Michael Eavis

Michael Eavis CBE
Eavis in 2005
Born	Athelstan Joseph Michael Eavis (1935-10-17) 17 October 1935 Pilton, Somerset, UK
Occupation	Farmer and businessperson

Michael Eavis CBE (born Athelstan Joseph Michael Eavis on 17 October 1935), is an English dairy farmer and the founder of the Glastonbury Festival, which takes place on his farm.

Personal life

Eavis was born in Pilton, Somerset and grew up at Worthy Farm in the village. His father was a local Methodist preacher, and his mother, a school teacher. Eavis was educated at Wells Cathedral School, followed by the Thames Nautical Training College after which he joined the Union-Castle Line, part of the British Merchant Navy, as a trainee Midshipman. His plan was to spend twenty years at sea, and return with a pension to help subsidise the income from the family farm. After his father died in 1954, Eavis inherited the family farm of 150 acres (61 ha) and 60 cows. He worked at Mendip Colliery at Nettlebridge on the Somerset Coalfield for a couple of years to help supplement the income from the farm.

Eavis and his first wife Ruth had three children, (Juliet, Rebecca & Jane) but divorced in 1964. He next married Jean Hayball, with whom he had a son Patrick and a daughter Emily. Jean died of cancer in 1999, and Eavis has since married his third wife, Liz. In common with his parents and second wife, Eavis remains a practising Methodist.

Glastonbury Festival

Main article: Glastonbury Festival

In 1969, Eavis and his second wife Jean visited the Bath Festival of Blues. Inspired by seeing the performance of Led Zeppelin, Eavis hosted the Pilton Pop Festival in 1970 and then a free festival, Glastonbury Fair was organised by Andrew Kerr the following year. The fair developed into the Glastonbury Festival.

In 2010, the festival's 40th year, he appeared on the main stage at the Festival, with headline artist Stevie Wonder, to sing the chorus of the latter's "Happy Birthday".

Political activity

After recovering from stomach cancer, Eavis stood as a candidate for the Labour Party in the 1997 General Election in Wells, polling 10,204 votes. In 2004, however, he suggested that disillusioned Labour voters should switch their vote to the Green Party in protest at the Iraq War, though he returned to supporting the Labour Party in 2010.

In 2005, Eavis was quoted in The Guardian as being a supporter of hunting. "I don't hunt myself, but I support the people who want to hunt. With all that's going on in the world, it was outrageous to ban it." In 2006, he was appointed as President of the Somerset Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

In 2011, Eavis was quoted as lamenting the decline in political activity associated with the Glastonbury Festival.

Eavis was guest editor of the Western Daily Press newspaper on Glastonbury's 'fallow' weekend, 23 June 2012.

Charitable work

He has apportioned profits from his Glastonbury Festival to support charitable causes, including local projects such as the restoration of the Tithe Barn, Pilton. In November 2008, during an appearance on the BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs, Eavis stated that the Festival could never lose its licence due to the contribution it makes to the local economy.

In 2009, Eavis starred in a short film to promote Somerset, commissioned by Inward Investment Agency Into Somerset.

Honours and tributes

Eavis holds Honorary Degrees from the University of Bath (Doctor of Arts honoris causa, 2004) and the University of Bristol (Master of Arts honoris causa, 2006). Eavis was awarded the CBE in the Queen's 2007 Birthday Honours list.

In 2009, Eavis was nominated by Time magazine as one of the top 100 most influential people in the world. In 2012, Eavis was awarded an honorary Master of Arts degree from the University for the Creative Arts.

See also

• Max Yasgur, the US farmer who hosted the Woodstock Festival in 1969.

External links

• Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts
• Interview with Michael Eavis (July 2005)