Anyone know about Steve Benbow?

Subject: RE: Anyone know about Steve Benbow?
From: GUEST,BigDaddy
Date: 11 May 01 - 01:28 AM

One of my first favorite recordings of "traditional" Irish folk was by this Englishman. Bought it in 1970. Had the good fortune to find it on CD in recent years as my vinyl copy was purloined in the late eighties. Everything from "Spanish Lady," to "Wild Colonial Boy," "Finnegan's Wake," and "She Moved Through The Fair." Can supply more info later after I dig it out of my collection at a decent hour. If anyone comes up with a mailing address for this fellow, please post it. I'd like to thank him. Cheers!

Subject: RE: Anyone know about Steve Benbow?
From: Nancy King
Date: 11 May 01 - 12:24 AM

Thanks, Alex! I think I just ordered it. I'll have to admit I found GEMM a bit confusing, but let's hope it works. Still interested in Benbow's other recordings if anyone knows where I can get 'em.

Cheers, Nancy

Subject: RE: Anyone know about Steve Benbow?
From: mousethief
Date: 10 May 01 - 04:57 PM

There is a copy of "Admiral Benbow" for sale right now on GEMM. Won't be there long, I don't imagine.

click here

Good luck!

Alex

Subject: RE: Anyone know about Steve Benbow?
From: GUEST,beachcomber
Date: 10 May 01 - 04:52 PM

My first memory of Steve Benbow was to hear him present "Housewife's choice!" on BBC Light Radio in the 50's I think or could it have been later? In any case I seem to remember a mid - morning time slot show and I believe Val Doonican also presented it from time to time before making it big in"Middle of the road" circles. I wonder, did Steve try to follow his career line without the same success? When I went to work in London in the 50's I was delighted to find an LP of his , yes it was "I Travel the World" and I still have it although I can no l;onger play it as my turntable has Packed Up. Reading of Jimmie McGregor, he and Robin Hall also vanishede from , at least, my ken around the 70's too as did Leon Rosselson and Shirley Bland. Should I start a new Thread to enquire for them. I met Jimmie at a Guitar workshop session one evening at Cecil Sharpe House. It must have been around '64 0r 65 ?

Subject: RE: Anyone know about Steve Benbow?
From: manitas_at_work
Date: 10 May 01 - 07:44 AM

Wasn't that the Fox or something similar down by the canal?

I used to go and see him there on Sunday lunchtimes.

Subject: RE: Anyone know about Steve Benbow?
From: GUEST,King Street Smith
Date: 10 May 01 - 07:16 AM

Steve Benbow performs from time time at a pub in Brentford, Middlesex, England - certainly within the last six months.

Subject: RE: Anyone know about Steve Benbow?
From: MikeofNorthumbria
Date: 10 May 01 - 06:40 AM

There's a good deal of information about Steve Benbow in 'Dazzling Stranger, 'Colin Harper's excellent new biography of Bert Jansch. (In fact the early part of Harper's book gives a very informative history of the British folk scene of the late '50s and early '60s, with perceptive pen-portraits of most of the major local figures. It also mentions several influential visitors from across the pond, like Peggy Seeger, Jack Elliot, Derrol Adams, Paul Simon, Jackson C Frank ... and that scruffy little fellow who got so indignant when he had to pay to get into the Troubadour, but in the end did quite a decent floor-spot ... Bobby something or other ...)

Bert, Davy Graham, and other virtuosi of that era always spoke very highly of Steve Benbow as a guitarist. He was certainly the first person I ever heard do claw-hammer picking (and one of the best at it). He knew his way around the jazz repertoire too - I remember him reducing the Troubadour to awestruck silence with a stunning version of Django's classic 'Nuages'. Harper's explanation for Steve's decline in popularity seems plausible enough. Allegedly, he tried hard to break into the larger, and more lucrative, middle-of-the-road, easy-listening market - and in the process, he watered down his repertoire so much that he lost credibility with the hard-core folkies. And so, when the easy listening records stopped selling, there was no road back into the folk scene for him. Hence (perhaps) the alternative career as a taxi-driver.

But if Steve is still around, someone should be recording him - even if his playing days are past, his reminiscences should be worth preserving.

Wassail!

Subject: RE: Anyone know about Steve Benbow?
From: Nancy King
Date: 09 May 01 - 09:53 PM

Wow! Thanks, Bugsy! and Roger, and McGrath, too. That's fascinating. "French, Italian, Arabic, Greek and Mauritian Creole"! Those tongue-in-cheek columns sound great, and I'd sure love to get copies of the recordings! Does anybody have any ideas how that might be accomplished? I'd be willing to pay for copies (LPs, dubbed cassettes, whatever...) of his albums if anybody has them.

