While most commonly labelled a folk musician, Renbourn's musical tastes and interests take in early music, classical music, blues and world music. His most influential album, Sir John Alot (1968), featured his take on songs from the Medieval era.
He died on March 26, 2015.
Career
John Renbourn studied classical guitar at school and it was during this period that he was introduced to Early Music. In the 1950s, along with many others, he was greatly influenced by the musical craze of "Skiffle" and this eventually led him to explore the work of artists such as Leadbelly, Josh White and Big Bill Broonzy.
In the 1960s the new craze in popular music was Rhythm and Blues, also the impact of Davey Graham was being felt. In 1961 Renbourn toured the South West with Mac MacLeod and repeated the tour in 1963. Renbourn briefly played in an R'n'B band while studying at the Kingston College of Art in London. Although the British 'Folk Revival' was underway at this time, most folk clubs were biased towards traditional, unaccompanied folk songs and guitar players were not always welcome. However the Roundhouse in London had a more tolerant attitude and here, John Renbourn joined Blues and Gospel singer Dorris Henderson, playing backing guitar and recording two albums with her.
Possibly the best known London venue for contemporary folk music in the early 1960s was "Les Cousins" in Greek Street, Soho, which became the main meeting place for guitar players and contemporary singer-songwriters from Britain and America. Around 1963, Renbourn teamed up with guitarist Bert Jansch who was visiting London from Edinburgh and together they developed an intricate duet style that became known as "folk baroque". Their album "Bert and John" is a fine example of their playing.
Renbourn released several albums on the Transatlantic label during the 1960s. Two of them, "Sir John Alot" and "Lady And The Unicorn" sum up Renbourn's playing style and material from this period. "Sir John Alot" has a mixture of jazz/blues/folk playing alongside a more classical/early music style. "Lady And The Unicorn" is heavily influenced by Renbourn's interest in early music.
At around this time, Renbourn also started playing with Jacqui McShee who sang traditional British folk songs. Together with Bert Jansch, bassist Danny Thompson and drummer Terry Cox, they went on to form Pentangle. The group became very successful, touring America in 1968, playing at the Carnegie Hall and at the Newport Folk Festival.
Renbourn went on to record more solo albums in the Seventies and Eighties. Much of the music is based on traditional material with a Celtic influence, interwoven with other styles. He also collaborated with American guitarist Stefan Grossman in the late 1970s recording two albums with him, which at times hark back to the folk baroque days with Bert Jansch.
In the mid-1980s Renbourn went back to university to earn a degree in composition, since which time he has focused mainly on writing classical music, while still performing in folk settings.
Renbourn continues to record and tour. In 2005 he toured Japan (his fifth tour of that country) with Tokio Uchida and Woody Mann. In 2006 he played at number of venues in England, including appearances with Robin Williamson and with Jacqui McShee. He is working on a new solo album and collaborating with Clive Carroll on the score for the film Driving Lessons directed by Jeremy Brock. In 2008, he toured with the reformed Pentangle.
John Renbourn Group
Bert Jansch & John Renbourn
Dorris Henderson & John Renbourn
John Renbourn & Jacqui McShee
John Renbourn & Stefan Grossman
John Renbourn & Robin Williamson
Clive Carroll & John Renbourn
Lord Franklin
John Renbourn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Swinging in my hammock I fell asleep
I dreamed a dream and I thought it true
Concerning Franklin and his gallant crew
With one hundred seamen he sailed away
To the frozen ocean in the month of May
To seek a passage around the pole
Through cruel hardships they mainly strove
Their ship on mountains of ice was drove
Only the Eskimo with his skin canoe
Was the only one that ever came through
In Baffin's Bay where the whale fish blow
The fate of Franklin no man may know
The fate of Franklin no tongue can tell
Lord Franklin along with his sailors do dwell
And now my burden it gives me pain
For my long lost Franklin I'd cross the main
Ten thousand pounds I would freely give
To say on earth that my Franklin do live
"Lord Franklin" is a folk song that tells the story of Sir John Franklin, a British explorer who embarked on an expedition to the Arctic in 1845 to search for a Northwest Passage. The first verse describes the singer's dream about Franklin and his crew on their ship, which was lost during the expedition. The second verse provides some context, explaining that Franklin had set out with a crew of one hundred seamen in May, and their goal was to find a passage around the pole. The third verse describes the difficult conditions that the crew faced, with their ship getting stranded on mountains of ice. Despite their struggles, the only person who made it through was an Eskimo in a skin canoe. In the fourth verse, the focus shifts to Baffin's Bay, where the whale fish blow, and nobody knows the fate of Franklin and his crew. The final verse reveals the singer's emotional burden, expressing that they would freely give ten thousand pounds to know if Franklin was still alive.
