Artist:Ralph McTellSong:Streets Of London
Album:The Best Of Ralph McTell: Streets Of London
Ralph McTell isn't well known in North America but in his native England he is a legend of folk music. Streets Of London is his best known song and has been recorded by hundreds of other artists. He was born Ralph May Dec. 3, 1944 in Fairborough, Kent, England. He started playing guitar as a teen. After watching Ramblin' Jack Elliott perform at a club in London, he immersed himself in the music of the legends of blues and eventually named himself after Blind Willie McTell. After a few years of busking through Europe, McTell signed with Transatlantic Records in 1967 and released his debut album in 1968. Streets of London was on his 1969 album Spiral Staircase. It was influenced by McTell's busking experiences but he thought it was too depressing to record. Producer Gus Dudgeon convinced him otherwise. It eventually charted in England in 1974 but Streets Of London is now a folk music standard. He has always been a very popular live act in England but a US record company has never promoted him properly. This comp on Castle is a good intro to his music. McTell started his own label in 1980 and continues to record and tour today. He also wrote songs for the successful children's TV show Alphabet Zoo. You should check him out if you're into folk music. Here's Ralph McTell performing Streets Of London on the German TV show Disco 1975.
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