Gryphon are an English progressive and medieval folk rock band formed in London in 1972. They are known for their medieval and Renaissance style of music. The band briefly flourished in the progressive rock heyday of the early 1970s, and then retired to other musical activities before reforming for a one-off reunion in 2009. Subsequently, Gryphon played some gigs in 2015, featured at the Cropredy Festival in 2016, and in 2017, an invitation to a ProgRock festival in Portugal, and in the UK, the NewDay Festival near Canterbury. The first new Gryphon record for 41 years was released in 2018. History Formation Gryphon formed in early 1972 as a four-piece band by English musicians Graeme Taylor, Richard Harvey, Dave Oberlé, and Brian Gulland. Harvey and Gulland were graduates of the Royal College of Music in London who started an acoustic band, using their classically trained backgrounds to perform a mixture of English folk music, contemporary rock, medieval and Renaissance music. The duo were joined by guitarist Graeme Taylor and drummer Dave Oberlé shortly after, thus becoming the first line-up of Gryphon. They soon signed a recording deal with the folk label Transatlantic Records and secured Nick Wright as their manager. The band's first live gig took place at the Stone Parish Church in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, promoted by the town's Friars venue. Their publicist Martin Lewis described their sound: "Imagine Henry VIII in a rock'n'roll band – think Gryphon." First incarnation In June 1973, Transatlantic released Gryphon's self-titled debut album, recorded in engineer Adam Skeaping's attic. It marked an early expansion to their sound with the addition of electric guitars, keyboards, and various wind instruments such as the bassoon and krumhorn that were featured little in rock music at the time. The group developed a live reputation in folk and rock clubs across the country; their early period included performances at Shakespeare celebrations at St. Paul's and Southwark Cathedrals. Gryphon received nationwide exposure soon after with features on all four BBC Radio stations within a five-day period. Later that year they composed for the documentary film Glastonbury Fayre (1972) and completed a European tour. By 1974, Gryphon acquired Phillip Nestor as their new bassist. Gryphon recorded their second album, Midnight Mushrumps, in January 1974 at Chipping Norton Recording Studios, Oxfordshire. Its centrepiece is the 18-minute title track conceived by Harvey. Around the time of the album, Lewis arranged for the band