1. Samuel James Larner was an English fisherman and traditional singer from Winterton-on-Sea, a fishing village in Norfolk, England.
13 Facts About Sam Larner
1. 2.
Sam Larner's life was the basis for Ewan MacColl's song The Shoals of Herring, and his songs continue to be recorded by revival singers.
3.
Sam Larner was born in 1878 to George Ezra Larner and Jane Amelia Jones Larner.
4.
Sam Larner started singing from an early age, learning the songs his grandfather and others sang in the pubs at Winterton, and earning pennies by singing them to coach parties that visited the village.
5.
Sam Larner won a singing competition in Lerwick in Shetland in 1907, recalling the event years later:.
6.
Sam Larner left fishing due to ill health in 1933, and spent some time unemployed as well as doing whatever jobs he could find, including road mending and forestry.
7.
Sam Larner knew roughly 60 traditional songs, which he learnt from many people including his father and fellow fisherman such as James "Old Larpin" Sutton.
8.
Sam Larner took part in the third programme in the series, Singing the Fishing, about the East Coast fishing industry.
9.
MacColl's song "The Shoals of Herring", which describes a fisherman's progress from cabin boy to deckhand, largely based on Sam Larner's life, was written for the programme.
10.
Sam Larner died on 11 September 1965 in hospital in Great Yarmouth.
11.
Sam Larner was survived by his wife, Dorcas, who died in 1969.
12.
Sam Larner is considered a key figure in the folk revival of the 1950s and '60s.
13.
Sam Larner endeared himself to both local audiences and important members of the folk revival with his vibrant personality as well as his songs.