Stormalong John
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Stormalong John were a British maritime folk group based in Liverpool, England, specialising in sea shanties and sailor songs. Founded in 1984, they performed for thirty years at concerts, festivals and maritime events throughout Britain and Europe before disbanding in 2014.
History
[edit]The group came together in 1984 when Tony Davis of The Spinners (English band) organised a series of open-air performances at the International Garden Festival in Liverpool, gathering a group of Merseyside folksingers and instrumentalists to perform as a group.[1] Shortly afterwards they were invited to sing at local venues, then folk festivals, and eventually at shanty events abroad.[1] Their membership changed over thirty years; confirmed members included Arthur Garnett, Tony Molyneux (born Tony Wilson; died 2004), Charlie Scott, Harry Lowrey, Jack Coutts, Keith Price, Frank McCall (died 2006), Shay Black, Dave MacLurg, Dai Jones, Bill Jones and Mark Garnett.[2][3][1]
The group became regular performers at major maritime festivals across Britain and Europe, including concerts in Berlin, Hamburg, Venice, Rotterdam, Brest and Krakow, and at numerous festivals in Holland, Scandinavia and Brittany.[1] They were closely associated with Stan Hugill, the last English shantyman; first asked to accompany him on stage at a festival in the late 1980s, the collaboration spanned numerous live performances and two albums.[1] The group disbanded in 2014.[2]
Name
The group took their name from Alfred Bulltop Stormalong — also known as Old Stormy — a mythical figure in sailors' lore representing the idealised deepwater captain who treated his crew with decency.[2]
Albums
[edit]| Year | Title | Format | Label | Cat. No. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Bound Out of Liverpool | Cassette | Not on label | RTS 1548 | |
| 1989 | A Salty Fore Topman | Cassette (UK); CD (US) | Not on label | SH001 (cassette); SHCD02 (CD) | With Stan Hugill |
| 1989 | The Shantyman | Cassette | Kliper spółka z o.o. | — | With Stan Hugill |
| 1990 | Any Port in a Storm | Cassette | Not on label | RTS 3334 | |
| 1992 | Chants des Marins Anglais | CD | Le Chasse-Marée | SCM 021 | With Stan Hugill |
| 1993 | Sailing Days | CD | Not on label | SHCD003 | With Stan Hugill |
Compilations
[edit]| Year | Title | Format | Label | Cat. No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Liverpool | CD | Not on label | STJ 5495, B7409 |
| Unknown | A Liverpool Packet | Not on label | STJ 4495 |
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 Coutts 2008.
- 1 2 3 seashanties4all.com.
- ↑ Stuckey 1985.
Sources
[edit]- Coutts, Jack (Spring 2008). "Shanties 08". English Dance and Song. 70 (1). English Folk Dance and Song Society: 12.
- Milner, Dan (May–June 2003). "Stormalong John". The Living Tradition (52): 30–31.
- Coutts, Jack (16 July 1984). "Folk column". Daily Post. p. 16.
- Coutts, Jack (4 August 1984). "Folk column". Daily Post. p. 7.
- Stuckey, David (20 June 1985). "Liverpool is a shanty town again". Daily Post. pp. 14–15.
- "Dock village draws tourists". Liverpool Echo. 4 September 1985. p. 19.
- Trollope, Peter (27 June 1986). "It's all aboard for singalong a'shanty". Liverpool Echo. pp. 6–7.
- Storah, Caroline (9 June 1989). "Shanty men on song". Liverpool Echo. p. 14.
- Key, Philip (3 August 1992). "Folk superstars return to the first shanty town". Daily Post. p. 9.
- Shennan, Paddy; Riley, Joe (9 April 1994). "Making waves!". Liverpool Echo. p. 16.
- "Stormalong John". Maritime Music Directory International. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
- "Stormalong John". Discogs. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
- Moffatt, Simon (2008-07-01). "Stan Hugill: The Last Shantyman". BBC Liverpool.