Album Notes

These are songs that tell a story. Many of them are based on actual incidents, while others are so good they should be true even if they're not. Just about all of them are of a nautical nature. You'll hear chanteys, songs of ships and sailors, rakes and ramblers. The tasteful accompaniment by banjo, concertina, guitar, mandolin and tuba frame the lyrics of these wonderful traditional and contemporary songs.

The title track tells the tale of the first men to row across the North Atlantic Ocean, George Harbo and Frank Samuelsen, who in 1896 rowed an 18-foot open boat from New York to Le Harve, France. Featured on recordings by more than seven different artists, this song has captivated audiences all over the western hemisphere.

Other songs on the CD recount the story of a Maine lobsterman who cell-phoned the Coast Guard when his boat sank; an attempted mutiny in 1859 on the "Wild Boat of the Atlantic", the Red Cross Line packet Dreadnought; seduction in the days before elastic; the ancient ceremony sailors observed when crossing the equator; and a scientific treatise on the two (count 'em, two) species of mermaid.

Jerry Bryant, author of The Ballad of Harbo and Samuelsen and six other songs on the CD, has studied and performed sea music for over a quarter century. Drawing from the tradition of sailor music, he presents fascinating stories based on actual events. Jerry has been featured in concerts at South Street Seaport in New York; Mystic Seaport in Connecticut; the Maine Maritime Museum; the San Francisco National Maritime Historical Park, and many others. Speaking of this CD, Gordon Bok remarked, "Jerry brings to mind the singing of folks 'long east of here."

This is 100% all-natural music - you'll enjoy it.