Birth of Lou Killen

Lou Killen, born on this day in 1934 in Gateshead on the Tyne, became one of the most important collectors and performers of English maritime song in the twentieth century. In 1958, Killen founded “Folk Song and Ballad” in Newcastle, one of Britain’s first folk clubs, and turned professional in 1961. The recordings made during this early period concerned songs of sailors, coal miners, and working people. Killen pioneered the English concertina as an accompanying instrument, setting a standard for how it should be done without overpowering the song.

After emigrating to America in 1967, Killen worked closely with Pete Seeger. “Louis was my education about the music of the United Kingdom,” Seeger later said. “He knew all the dialects, taught me many songs.” In 1969, Killen was among the maiden crew of Seeger’s sloop Clearwater alongside Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and Don McLean. In 1970, Killen joined the Clancy Brothers, bringing the English concertina to their sound. In the 1990s, Killen served as volunteer coordinator at the San Francisco Maritime Museum, singing shanties and interpreting maritime history to visitors.

In 2010, at age 76, Killen began living as a woman, later taking the name Louisa Jo Killen. She died in Gateshead in August 2013. Her recordings of forebitters, shanties, and songs of the sea remain essential listening for anyone studying the tradition.