The Shanty Show

The world's foremost podcast about shanties — featuring conversations with the best shanty singers, scholars, and historians from around the world.

All Episodes

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Ep 31

Bob Walser

Scholar, singer, and author — Bob Walser on the deep history and radical joy of the shanty tradition.

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Ep 30

Fergus O'Byrne

Ryan's Fancy legend Fergus O'Byrne on Newfoundland music, the sea, and a life spent singing.

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Ep 29

Remembering Tall 12

A tribute to Tall 12, one of the last working shanty groups, and the men who kept the tradition alive.

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Ep 27

Tom Lewis

Cold War submariner turned shanty songwriter — Tom Lewis on life below the surface and songs above it.

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Ep 25

The Biggest Shanty Band of the 80s

The untold story of the group that packed halls across Britain when shanties were anything but trendy.

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Ep 24 — Special

Jim Mageean Interviews Us

The tables are turned — Whitby's Jim Mageean puts Pressgang Mutiny in the hot seat for 73 minutes.

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Ep 23 — Special

Live at the Connecticut Sea Music Museum

A live performance and conversation recorded at one of North America's finest maritime institutions.

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Ep 22 — Fundy Festival

Brise-Glace

Recorded live at Fundy — Brise-Glace on the wild collision of Breton and Québécois tradition.

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Ep 21 — Live Special

Chris Ricketts

A live special with one of Britain's most beloved shanty singers — expect singing, laughing, and chaos.

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Ep 20

Martin Hugill

Son of Stan Hugill — the world's last working shantyman — Martin on growing up inside the tradition.

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Ep 19

Michał Gramatyka

Polish member of parliament, shanty singer, and member of Perły i Łotry — because why not?

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Ep 18

JD — The Longest Johns

JD from the world's most-streamed shanty band joins us to sing, argue, and talk about what shanties actually are.

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Ep 17

Heather Wood

Founder of Young Tradition and one of British folk's greatest voices — Heather Wood on harmony, history, and staying power.

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Ep 16

Kimber's Men

The legendary Kimber's Men on decades of shanty singing and why the tradition keeps finding new audiences.

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Ep 15

Ian Robb & James Stephens

Two giants of Canadian folk music on the deep connections between shanties and the broader tradition.

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Ep 14

Gary Caines — Fundy Sea Shanty Festival

The story behind the Fundy Sea Shanty Festival and why New Brunswick became a capital of the tradition.

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Ep 13

Miquel Perez — El Pony Pisador

Shanties in Catalonia — Miquel Perez on how maritime music took root far from any working harbour.

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Ep 12

Coda

Irish group Coda on what happens when Celtic harmony meets the shanty — and whether the fit is natural or forced.

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Ep 11

Séan McCann

Great Big Sea's Séan McCann on Newfoundland, the sea, and a life shaped by songs that needed to be sung loud.

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Ep 10

Barrouallie Whalers Project

St. Vincent's living whaling tradition — the Barrouallie Whalers on work songs still sung where the work still happens.

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Ep 9

Ian Bell

Great Lakes historian Ian Bell on the distinct shanty tradition that grew up in freshwater — and why it matters.

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Ep 8

The Yarmouth Shantymen

Nova Scotia's Yarmouth Shantymen on keeping the East Coast tradition alive through sheer stubbornness.

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Ep 7

Jim Mageean

Whitby's Jim Mageean — the singer every other shanty singer mentions first — on what makes a shanty actually work.

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Ep 6

Seán Dagher

The voice behind Assassin's Creed Black Flag's shanties on what it was like to bring the tradition to 30 million players.

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Ep 5

The Johnson Girls

The group that proved shanties weren't just for men — The Johnson Girls on breaking into a tradition that tried to keep them out.

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Ep 4

Gibb Schreffler & Craig Edwards

Two leading shanty scholars on what the historical record actually says — and how much of what we think we know is wrong.

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Ep 3

Alex McMurray

New Orleans musician Alex McMurray on the surprising overlap between the shanty tradition and the city's street music.

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Ep 2

Geoff Kaufman & Marc Bernier

The founders of Mystic Sea Music Festival on building North America's most important maritime music gathering from scratch.

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Ep 1

David Coffin

The viral "Roll the Old Chariot" man himself — David Coffin on the song that introduced a generation to shanties.

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Bonus

Remembering Stan Hugill

Shanty singers from around the world pay tribute to Stan Hugill — the last working shantyman and the tradition's greatest scholar.

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