Magna Carta were a gentle acoustic-guitars-and-harmonies outfit who began in the late 60’s and survived several line-up changes. Their material, built mainly around the songs of Chris Simpson and Tom Hoy, was melodic and intelligent, as exemplified by their near-hit Took A Long Time, and Sun Ain’t Gonna Rise from the Putting It Back Together album.
At their best, their vocal blends recalled CSNY, while the songs would certainly have appealed to James Taylor fans.
Some key side-men with drummer Pick Withers, fiddler Barry Dransfield, and Dylan session guitarist David Bromberg augmented their trio line-up in 1976.