In 1991, the Reedville Fishermen’s Museum in Reedville, VA, invited a group of six retired fishermen, including Captain Charles Winstead, to come together and perform a set of these old work songs at its 1991 Fourth of July celebration. This video, recorded by the Virginia Folklife Program of Virginia Humanities, appears to be a rehearsal for that performance.

Until the 1960s, a menhaden fishing boat would send out smaller “purse boats” to unfurl long nets and encircle the fish. After the crew pulled the nets tight, forcing the fish to the surface, they had to work in unison to haul the full, heavy nets on board. Singing helped coordinate this task.

By 1960, however, commercial fishing boats were transitioning to the newly invented hydraulic power block, a revolution in fishing technology. Men were no longer needed to pull nets, boat crews got smaller, and there was no more reason to sing.

Following their successful performance in 1991, a few local men came together to organize a professional group: the Northern Neck Chantey Singers.  They performed Chesapeake Bay sea chanteys across the country during the 1990s and early 2000s. Men who have performed with the Northern Neck Chantey Singers over the years include: James Cain, Clarence Tiggle, James Carter, William Muse, Lloyd Hill, Edward Taylor, Christopher Harvey, Elton Smith, Cecil Benns, Isaac Brown, Rufus Carter, Waverly Hones, and Lewis Blackwell. Virginia Folklife is seeking to identify the men in this video, please email [email protected] if you have additional information to share.