Subject: RE: Anyone know about Steve Benbow?
From: MARINER
Date: 09 May 01 - 04:43 PM

Think you're right Roger. I seem to remember Steve Benbow on Skiffle Club, along with people like Bob Cort,Russell Quade's City Rambler's and the Avon City Skiffle Group, among many others

Subject: RE: Anyone know about Steve Benbow?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 09 May 01 - 06:24 AM

Last I heard of him he was said to be driving a taxi in London. Of course that needn't mean he mightn't still be singing.

Subject: RE: Anyone know about Steve Benbow?
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 09 May 01 - 04:48 AM

I'm another old geezer whose top end has gone (as defined in another thread on sound checks!)but who still remembers the Steve Benbow Folk Four on Guitar Club or Skiffle Club on BBC Light Programme in the late '50s early '60s. According to AllMusic Guide and Amazon UK he has a current CD (1993)of Irish songs out and AMG lists some appearances on other people's records as a guitarist, including a Bert Jansch tribute album.
RtS

Subject: RE: Anyone know about Steve Benbow?
From: Bugsy
Date: 09 May 01 - 03:54 AM

I remember Steve coming to our folk club "The Lions Den" in Stevenage Herts In the early 60's. I thought he was great.

Excite Music has this to say about him.

Steve Benbow

b. 29 November 1931, London, England. Benbow first became attracted to folk music during his teenage years, his first job at 16 was playing guitar at a concert party in Glasgow. Between 1950 and 1955, Benbow served in the army as an interpreter. His fluency in languages encompasses French, Italian, Arabic, Greek and Mauritian Creole. On his return to Britain, he started accompanying other singers until branching out on his own in 1957. UK television broadcasts followed, with Guitar Club in 1957, and continued with Saturday Skiffle Club and Easy Beat. As a result, Benbow gained his own television programme in Scotland, Plectrum , in which he demonstrated his guitar style by playing and singing. His recording debut, in 1957, was on the 77 record label, but he was soon signed by EMI. On Steve Benbow Sings, he was accompanied, on a number of tracks, by Jimmie MacGregor on mandolin and guitar. I Travel The World, is, as the title suggests, a collection of largely traditional songs from around the world. In addition to Benbow's folk career, he was also known in C&W circles. For a time he worked with the Steve Benbow Folk Four which included Jimmie MacGregor in the line-up. In the early 60s, Benbow presented his own show Have Guitar Will Travel, on Radio Luxembourg, the only folk singer to be given a show on the station. In 1963, Benbow was also involved in stage show Spike Milligan Meets Steve Benbow, at the old Lyric Theatre. This led to a television series with Milligan, called Muses With Milligan, in 1964. Benbow also wrote a regular column on folk music for Melody Maker during the 60s. The column was occasionally tongue-in-cheek towards many of the hypocritical attitudes pervading the folk scene. With changing trends, Benbow worked less on the folk circuit, and although many of his recordings are now deleted, his name is still referred to with affection on the scene. He still plays occasionally, but rarely in folk music circles.

provided by Muze

CHeers

Bugsy

Subject: RE: Anyone know about Steve Benbow?
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 09 May 01 - 03:13 AM

Spike Milligan once said of Steve Benbow, "They tell me he's a folksinger. I wonder what he does for a livivng?"

I remember him with affection, and I'd love to know what happened to him. I can remember whn I was about five or six having a vision of myself standing on the school stage singing "Blow the man down" (one of Steve's); I suppose that makes him my single biggest influence!

Yes, let's hear what happened to him.

Steve

Subject: RE: Anyone know about Steve Benbow?
From: Jimmy C
Date: 09 May 01 - 12:56 AM

I don't know a lot about him, He did a lot of singing in the late 50's and early 60's. I hope he is still around as he was quite good with a great repertoire. He recorded songs like " The Derby Ram" and " The Manchester Rambler". I believe I heard him the first time on an early TV show called "Hootenanny" or something similar. I would like to know if he recorded more than the one album you mention ?.

Subject: Anyone know about Steve Benbow?
From: Nancy King
Date: 09 May 01 - 12:45 AM

Way back in 1962-63, when I was in college, one of my roommates spent her junior year abroad in England at the University of Leeds. One of the things she brought back with her was a record album by Steve Benbow, titled "Admiral Benbow." GREAT album! I must have learned at least a half-dozen songs from it -- an astonishing (for me, at least) number from a single album. I still sing 3 or 4 of them regularly.

But the only copy of the album I have is a cassette dubbed about 15 years ago from the reel-to-reel tape I made in 1963 with the mike from my Wollensak pointed at the record player. Not ideal, to say the least. I'd be interested to know if "Admiral Benbow" is still available, in any format.

I'd also be interested in knowing more about Steve Benbow. I don't even have whatever info was on Mary's album cover. Is Benbow still around? Are there other recordings?

Thanks! Nancy