Stormalong John

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

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. Shortly afterwards they were invited to sing at local venues, then folk festivals, and eventually at shanty events abroad. 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.

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. 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. The group disbanded in 2014.

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.

References