Ralph McTell

Ralph McTell
McTell at the Eden Project, August 2003
Background information
Birth name	Ralph May
Born	(1944-12-03) 3 December 1944 (age 72) Farnborough, Kent, England
Origin	Croydon, London, England
Genres	folk, country blues
Occupation(s)	singer, songwriter, record producer, author, radio and TV presenter, poet
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, piano, harmonica
Years active	1965–present
Labels	Transatlantic, Famous, Warner Bros., Mays Records, Castle, Leola Records
Associated acts	The GP's, Fairport Convention, Billy Connolly
Website	www.ralphmctell.co.uk
Notable instruments
Gibson J-45

Ralph McTell (born Ralph May, 3 December 1944) is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s.

McTell is best known for his song "Streets of London", which has been covered by over two hundred artists around the world, and for his tale of Irish emigration, "From Clare to Here".

In the 1980s he wrote and played songs for two TV children's programmes, Alphabet Zoo, which also featured Nerys Hughes, followed by Tickle on the Tum, featuring Jacqueline Reddin. Albums were also released from both series. He also recorded Keith Hopwood's and Malcolm Rowe's theme song to Cosgrove Hall's adaptation of The Wind in the Willows, and this was released as a single in 1984 after the series was aired on ITV.

McTell's guitar playing has been modelled on the style of the US's country blues guitar players of the early 20th century, including Blind Blake, Robert Johnson and Blind Willie McTell. These influences led a friend to suggest that he change his professional name to McTell as his career was beginning to take shape.

McTell is also an accomplished performer on piano and harmonica, which he uses on a harness.

McTell's mother, Winifred (née Moss), was born in Hammersmith, London. During the Second World War she was living in Banbury, Oxfordshire, with her sister Olive when she met Frank May. They married in 1943 while Frank was home on leave from the army. Winifred moved to Croydon, Surrey, and McTell was born on 3 December 1944 in Farnborough, Kent. He was named after Ralph Vaughan Williams – Frank had worked as the composer's gardener before the war. A second son, Bruce, was born in 1946. Frank was demobilised, but after a year or so at home, he walked out on his family in 1947.