Woolly Wolstenholme

Stuart John "Woolly" Wolstenholme was a musician, singer, and songwriter.   Born on April 15th, 1947, in Chadderton, Lancashire, England, he was best-known as a member of the English rock band, Barclay James Harvest, which he formed with three others in 1967.  Some of Woolly's early compositions - "The Sun Will Never Shine", "Happy Old World", and "Ball And Chain" - had an introverted and melancholy feel.  Barclay James Harvest were popular on the college circuit, but their records sold relatively poorly, and they were dropped by EMI in 1973, although quickly signed up by Polydor.  In 1979, dissatisfied with the band's musical direction, Wolstenholme left Barclay James Harvest to make one album of his own, Maestoso, before leaving the music business entirely.  In the 1980s, after Woolly's departure, Barclay James Harvest's popularity peaked, particularly in Germany, where they played to 175,000 people at Berlin's Reichstag building.  Wolstenholme subsequently ran an organic farm with his wife, Jill, for several years - first in Lancashire, and then in west Wales.  Bumping into his former B.J.H. bandmate John Lees in 1998, the two formed John Lees' Barclay James Harvest, which made several albums and toured extensively over the next few years.  This was one of Woolly's most-creative periods, as he also formed his own band, Maestoso, recording and occasionally playing live with them, in addition to B.J.H. duties.  Often a livewire on stage, Wolstenholme also had dark periods, being hospitalised for a period with depression in 2003, and was diagnosed with manic-depression or bipolar disorder.  In November of 2010, several Barclay James Harvest concerts were cancelled, as Woolly was suffering from a recurrence of his depressive illness.  He was expected to recover, but he sadly committed suicide on December 13th, 2010.  Stuart Wolstenholme was 63 years old.  He was divorced from his wife, Jill, but was survived by his partner, Sue, and his mother and sister.