Fishermen land big recording deal – Fishupdate.com

Fishermen land big recording deal Published:  18 March, 2010

A TEN strong group of fishermen and former fishermen have netted a potentially lucrative recording deal which could take them into the charts.

The group, called Fishermen’s Friends from Port Isaac in Cornwall plan to make an album of fishing and sea shanties which music pundits think could be worth up to £1-million.

One of the Founding members, Jeremy Brown, who has two brothers in the group, said: “We all grew up together with the exception of one member of the group who is from Yorkshire – but he’s lived in the village for 30 years, so he is almost one of us.

The troupe – who are or have been fishermen, lifeboatmen and coastguards (and sometimes all three) – perform weekly shows on the harbour front during the summer months in the fishing village of Port Isaac, where the TV series Doc Martin was filmed. They have been singing together locally in one form or another for almost 15 years and have won the praise of celebrities like Chris Evans and Gloria Hunniford.

Their songs are mainly traditional fishing folk tunes which were originally sunk by the crews of trawlers while they worked on deck. Later this year the Fishermen’s Friends hope to perform at the Glastonbury Festival. The Cornish fishing industry, which remain strong, has a long history of singing, but this is the first time that the tunes have been promoted nationally.

The Fishermen’s Friends are also expected to include traditional fishing songs from other parts of the British Isles.