Fisherman's Friends

The Fisherman's Friends are a folk music group from Port Isaac, Cornwall, who sing sea shanties. They have been performing locally since 1995, and signed a record deal with Universal Music in March 2010. Whilst essentially an a cappella group, their studio recordings and live performances now often include traditional simple instrumentation. History The Fisherman's Friends' performances combine traditional songs of the sea with more contemporary folk music and a large dash of humour. The current members are Jeremy Brown, John Lethbridge (Lefty), Jason Nicholas, Toby Lobb, John McDonnell (Johnny Mac), Jon Cleave (Cleavie) and Bill Hawkins. In the original line-up, all of the members of the group "grew up within half a mile of Port Isaac harbour" except for John McDonnell who is a Yorkshireman. Three were fishermen, and the others were linked to the sea through service as coast guards or lifeboatmen; hence the name, 'The Fisherman's Friends'. Peter Rowe was the oldest founding member. He died in January 2021 at the age of 88.