I'm musing over whether there is a similar absence of Black singers in the nautical sea music community. It's true that at festivals like the one at the Mystic Sea Music Museum, traditional Black performers have been featured when they led West Indies whaling songs, railroad construction songs, and religious revival songs from the Georgia Sea Barrier Islands. But it's rare that aspiring sea music singers in the States are Black.

That is ironic given that a large portion of the traditional sea shanties were composed and led by Black sailors in the grand days of sail.

The young Black sailors I recently encountered aboard the replica schooner Amistad were at least interested in such songs, and give me some cause for hope.

Of course there aren't a whole lot of contemporary White folks interested in this music either, unless they're confronted with it by accident!

Another Black national folk music performer that should be mentioned is Sparky Ruckers.

Charley Noble