I am very very sad to hear this. I never met Steve Benbow, but have been a fan of his since 1963, when a college roommate came back from a year at the University of Leeds with, among other things, a copy of a wonderful LP titled "Admiral Benbow." I loved it, and learned at least half a dozen songs from it, most of which I still sing regularly.

Back in 2001, I started this thread asking about his background and availability of his recordings. Got some interesting replies -- he was a man of many talents, obviously! That thread also contained an erroneous report of his death some months before. Then about a year later there was another thread denying the death report and telling of Steve's current activities. I was relieved to know he was still around! Still later there was news of a new CD, which I ordered.

What a very sad loss this is -- Steve Benbow was not a flashy performer, but totally competent, and his very simple arrangements really showed off the charm of the songs themselves. I sure wish I'd had the chance to see him perform live.

I'll raise a glass in his memory -- and think of him every time I sing "The Chivalrous Shark," or "Green Broom," or "The Dark-Eyed Gypsy," or "Time to be Made a Wife," or any of the other songs I learned from his recordings.

Nancy