Fifteen years ago, a group of sea shanty enthusiasts got together for an old fashioned shanty sing. Their first meeting was, fittingly enough on the windjammer Peking at South Street Seaport. For many years they met monthly at the Seaman’s Church Institute near South Street, until the church sold the building and moved out of Manhattan. Since May the group has been hosted by the Noble Maritime Collection at Snug Harbor in Staten Island. Snug Harbor was once a destitute sailor’s retirement home. The shanty sessions are dedicated to the memory of William Main Doerflinger who “collected” many of the old shanties from retired sailors at Snug Harbor. Last Sunday the shanty singers got together again. Here is a short video I shot of the session.
The William Main Doerflinger Memorial Sea Shanty Session – September 18th, 2011
I love sea shanties! (Notice the woman on the left side of the screen when they’re singing, “We’ll rant and we’ll roar like true British sailors…” She’s like wishing she were anyplace else on earth! Maybe a tot a rum would’ve put ‘er in a better mood!)
Great stuff. This sing is co-sponsored by the Folk Music Society of New York (also known as the New York Pinewoods Folk Music Club), which offers many more opportunities for singing, playing, and listening. Our website also lists other folk organizations and events in the NYC area.
Thanks Heather. For anyone interested, click here to go to the Folk Music Society of New York’s website.