John Renbourn's rendition of the song is haunting and hauntingly beautiful, as he uses fingerpicking and a soft voice to emphasize the sadness of the tale. The song itself has been recorded by numerous artists over the years, including Pentangle and Fairport Convention. Many people were intrigued by the mysterious disappearance of Franklin and his crew, and the song became a popular ballad in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It is believed that the song was originally based on a true event, which added to its appeal to those looking for a glimpse into the unknown.
Line by Line Meaning
It was homeward bound one night on the deep
The singer was sailing home one night on the sea
Swinging in my hammock I fell asleep
While on the ship, the singer fell asleep in their hammock
I dreamed a dream and I thought it true
The singer dreamt something and believed it to be real
Concerning Franklin and his gallant crew
The dream was about Franklin and his brave crew
With one hundred seamen he sailed away
Franklin set sail with a crew of one hundred men
To the frozen ocean in the month of May
They sailed to the frigid Arctic waters in May
To seek a passage around the pole
Their goal was to find a way around the North Pole
Where we poor seamen do sometimes go
The journey was one that sailors like the artist also sometimes take
Through cruel hardships they mainly strove
The crew faced many difficult challenges throughout their journey
Their ship on mountains of ice was drove
Their ship was pushed onto large formations of ice
Only the Eskimo with his skin canoe
The only one who was able to survive and navigate the Arctic terrain was a local, an Eskimo, who used a traditional canoe made of animal skins
Was the only one that ever came through
None of the crew managed to make it through the harsh journey
In Baffin's Bay where the whale fish blow
Franklin and his crew disappeared somewhere in Baffin's Bay where whales are common
The fate of Franklin no man may know
No one knows what happened to Franklin and his crew
The fate of Franklin no tongue can tell
The truth about Franklin's fate cannot be spoken, as no one truly knows it
Lord Franklin along with his sailors do dwell
Franklin and his crew are presumed to have perished in the Arctic
And now my burden it gives me pain
The artist is burdened by thoughts of Franklin and his lost crew
For my long lost Franklin I'd cross the main
The singer would travel across the ocean to try and find Franklin, even though he is presumed deceased
Ten thousand pounds I would freely give
The singer would pay a large sum of money to find out if Franklin was still alive
To say on earth that my Franklin do live
The artist would do anything to know if Franklin was still alive on this earth
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: TRADITIONAL, ADRIAN MAXWELL SHERWOOD, ALAN EDWARD BRANCH, CORA VENUS(CV LUNNY) LUNNY, DONAL LUNNY, PETE LOCKETT, SINEAD O'CONNOR, STEPHEN WICKHAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@trevorparry4498
JR such a great story teller for the gallant crew. Beautifully sung
@justme-wh5li
Thanks for posting. I like this JR version the best. It's the best performance of his I've heard.
@harrylazard805
Dylan didn't let this beautiful melody go to waste....
@MaryCTB
Hi, in which Dylan-song can I find the melody? 🤔😃
@mikemetague7973
@@MaryCTB Mostly 1963's "Bob Dylan's Dream," but there are others (sort of close) in Dylan's early songs.
@MaryCTB
@@mikemetague7973 thank you 😃
@MIKE-TYTHON
Great humour from such a guitar virtuoso love to see it.
@johnharrington1330
Great version . Really well done. Thank you.
@oliveroneill1388
Including his head , well presented
@laurastokes9467
If you research the entire story, there was 3 years of food loaded for the exploration. He left out the details
And who Lady Franklin was and did to find her husband's ship for decades