When Czar Peter the Great was in England to learn about shipbuilding, he rented a house from John Benbow. This is the kind of background that makes songs a little more interesting to me. Thats almost all I know about the guy, though. Theres a biography out there somewhere, but my local library couldn't lay hands on it. Apparently, his origins are obscured by the mists of time. At least we have the song and The Oxford Book Of Ships And The Sea, one of the all-time great books.
SKP