Shanty Night - 12th August

Weather permitting, this will be held outside at the Coast Inn tonight. We have a tent for musicians, and there will be some low-key, generalised amplification, simply because it's an outdoor event. But hopefully not enough to destroy the usual intimacy between audience and musicians. We have a long list of suggested songs and tunes. John Leyland, shantyman extraordinaire, will be leading the proceedings but ALL suggestions and turns are welcome - so don't be shy about coming forward to perform (or have a quick word with John, so he can make sure you're included).

Nobody has the slightest idea how this will all turn out. So much depends on the weather, as well as on how many musicians and how big an audience turn up on the night. It's really up to everyone to help make it work - it hasn't been over-planned, so we'll just see what happens. Hopefully everyone will enter into the nautical spirit of the occasion and it will be a big success - it would be lovely to think of it becoming a regular fixture for Mersea Week in years to come.

Here are a few of the songs people have suggested or already volunteered to play:

Poor old Horse
Blow the man down
A-roving
Shenandoah
Rueben Ranzo
Rounding the Horn

Roll Alabama Roll
Lowlands Away
Haul Away Joe
Boney was a warrior
All for me Grog
Hanging Jonny
Sally Brown
Shoals of Herring
Ballad of Lord Franklin
Fiddlers Green
Brave Benbow
Rio Grande
Mingulay Boat Song
Skye Boat Song
Tom Bowling
Spanish Ladies
La Mer
We are Sailing
Drunken Sailor
Bobby Shaftoe
Cockles and Mussels
Row your Boat
Sailors Hornpipe
Trumpet Hornpipe (Captain Pugwash)
Barnacle Bill (Blue Peter Theme)
Dance to your Daddy


. . . . but there are bound to be LOTS more besides. All suggestions and requests welcome.