Circus Chanteys

Subject: Circus Chanteys
From: StephenH
Date: 26 Mar 23 - 02:08 PM

I have recently enjoyed going through editions of Sing Out magazine on the Internet Archive (thank you Joe Offer for posting the link.)
One article in particular intrigued me. It was entitled "Circus Chanteys
of Yesteryear Raised the Bigtop to Song."
This was an entirely new genre to me - I had never heard of circus chanteys before nor suspected that they existed. I half thought that the article might be a satire but when one reads how they were used, it seems obvious.
Anyway, anyone interested can find the article here:
https://archive.org/details/sim_sing-out_summer-1958_8_2/page/28/mode/2up

Of course, this may be familiar stuff to lots of folks.

Subject: RE: Circus Chanteys
From: StephenH
Date: 26 Mar 23 - 02:09 PM

proper link

https://archive.org/details/sim_sing-out_summer-1958_8_2/page/28/mode/2up

Subject: RE: Circus Chanteys
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 30 Mar 23 - 09:35 PM

As is my wont, I sent the link to my shanty loving friends & one sent it to at least one friend who is ... raising a tent at a festival and is keen on the idea. Pity there are no tunes attached ...

I suggested my friend go thru all the tunes he knows, as well as various tune sites!

Any suggestions?

Subject: RE: Circus Chanteys
From: StephenH
Date: 04 Apr 23 - 01:56 PM

For me, one that comes to mind is the tune for Cyril Tawney's
"Chicken On a Raft." This more or less fits the verses that begin:
"Oh come along you children, come (heigh ho.) Perhaps it's just the
similarity of the response.

Subject: RE: Circus Chanteys
From: Gibb Sahib
Date: 05 Apr 23 - 03:16 AM

Here's the original source:
Billboard, 27 May 1957