Caravan are an English progressive rock band from the Canterbury area, formed in early 1968 from the ashes of the legendary Wilde Flowers. All four original members of Caravan (David Sinclair, Richard Sinclair, Pye Hastings, and Richard Coughlan) were, at one time or another, in that band. "Caravan" was however a big change in terms of musical direction, blending psychedelic rock, jazz, and classical influences to create a distinctive sound. They are considered a key part of the Canterbury scene of progressive rock acts, although they have never achieved the great commercial success that was widely predicted for them at the beginning of their career.
The band were originally based in Whitstable, Kent, near Canterbury, but moved to London when briefly signed to Verve Records. After being dropped by Verve, the band signed to Decca Records, where they released their most critically acclaimed album, "In the Land of Grey and Pink", in 1971. Dave Sinclair left after the album's release and was replaced on keyboards, but the group split up the following year. Hastings and Coughlan however, recruited new members, notably viola player Geoffrey Richardson, and continued touring and recording albums regularly despite more line-up changes that even saw original members David Sinclair and Richard Sinclair coming back and leaving again. They split in 1982 after a series of albums in pop vein, which left listeners wondering if this was still the same band who had released the landmark early-1970's albums...
The band was inactive for most of the 1980s, apart from three sporadic live appearances in 1983 and 1984. But in 1990 Caravan was asked to play a one-off reunion concert under its original form (plus Jimmy Hastings), for a TV show screened by Central TV (“Bedrock” special). This was the start of the resumed activity of the band, who continued touring and recording in the 1990s, with again, the core trio of Hastings, Coughlan and Richardson, and other more or less regular members.
The band stopped and reformed several times in the following decades, and Caravan still remain active as a live band in the 21st century, despite Coughlan's death in December 2013.
