Bert Jansch: Black Waterside

Last Wednesday, the world lost one of the great acoustic guitarists to cancer at age 67. I first heard of Bert Jansch from the recordings he made with Pentangle in the 1960s. He and his guitar partner John Renbourn were the Lennon/McCartney of English folk music and when the two played together, both with or without Pentangle, it was wonderful.

The man, of whom the general public was not aware, became the favorite of music aficionados and artists everywhere. Rolling Stone placed Jansch at 94 on their list of the top 100 guitarists. He won two BBC Lifetime Achievement Awards – one for his solo work in 2001 and one for his role in Pentangle. In 2007, Edinburgh Napier University awarded Jansch an honorary doctorate based on his contributions to the UK music industry.

Bert Jansch will be greatly missed. To honor him, here’s his rendition of “Black Waterside.”