Remembering John Renbourn

John Renbourn’s death sent shockwaves throughout the acoustic guitar world. We asked Clive Carroll, who toured with John extensively, for his reminiscences about the man and his music.With David Mead.

After touring in the south west of England in the early 1960s, John Renbourn first came to prominence when he formed a duo with Bert Jansch, riding the wave of the great English folk revival, but blazing a trail for what became known as ‘folk baroque’. The pair’s intricate and exacting instrumentals already had a flavour with Renbourn’s interest in medieval music, something he had come into contact with while studying classical guitar at school. Jansch and Renbourn went on to form the band Pentangle with vocalist Jacqui McShee, fiddler Sue Draheim, bass player Danny Thompson and drummer Terry Cox. The band’s unique blend of influences, which included blues, traditional folk with the occasional foray into pop, reached American ears, leading to appearances at the Newport Folk Festival and Carnegie Hall. Parallel to this was an increasingly fruitful career for Renbourn as a soloist, recording many albums that would go on to become pioneering landmarks of acoustic playing.

Clive Carroll first encountered John Renbourn when he supported him at his local folk club. Renbourn was so impressed with this young performer that he decided to take him under his wing and over the years the pair toured extensively both here in the UK and in the United States.

The opening track on Clive’s latest solo album, The Furthest Tree is an affectionate memorial to Renbourn. Titled The Abbot’s Hymn after a memorable occasion when John discovered Green King’s Abbot ale, it forms a touching tribute to a man who acted both as mentor, friend and guide in Clive’s formative years as a musician.

What was it like when you first began touring with John?