Steve Benbow
Steve Benbow
Genres: british folk, folk
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About Steve Benbow
Steve Benbow (29th November 1931 - 17th November 2006) was a British folk and jazz musician. He was most active between 1957 and 1977, in demand as guitarist by all the big names in folk music, including Alan Lomax, Robin Hall and Jimmy McGregor, Pete Seeger and Peggy Seeger, Alex Campbell, Martin Carthy and Cy Grant, as well as mainstream entertainers like Michael Holliday, Rolf Harris, Long John Baldry and hit parade street singer Don Partridge. As a teenager, Benbow enjoyed the folk songs of Burl Ives. In 1955 he began playing in pubs and at parties just as skiffle was becoming the rage. He met Peter Kennedy, that great folklorist and collector, who introduced him to Denis Preston of `Lansdown Records' who recorded a radio series, `Have Guitar, Will Travel' and sold it to Radio Luxembourg. Steve was the only folk singer to have his own Luxembourg series. 1957 was a busy year for Steve and the beginning of a long and successful career. Ewan McColl took him to Moscow to accompany him and, thereafter, he was sought out by every famous folk singer that needed a guitarist. This was when he recorded `Thar She Blows' and `Sporting Blades' with A.L Lloyd and Ewan McColl and began recording his own LPs. A more detailed account of this can be found in `The Guinness Who's Who of Folk Music'. Between 1957 and 1977, Steve recorded more than 25 LPs, a large number of EPs and broadcast on TV and radio in programmes such as `Guitar Club' with Ike Isaacs, `Sunday Skiffle Club', 'Easy Beat' and his own TV programme in Scotland, `Plectrum', where he demonstrated his style of guitar playing. By now he had an international reputation and was solidly established in the developing evolution of the English and American folk song movement, producing and directing LPs for Dominic Behan and Christie Moore's first records. Steve has played with all the big names in folk music, including Alan Lomax, Robin Hall and Jimmy McGregor, Pete and Peggy Seeger, Alex Campbell, Martin Carthy and Cy Grant as well as mainstream entertainers like Michael Holliday, Rolf Harris, Long John Baldry and hit parade street singer Don Partridge. Benbow died on Friday 17th November 2006 of a heart attack, having suffered for several years with heart problems.
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