Fred Frith

Born on 17 February 1949 in Heathfield, East Sussex, Fred Frith is a British guitarist, composer, and improviser who co-founded the avant-rock group Henry Cow in Cambridge in 1968 and remained central to it through its final album Western Culture (1978). His 1974 solo record Guitar Solos introduced prepared and extended techniques as purely compositional material, with no precedent in rock or contemporary classical practice. Over a career spanning more than fifty years, he has appeared on over 400 albums and collaborated with Robert Wyatt, John Zorn, Brian Eno, Derek Bailey, and Mike Patton, among many others. He has also composed extensively for film, dance, and theatre.