Guitarist fused folk, jazz and traditional music
LONDON The masterful acoustic guitarist John Renbourn, a founding member of the Pentangle in the 1960s, has died at his home in Scotland. He was 70.
His manager, Dave Smith, called Renbourn “a huge character” and “a delight.” He said he believes Renbourn suffered a fatal heart attack.
“He was always playing and teaching. That is what he loved doing and he never stopped,” Smith said.
Scottish police said his body was discovered March 26 at his home in the Scottish Borders region. They said there were no suspicious circumstances.
Born Aug. 8, 1944, Renbourn studied classical guitar in school, where he acquired his interest in early music.
He teamed with guitarist Bert Jansch, singer Jacqui McShee and others to form Pentangle, which enjoyed a wide reputation for playing both contemporary and traditional folk songs. Jansch died in 2011.
The original group formed in 1967. Renbourn and Jansch were already popular musicians on the British folk scene, with several solo albums each and a duet LP, Bert and John. Their use of complex inter-dependent guitar parts, referred to as “folk baroque,” had become a distinctive characteristic of their music.
In albums including Basket of Light, Solomon’s Seal and Cruel Sister, Pentangle played complicated ballads and folk tales from the Medieval and Renaissance periods, bringing centuries-old music to contemporary audiences. Renbourn and Jansch did most of the arranging, Smith said.
Renbourn also had his own feature albums where he more fully explored the fusion of early music and jazz, including Sir John and The Lady and the Unicorn.
“He was a very inspirational performer, widely known all over the world, even though it was not mainstream music,” said Smith. “When they emerged, no one else was doing it. It was a totally new approach.”
Smith said he became concerned when Renbourn did not show up for a concert with fellow guitarist Wizz Jones in Glasgow and asked police to check his home, where his body was found.
In 2007, the original Pentangle members were reunited to receive a lifetime achievement award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Renbourn was also awarded the lifetime achievement award at the Ards Guitar Festival.
Renbourn is survived by two sons and a daughter.