Cyril Tawney

Cyril Tawney (12 October 1930 – 21 April 2005) Perhaps because of the family tradition of maritime service, Tawney joined the Royal Navy at the age of sixteen, serving for thirteen years, several of which were spent in submarines. During this period he developed his lifelong interest in English traditional music. The song tells the story of the demise of the 'Oggie Man' from the Devonport Naval Dockyard, at a time when old-fashioned "fast food" was being replaced by the more modern purveyors of hot dogs (and all) (the "big boys" of the song). The Oggie Man had until that time offered his oggies (pasties) to sailors returning from sea, or from shore leave, from a box at the Albert Gate of the dock. It has been suggested that the sale of oggies here dated back to the 1700s.

The first verse of "Oggie Man" runs:

And the rain's softly falling and the Oggie man's no more. I can't hear him calling like I used to before I came through the gateway and I heard the sergeant say "The big boys are a coming, see their stands across the way" And the rains softly falling and the Oggie man's no more...

In addition to presenting traditional material, Tawney composed a number of his own songs, the majority being written when he was in the Royal Navy and relating to that period – for example, "Chicken on a Raft", which follows the call and response style of sea shanties. The song makes reference to an unpopular dish served in the Royal Navy, consisting of fried egg on fried bread and called "chicken on a raft." The chorus is as follows:

Chicken on a raft on a Monday morning, Oh, what a terrible sight to see, The Dabtoes forrard and the dustmen aft, Sittin' there a'pickin' at a chicken on a raft!

The song was recorded by The Young Tradition, on their 1967 EP also titled Chicken on a Raft. One of Tawney's other most popular original songs is "The Grey Funnel Line," also written about the Royal Navy. 'The Grey Funnel Line' was a nickname among Navy sailors for the Royal Navy, as if it were the same as any other shipping line. He wrote the song while serving aboard HMS Indefatigable, and reworked a verse from the American traditional song "Dink's Song" into the second verse of his song. "The Grey Funnel Line" has achieved enduring popularity, being covered by artists such as Lou Killen, The Clancy Brothers, Maddy Prior, June Tabor, The Longest Johns, Tom Lewis, and Jon Boden. It was even recorded by Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt and released on their album The Complete Trio Collection.

Tawney's song, "Sally Free And Easy", written in the late 1950s, was covered by numerous folk artists, including Carolyn Hester, Dorris Henderson and John Renbourn, Davey Graham, Pentangle, The Corries, Marianne Faithfull, Alan Stivell and Bob Dylan. Fellow English folk singer and maritime musician Tom Lewis wrote a tribute song to Tawney, titled "Cyril Said it All Before," honoring Tawney's significant influence on the traditional folk world.

Discography The Outlandish Knight, 1969 Children's Songs from Devon and Cornwall, 1970 A Mayflower Garland, 1970 Down Among the Barley Straw, 1971 (first released 1976) In Port (with The Yetties), 1972 I Will Give My Love, 1973 In the Naval Spirit, 1987 (MC) Round the Buoy, 1989 (MC) Sally Free and Easy, 1990 (MC) Sailor's Delight, 1990 (MC) Down the Hatch, 1994 Man Of Honour, 1997 Navy Cuts, 2001 (Compilation) Live at Holsteins: Chicago 1981, 2007 The Song Goes On, 2014 (Compilation)

Songs Songs written by Cyril Tawney include: "Sammy's Bar" "Cheering the Queen" "Chicken on a Raft" "Five-foot Flirt" "Grey Funnel Line" "The Ballad of Sammy's Bar" "Sally Free and Easy" "Stanley the Rat" "The Lean and Unwashed Tiffy" "The Suit of Grey" "The Oggie Man" "On a Monday Morning"