Shanty Crew, The (UK)

London’s The Shanty Crew

This was a well-regarded troupe of singers out of London in the early heyday of maritime music. Members included Chris Roche, Rita Cherriman, Tony Goodenough, Phil Jarret, Steve Belsey and Dominic Dowsey-Magog (RIP).

The Shanty Crew was formed in 1976* with the group specializing in both traditional and modern sea songs. They are the longest established group singing traditional sailor shanties, in Britain. Two of the founder members, Chris Roche and Gerry Milne, survived the changes to record Let The Wind Blow Free. The release included such standards as ‘Rolling Down To Old Maui’ and ‘Haul Away For Rosie-O’. In 1986 the group appeared at the Liverpool and Douarnenez Sea Festivals. Inevitably, the line-up fluctuated again until Roche, teamed with Steve Belsey (the other founder member), Tony Goodenough, Phil Jarrett, Phil Money and Dominic Magog to record Stand To Yer Ground. With the addition of Goodenough, they have added French shanties to the group’s repertoire, as Tony spoke fluent French. Goodenough also wrote the often-performed song, “Pump Shanty” that was originally recorded on their 1989 record, “Stand to Yer Ground”. In addition to researching and performing, Roche is editor of the Journal Of The Cape Horner Association, and holds the largest private collection of books and records of shanties and sailors songs in the world. Rita Cherriman (RIP) was featured on 1996’s Sea Shanties & Sailor Songs.

From The Shanty Crew’s website:

The Shanty Crew is recognized internationally as among the finest interpreters of the shanty style of unaccompanied singing, of which it has been said, “is the closest to the way that these much abused work songs were sung at sea”.

The Shanty Crew have performed from the Atlantic to the Baltic, in Brittany, France, The Netherlands, Germany and Poland among other places, not forgetting every corner of the British Isles. Where there is salt water, the Shanty Crew have been there. The Shanty Crews leader and founding member, Chris Roche, has shantied on five continents and is a square rigged Cape Horner.

The group’s style is best described as mainly unison with some natural harmony and lots of commitment, guts, and power. Harmony is not planned; the sailor never did that.

* The origin date of the group varies in several places from 1973 to 1976.