The Johnson Girls
Encyclopedia
The Johnson Girls are an all-female a-cappella song group based in New York
. They specialize in maritime music and perform songs from a melange of cultures including the United States, Britain, Ireland, Italy and French-Canada. Named after a traditional African-American sea shanty
(maritime work song), "The Johnson Girls," they formed as a quintet in 1997. The original members were Joy Bennett, Maggie Bye, Alison Kelley, Bonnie Milner, and Dierdre Murtha. Bye left the group after following the release of The Johnson Girls' second CD. Each of The Johnson Girls is also a member of the official maritime song group of South Street Seaport Museum, The New York Packet.
Twelve years ago, Pete Seeger
was blown away by The Johnson Girls, "I didn't know women could sing like that!" The group has since appeared at major festivals in the United States, Canada and Europe; these include the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, the Chicago Maritime Festival, the Champlain Festival, the Hudson River Festival, the Mystic Sea Music Festival and the Philadelphia Folk Festival (USA); the Lunenburg Folk Harbor Festival and Chants des Marins Saint-Jean-Port-Joli (Canada); and, in Europe, at festivals in Sidmouth, Warwick, Wadebridge and Broadstairs (England); Paimpol (France); Workum (Holland); and Lisbon (Portugal).
The Johnson Girls record for Folk-Legacy Records of Sharon, CT and their three CDs have received considerable public acclaim and solid reviews in folk music publications in the USA and Europe.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. They specialize in maritime music and perform songs from a melange of cultures including the United States, Britain, Ireland, Italy and French-Canada. Named after a traditional African-American sea shanty
Sea shanty
A shanty is a type of work song that was once commonly sung to accompany labor on board large merchant sailing vessels. Shanties became ubiquitous in the 19th century era of the wind-driven packet and clipper ships...
(maritime work song), "The Johnson Girls," they formed as a quintet in 1997. The original members were Joy Bennett, Maggie Bye, Alison Kelley, Bonnie Milner, and Dierdre Murtha. Bye left the group after following the release of The Johnson Girls' second CD. Each of The Johnson Girls is also a member of the official maritime song group of South Street Seaport Museum, The New York Packet.
Twelve years ago, Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
was blown away by The Johnson Girls, "I didn't know women could sing like that!" The group has since appeared at major festivals in the United States, Canada and Europe; these include the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, the Chicago Maritime Festival, the Champlain Festival, the Hudson River Festival, the Mystic Sea Music Festival and the Philadelphia Folk Festival (USA); the Lunenburg Folk Harbor Festival and Chants des Marins Saint-Jean-Port-Joli (Canada); and, in Europe, at festivals in Sidmouth, Warwick, Wadebridge and Broadstairs (England); Paimpol (France); Workum (Holland); and Lisbon (Portugal).
The Johnson Girls record for Folk-Legacy Records of Sharon, CT and their three CDs have received considerable public acclaim and solid reviews in folk music publications in the USA and Europe.
External links
- Official website.
- The Johnson Girls listing on the Folk-Legacy Records website.
- YouTube video of The Johnson Girls performing The Fisherman's Wife at the 2004 Chicago Maritime Festival.