Kathy Whisler

Kathy Whisler’s love of the genre goes back roughly 20 years, when she and her then-boyfriend-now-husband were introduced to shanties at a tall ships festival in Bay City, Michigan, where they’d traveled to catch a show by a musician they liked.

Whisler began her story in the maritime music community as a member of the Old Town School of Folk Music’s sea shanty class as taught by Tom Kastle. Because of Kastle’s relationship with the class, the students were invited to participate in each year’s Chicago Maritime Festival. Kathy began attending maritime music and folk music events at venues far afield from Chicago, eagerly participating where she was able. She became involved with the University of Chicago Folk Festival and became a featured co-presenter on “sea shanties” along with artists such as Mareva Lindo, Kate Early, and Chris Kimmons.

For the better part of 10 years, Whisler has organized monthly shanty sings in Chicago, previously at the Atlantic Bar & Grill in Lincoln Square, Chicago. (Whisler said shanties are often misidentified as Irish folk music because Irish pubs such as the Atlantic are so accommodating to singing groups.)

WTTW Article