Licorice McKechnie
| Christina 'Licorice' McKechnie | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Christina McKechnie |
| Also known as |
Likky Lambert Likky McKechnie |
| Born |
2 October 1945 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1967–1977 |
| Associated acts |
The Incredible String Band Robin Williamson and his Merry Band Woody Woodmansey |
Christina 'Licorice' McKechnie (born 2 October 1945 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a Scottish musician. She was a singer and songwriter in the Incredible String Band between 1968 and 1972.
After reading her poetry at folk clubs in Edinburgh, she met musician Robin Williamson, but left home in her teens with the intention of marrying Bert Jansch. The banns were published but the wedding never took place. Jansch left her behind to travel to Morocco in 1963, and, according to Williamson, "she fell into [my] arms". In 1966 she travelled to Morocco with Williamson, and was later involved in the Incredible String Band's recordings. Her first contribution to the band came in the form of backing vocals on the 1967 album The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion on the track "Painting Box". By 1968, she was regarded as a fully-fledged member of the band, usually as a backing singer and percussionist. She appeared with them when they played at the Woodstock Festival in August 1969, but left in 1972 after the end of her relationship with Williamson.[1]
In 1974, McKechnie appeared onstage at a Scientology benefit in East Grinstead with Mike Garson, Woody Woodmansey, Leonard Halliwell and others, before moving to California and joining the Silver Moon Band. She married musician Brian Lambert and appeared with Robin Williamson with his Merry Band in 1977 (she is credited as Likky Lambert on the 1977 album Journey's Edge) before joining Woody Woodmansey's band U-Boat. She and Lambert later divorced.[1]
She visited Edinburgh in 1986 to see her family, but her whereabouts have been unknown since 1990, when, according to her sister, she was in Sacramento, California, apparently recovering from surgery.[1] Music journalist Mark Ellen wrote a lengthy retrospective about the Incredible String Band for MOJO magazine in 2000, which stated:
LICORICE McKECHNIE: Last seen in 1987 hitchhiking across the Arizona Desert. Not even her family has heard from her since. Rose (Simpson): " . . . There's a possibility she may be dead."[2]