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Ralph McTell (born Ralph May, 3 December 1944〔Hockenhull, Chris. "Streets of London: The Official Biography of Ralph McTell", p. 8. Northdown, 1997. ISBN 1-900711-02-8.〕) is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s.〔Farquarson, Andy. "Streets Ahead", ''The Guardian'', 14 May 1999.〕 McTell is best known for his song "Streets of London", which has been covered by over two hundred artists around the world,〔Nelligan, Tom. "Ralph McTell – Still Weathering the Storm", ''Dirty Linen'', April–May 1996.〕 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'',〔Hockenhull, p. 107.〕 which also featured Nerys Hughes, followed by ''Tickle on the Tum'',〔Hockenhull, p. 109.〕 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'',〔Hockenhull, p. 111.〕 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.〔Grossman, Stefan. "Ralph McTell – European Fingerpicker", ''Guitar Player'', August 1976.〕 These influences led a friend to suggest that he change his professional name to McTell as his career was beginning to take shape.〔Hockenhull, p. 40.〕 McTell is also an accomplished performer on piano and harmonica, which he uses on a harness. ==Biography== 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〔Hockenhull, p. 8.〕 – 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. Winifred was left to support herself and bring up the boys unaided. She told McTell's biographer, "I remember Ralph saying to me quite soon after Frank left us, 'I'll look after you, Mummy'. I guess he'd got used to Frank being away all his short life."〔Hockenhull, p. 9.〕 But despite their father's desertion and the consequent poverty, Ralph and Bruce May had a happy and fulfilled childhood in Croydon. McTell's love of music surfaced early. He was given a plastic mouth organ and his grandfather, who played the harmonica, taught and encouraged him. The brothers spent many contented summer holidays at Banbury〔Hockenhull, p. 12.〕 with their uncle and aunt and their grandparents. Banbury and north Oxfordshire would figure throughout McTell's life. Later, he recalled those childhood summers in his song "Barges". 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ralph McTell」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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