Johnson Girls

Formed formed in 1997 following the Sea Music Festival at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut, The Johnson Girls is a primarily a capella group performing traditional and contemporary folk music with an emphasis on Sea Chanteys and other Maritime Music. With diverse backgrounds, each member of Johnson Girls brings a specialty to the group, including traditional work songs, riverboat and minstrel songs, songs in the African American tradition, songs of fisherman and their wives and songs from the Irish tradition.Ê "Their repertoire ranges from driving chanteys to ballads and laments, all rendered with rich harmonies in their own inimitable style. Whether leading a sing- along aboard the Peking at South Street Seaport in New York or firing up a festival stage, this group is a winner." Craig Edwards. Johnson Girls have performed at numerous venues on the East Coast including: South Street Seaport Museum, the North American Music and Dance Festival (NOMAD), the New England Folk Festival (NEFFA), The Sound Waters Festival, The Good Coffeehouse, 22 Below, People's Voice, The Seamen's Church Institute, Richmondtown Restoration, The Little Red Lighthouse Festival, The City Island Maritime Festival, and Mystic Seaport Museum, Songs of Sail festival in Kennebunk, Maine and OpSail 2000 CT, the Bodmin Folk Club and the Wadebridge Folk Festival in Cornwall, England. The Johnson Girls are also part of a larger sea chantey group, the New York Packet and can be heard weekly Tuesday evenings from June through September at South Street Seaport in New York.

On The Rocks

Round the Corn Noah Bult the Ark Dixie Land Song for a Seafarer A Wife in Every Port Married a Trawlerman Drink to the Laddies Roll, Boys, Roll Vole Mon Coeur, Vole The Priest and the Nuns Fire Maringo Tailor in the Tea Chest O, Pescator Dell'onda Working at the Colface Gaol Song Mike White Wings Pique laBalcine Mariner's Hymn

The New York City-based Johnson Girls are five talented women who sing authentic, a cappella sea chanteys and maritime songs. Lead-singing leads are shared fairly evenly among the five, who particularly enjoy singing this very blue-collar music live, encouraging audience participation. 19 authentic, spirited tunes, some favorites: "Round the Corn," "Dixie Land," "A Wife in Every Port," "Married to a Trawlerman," "Drink to the Laddies," "Fire Maringo," "Tailor in the Tea Chest," "Working at the Coalface," "Gaol Song," "Mike," "White Wings" and "Mariner's Hymn." These are powerful songs of love, betrayal and heartbreak, of hard work and trouble, rhythmic songs to sing while rowing a ship's boat, raising the anchor, or hauling a canvas sail up to the yardarm. Nicely done liner notes with interesting info about each of the songs. We noticed that the Johnson Girls are all brunettes, and on the cover of "On the Rocks" sit 5 brunette mermaids with their backs to us, singing out to a passing clipper ship, but this is almost certainly a coincidence!

9858 CD $14.98

Sea Shanties and Maritime Music

Round Cape Horn Blackbird Get Up Sailor's Way Running Down to Cuba Essequibo River Bear Away Yankee, Bear away Boy Fisherman's Lassie Walk Along Sally Brown Come Love Come Huckleberry Hunting London Julie Drummer and the Cook Weary Cutters Fire Down Below Yankee Man O' War Jump, Isabel, Slide Water Pump Shanty Fisherman's Wife Won't You Help Me To Raise 'Em Goodby, Fare You Well

The five talented Johnson Girls love singing folk tunes together, but let us be more specific‹they love singing authentic a cappella sea chanteys and maritime music. They are a refreshing incongruous part of a traditionally male community of singers who come together at festivals and gatherings to sing the old songs. 20 tunes, some of our favorites: "Round Cape Horn," "Sailor's Way," "Essequibo River," "Fisherman's Lassie," "Come Love Come," the fairly racy "Huckleberry Hunting," "Drummer and the Cook," "Yankee Man o' War," "Jump, Isabel, Slide Water" (a rowing song written by slaves before the Civil War), "Pump Shanty," "Fisherman's Wife" and "Goodbye, Fare You Well." These are heart-tugging songs of the life of the sailor, songs that made his labor seem easier, and helped to ease his loneliness or a broken heart. The Johnson Girls sing them with conviction, spirit and deep feeling, making us believe that they are the sailor in question, or that he is their lover, son or husband. An impressive, focused first recording by New York City's talented folk quintet! Liner notes have comments and info on all the songs.

9859 CD $14.98

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