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Bert Jansch

The sound of the guitar was scarce on the streets of Edinburgh during Bert Jansch’s upbringing. Despite this and valiant efforts on Bert’s part to make one it wasn’t until well into his teens that he actually owned one. Then with the influences of skiffle, blues and rock and roll spurring him on he soon discovered like-minded souls at The Howff club. He soaked up any local knowledge quickly and then headed for more exotic climes. With an adventurous spirit still intact after travels through Morocco and France he returned to London to become a constant fixture at the folk clubs of the capital.

With the music of fellow guitarists of his generation ringing in his ears Bert went on to record his self-titled debut album in 1965. With a highly individual finger picked style and a powerful set of songs it has become the cornerstone of many a folk collection. Through the rest of the decade and on into the seventies he continued to produce spellbinding music by himself as well as finding commercial success with Pentangle a group which contained fellow acoustic wizard John Renbourn.

Despite personal crises Bert’s output has never particularly suffered. With a knack for beautifully interpreting traditional material as well as passing on his own set of classics to the next generation he is a true godfather of the folk scene.

2006 sees Bert in rude health. He’s recently added another jewel to his catalogue of work with ‘The Black Swan’ and he can still be found at many a festival and concert hall up and down the land. An example of his far reaching influence comes in the shape of Neil Young when he said “As much as a great player as Jimi Hendrix was, Jansch is the same thing for acoustic guitar and he’s my favourite.”

David Kushar