The Longest Johns

The Longest Johns are a Bristol based, a capella folk music band, born out of a mutual love of traditional folk songs and shanties. They rock maritime songs alongside the more unusual and less traditional folk tunes.

I doubt any of Bristol’s The Longest Johns ever imagined they would be able to get so far on just four voices.

In a few short years they have gone from singing sea shanties in a kitchen to International folk festivals, tours, TV appearances and gained a huge online following.

As the face of the 2021 sea shanty revival with their track Wellerman, the Johns are reaching millions of new fans all across the globe and showing them just how great these songs can be.

Seán Dagher is an active performer, arranger, and composer of music from various folk and classical music traditions: Celtic, Baroque, Medieval, Arabic, French-Canadian, and Maritime. He is a member of Skye Consort and is the co-artistic director of La Nef.  Seán sings and plays Irish bouzouki, mandolin, oud, and banjo.

Seán has also provided arrangements for other ensembles and artists, including Camerata Nova (Winnipeg), Chor Leoni (Vancouver), Arion, Palade Musica, Les Voix Humaines, La Mandragore, Pierre Lapointe (all Montreal), Shannon Mercer, I Furiosi (Toronto), Les Voix Baroques, Choeur Louisbourg (Moncton), Cantatica (Pennsylvania), and the Nashville Baroque Orchestra.  Other groups he has played with include the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Caprices, Les Boréades, Le Petit Rien.

Seán's voice is widely known from his recordings for the Assassin's Creed video game series, including Black Flag.  His renditions of sea shanties and other songs from the games have been streamed some 70 million times.  His own Shanty of the Week video series receives thousands of views a week and has a loyal following the world over.

Seán's compositions and arrangements have been performed across Canada, the United States, and Europe.  He has worked with the Festival du Monde Arabe creating shows of Middle Eastern and North African music.  He has arranged and composed music for audio books, with story-teller and musician Suzanne De Serres, Youth Program Director for La Nef, and for American author Sandra Gulland.  He has been a composer and sound designer for theatre productions.

He has been nominated for numerous OPUS and ADISQ awards and participated in the ADISQ-winning CD, La Traverse Miraculeuse with La Nef and Les Charbonniers de l'enfer.  He has won OPUS awards for  Creation of the Year (Leave Her, Johnny), Album of the Year (Skye Consort & Emma Björling) and Youth Production of the Year (Le chat et le gondolier, La Nef).