifth) in 1995, and appearing at a Nick Drake tribute show in 1999. Since then, St. John has performed occasionally in the United States, Britain, and Japan, though on a leisurely schedule.
In 2010, Cherry Red Records released a single-disc compilation, A Pocketful of Starlight: The Best of Bridget St. John, that included some newly recorded songs alongside her best-known recordings, and the same label in 2015 issued The Dandelion Albums & BBC Recordings Collection, which featured all three albums St. John recorded for Dandelion (with bonus tracks) and highlights from her BBC radio sessions. In 2018 St. John recorded the song "Fly" for Mojo magazine's Nick Drake compilation album, Green Leaves: Nick Drake Covered. At present she is now gigging with her band in New York City.
(Edited from All Music & Wikipedia)
Here’s Bridget St. John - Live on French TV May 1970. Songs include 1. Downderry Daze 2. Like Never Before: 4:31 & 3. Ask Me No Questions: 9:16