Bloggerhythms

Here is a rerun of a post I wrote over ten years ago that was inspired by the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton that took place the next day. Folk singer Ralph McTell came from the same English coffeehouse circuit that helped give birth to the careers of Al Stewart and the late John Martyn . McTell has always been better known in his homeland and Australia than in the United States where he has received almost no attention whatsoever. McTell frequently performs live with just his voice and a guitar but, unlike similar artists who do the same, his concerts are still satisfying because the man has quite an appealing voice. The veteran singer-songwriter owns a rich baritone and sings with an obvious English accent that enhances his live shows and recordings. He doesn't need the adornments of a band to cover up any vocal deficiencies. Proof of this lies with his solo acoustic performances on Ralph, Albert, and Sydney , a cleverly named live album full of songs he recor...

Ralph McTell has been a much beloved singer-songwriter in the UK for decades, but he is virtually unknown in America except for his outstanding " Streets of London " that he released here almost fifty years ago. The veteran folkie and singer-songwriter with the great baritone voice had this to say to KLOF mag  -  one of Great Britain's leading music blogs -   about the recent 100th anniversary of the memorial built in Ypres, Belgium that is dedicated to the missing 50,000 unknown British and commonwealth soldiers who died during what was then called The Great War:  " I believe the funeral of The Unknown Soldier is one of the most profoundly moving ceremonies ever conducted. It took place in 11 / 11/ 1920 and was attended by thousands who stood in reverent silence as the coffin was paraded through the streets of London on a gun carriage, drawn by six black horses. The king walked behind the cortege, the bereaved fami...