Peter Knight (not to be confused with the pop music conductor/arranger of the same name) is one of the most respected musicians to come out of the early-'70s English folk-rock boom. A banjo/fiddle virtuoso -- but also a multi-instrumentalist with proficiency on guitar, keyboards, and bass, among other instruments -- he is best known for his work as a member of Steeleye Span. But Knight has also appeared on numerous recordings as a session musician, in addition to issuing his own albums. Knight was born in London in 1947, and took up the mandolin and the violin as a boy -- he entered the Royal Academy of Music in his early teens and graduated at 17. During the early to mid-'60s, he heard the recordings of Irish fiddle virtuoso Michael Coleman, which drew him to that style of music and playing. He later formed a duo with guitarist/singer Bob Johnson, and the two spent the late '60s working together, until 1970 when Knight joined Steeleye Span in the wake of the breakup of their original lineup.