John Renbourn (born 8 August 1944,
Marylebone,
London,
England) is an
English guitarist and
songwriter. He is possibly best known for his collaboration with guitarist
Bert Jansch as well as his work with the folk group
Pentangle, although he maintained a solo career before, during and after that band's existence (1967–1973).
While most commonly labelled a folk musician, Renbourn's musical tastes and interests take in early music,
classical music,
blues and world music. His most influential album,
Sir John Alot (1968), featured his take on songs from the
Medieval era.
Career
John Renbourn studied classical guitar at school and it was during this period that he was introduced to Early Music. In the 1950s, along with many others, he was greatly influenced by the musical craze of "
Skiffle" and this eventually led him to explore the work of artists such as
Lead Belly,
Josh White and
Big Bill Broonzy.
In the 1960s the new craze in popular music was Rhythm and Blues, also the impact of
Davey Graham was being felt. In 1961 Renbourn toured the South West with
Mac MacLeod and repeated the tour in 1963.On returning from the South West Renbourn and MacLeod recorded a demo tape together. Renbourn briefly played in an R&B band while studying at the
Kingston College of Art in London. Although the British "Folk Revival" was underway, most folk clubs were biased towards traditional, unaccompanied folk songs, and guitar...
Read More