Tradition-laced songs of the sea by Jim McGrath; rich baritone voice and well-schooled guitar accompaniment, along with a few musical guests.

13 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Traditional Folk



Details:
For more than 40 years, Jim's rich baritone and reliable guitar accompaniment have regaled audiences in saloons, coffeehouses and at outdoor concerts. In the "glory years" of the mid-70s, Jim served aboard the Black Pearl, crossing the Atlantic in Capt. Barclay Warburton's 71-foot hermaphrodite brig and learning a lot about the songs, wines and women of the salt coasts of America and Europe in the process.

This album reflects his love for traditional songs shared by many cultures (Shendandoah is a terrific example), and the songsmithing he has done, building on the traditions of the music.

Jim's own tunes paint vivid pictures of coastal towns and the romance, violence, and tragedy that often occupy them.
Wepecket Island Records is proud to add this title to its list.

The first thing you notice about Jim McGrath is the easy competence with which he delivers his songs. The rich baritone has been seasoned over the decades and like a very fine wine â or whiskey -- it is only now coming into its full flavor. The next thing you notice is that Jim never takes his eyes off his audience. Heâs constantly on the prowl, looking to make contact with you and bring you his direct vision of the subject of the song heâs singing. It might take a little longer to appreciate what a masterful guitar accompanist he is, but Jim McGrath is the whole package.

A saloon singer extraordinaire, evoking an almost forgotten era when the fellow playing and crooning in the corner of your local pub was the only (and best) entertainment youâd find.

In these more complicated and noise-infused times, Jim stands out amid the karaoke and the juke boxes and the 54-inch plasma screen TVs and flat-out enchants his audiences, whether longtime fans or brand-new acquaintances. Three songs into a Jim McGrath set and you feel youâve known him for years, and you want to know him and his musical stories even better.

A New Haven, Conn. native, Jim discovered the ties that bind Newport, Rhode Island to folk music during a hitch in the Navy there in the late 1950s. It was the beginning years of the Newport Folk Festival and coffeehouses and bars were hirng folk singers. When Jimâs Navy hitch was up, he enlisted at the Hunt Club in Newport as an $8-a-gig performer, and heâs never looked back.