Cyril Tawney

Overview
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Overview

Cyril Tawney (12 October 1930 – 21 April 2005) was an English singer-songwriter and a proponent of the traditional songs of the West of England, as well as traditional and modern maritime songs.

In addition to presenting traditional ditties, Tawney composed a number of his own songs, the majority being written when he was in the Royal Navy and relating to that period – for example, “Chicken on a Raft”, which belongs to the call and response style of sea shanties. The song makes reference to an unpopular dish served in the Royal Navy, consisting of fried egg on fried bread and called “chicken on a raft.”

Tawney’s last public performance was at Easter 2004, at the Lancaster Maritime Festival. He died of a bacterial infection at Exeter in 2005 after a long illness.

The Guardian Article

Index of Cyril Tawney’s Songs on Mainly Norfolk