Uploaded December 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
In the United Kingdom during the early to mid 1960s, there was a great flowering of folk and country blues music played on acoustic guitar. This was partly due to the 1950s skiffle trend that found British youths approximating American blues and folk music, and partly due to the visits and recordings of American blues artists such as Big Bill Broonzy and Brownie McGhee.
The three leading figures of Britain’s acoustic guitar renaissance were Davy Graham and John Renbourn, both born in England, and Bert Jansch, who was Scottish. Jansch and Renbourn recorded together early on, and then formed the internationally popular band Pentangle. Those who were on the scene at the time considered Jansch a genius. Jimmy Page, for instance, said, “As much as Hendrix has done on the electric, Bert’s done on the acoustic.” John Renbourn also put Bert at the head of their class. (In the intro to this podcast, John is heard sharing his views of Bert's playing.) My interview with Bert took place on February 1, 1994. An edited transcript appeared in the May 1994 issue of Guitar Player magazine. I hope you enjoy the conversation!
For more guitar-focused podcasts, articles, and interviews, visit jasobrecht.substack.com/. @BertJanschofficial @PentangleOfficial @TalkingGuitarJasObrecht
In the United Kingdom during the early to mid 1960s, there was a great flowering of folk and country blues music played on acoustic guitar. This was partly due to the 1950s skiffle trend that found British youths approximating American blues and folk music, and partly due to the visits and recordings of American blues artists such as Big Bill Broonzy and Brownie McGhee.
The three leading figures of Britain’s acoustic guitar renaissance were Davy Graham and John Renbourn, both born in England, and Bert Jansch, who was Scottish. Jansch and Renbourn recorded together early on, and then formed the internationally popular band Pentangle. Those who were on the scene at the time considered Jansch a genius. Jimmy Page, for instance, said, “As much as Hendrix has done on the electric, Bert’s done on the acoustic.” John Renbourn also put Bert at the head of their class. (In the intro to this podcast, John is heard sharing his views of Bert's playing.) My interview with Bert took place on February 1, 1994. An edited transcript appeared in the May 1994 issue of Guitar Player magazine. I hope you enjoy the conversation!
For more guitar-focused podcasts, articles, and interviews, visit jasobrecht.substack.com/. @BertJanschofficial @PentangleOfficial @TalkingGuitarJasObrecht
