Biographies
The Roaring Forties is an archetypal trad-style acapella folk group singing maritime songs and other robust material concerning Australian social, industrial and political history; choruses, harmonies and wit abound, They also perform finely-crafted original material, some accompanied.
The original singers who formed the core of the Roaring Forties (Robin, Margaret and Tom) were singing unaccompanied songs when the New Age a-cappella group members were still in the cradle. Back in the late ’70s and early ’80s they used to gather whenever a call went out for a group of shanty singers, augmented by other available singers. They used the name “Sydney Shanty Singers” and then, for a time, they laboured under the moniker “The Ensemble of Fat Bearded Shantymen” (EFBSS) – an esoteric reference to the EFDSS (the English Folk Dance and Song Society). But in 1988, they thought it was time they had a more distinctive name – and so The Roaring Forties was born. It was the year of the bi-centenary with lots of tall ships visiting Sydney, and with lot of gigs on offer, they brought out their first CD, Hazard Hardship and Damned Little Pay.
That was 30 years ago, and the Forties have never lost their love of shanties, though from time to time, they have worked on other projects. See ABOUT for details.
Current members of the group:
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Former members of the group include Tony Cochrane, Robin Connaughton, Brian Grayson, Len Neary, Jennifer Lees and John Warner.
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