The Chicago Maritime Festival is a maritime music

Sea shanty

A shanty is a type of work song that was once commonly sung to accompany labor on board large merchant sailing vessels. Shanties became ubiquitous in the 19th century era of the wind-driven packet and clipper ships...

 and culture festival held in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, USA, every winter, usually the last weekend in February, usually at the Chicago History Museum. It is not uncommon for over 500 people to participate. It has existed in its present incarnation since 2003 and is the only wintertime festival featuring maritime music in the United States. The main organizers are performers Tom & Chris Kastle.

2003

• Kat yn 't Seil
• Johnny Collins
  Johnny Collins
  Johnny Collins was a folk singer based in London, England, specializing in traditional maritime music.- Biography :...
  
  
• John Conolly
• 97th Regimental String Band
• Mlynn
• Tom & Chris Kastle

2004

• Don Sineti
• Tom Lewis
  Tom Lewis (songwriter)
  Tom Lewis is a British singer and writer of nautical songs.-Biography:Lewis was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and grew up in Gloucester, England...
  
  
• Bob Zentz
  Bob Zentz
  Bob Zentz is an American musician and educator from Norfolk, Virginia who has been performing for more than thirty years. He is a guitarist and also plays the autoharp, lute, melodeon, mouth harp, banjo, concertina and mandolin...
  
  
• The Johnson Girls
  The Johnson Girls
  The Johnson Girls are an all-female a-cappella song group based in New York. They specialize in maritime music and perform songs from a melange of cultures including the United States, Britain, Ireland, Italy and French-Canada. Named after a traditional African-American sea shanty , "The Johnson...
  
  
• Tom & Chris Kastle
• Lanialoha Lee
• David H.B. Drake
• Bounding Main
  Bounding Main
  Bounding Main is an American a cappella quintet focusing on traditional sea shanties and maritime music.Formed in 2003, Bounding Main performs maritime music, presenting an "Elizabethan Sea Dog" look in their costumes and gear. They perform traditional sea shanties and nautical ballads from as far...
  
  
• Sheridan Shore Chantey Singers
• Old Town School of Folk Music
  Old Town School of Folk Music
  The Old Town School of Folk Music is a Chicago teaching and performing institution that launched the careers of many notable folk music artists...
  
   Sea Music Class

2005

• Pint & Dale
• Serre l'Ecoute
• Talitha MacKenzie
  Talitha MacKenzie
  Talitha MacKenzie is an American world music recording artist, teacher and ethnomusicologist. Initially known for her work as the singing half of the original Mouth Music lineup, she has gone on to follow a highly-respected solo career...
  
  
• Lee Murdock
• Tom & Chris Kastle
• David H.B. Drake
• Bounding Main
• Sheridan Shore Chantey Singers
• Friends Good Will Singers
• Old Town School of Folk Music Sea Music Class

2006

(Held at the Latin School of Chicago due to remodeling at the History Museum)

• The Boekaneirs
• David H.B. Drake
• John Townley
  John Townley
  John Townley is a musician who was a member of the folk-rock group The Magicians from 1965-66. After The Magicians "disappeared", Townley built the first 12-track recording studio in New York, Apostolic Studios, which opened in 1967 and which was often used by Frank Zappa. A naval historian, he...
  
  
• Nanne Kalma & Ankie van der Meer
• Tom & Chris Kastle

2007

• Bounding Main
• Jerry Bryant
  Jerry Bryant (songwriter)
  Jerry Bryant is a professional folk music performer specializing in maritime music. In addition to performing traditional songs, he also has written songs in a traditional style...
  
  
• Johnny Collins
• Philippe Duo (Philippe Noriel and Philippe Rouxel)
• Tom & Chris Kastle

2008

• Northern Neck Chantey Singers
• Debra Cowan
  Debra Cowan
  Debra Cowan is a singer based in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Specializing primarily in traditional songs, often maritime-themed, she tours regularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. Rich Warren of the Midnight Special gave her CD, Fond Desire Farewell, an honorable mention in his list...
  
  
• Walter "Salty Walt" Askew
• Holdstock & MacLeod
• Tom & Chris Kastle

2009

• Dan Milner
  Dan Milner
  Dan Milner is a singer of traditional Irish songs in North America.The Milner family moved frequently following World War II, the result being that Dan grew up in far-flung localities including Birmingham, Ballybunion, Toronto and Brooklyn. Both Dan's parents were musical; his mother Dan Milner is...
  
  
• David Coffin
  David Coffin
  David Coffin is a folk musician specializing in early music and sea music, based in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He is the song leader for the Cambridge Revels music programs and is the director of an organization that conducts musical tours of Boston Harbor...
  
  
• The Johnson Girls
• Patrick Denain and Miguel Biard
• Tom & Chris Kastle
• Bounding Main
• Old Town School of Folk Music Sea Music Class

2010

• Caryl P. Weiss
• John Roberts
  John Roberts (musician)
  John Roberts is an English musician residing in Schenectady, New York.He is best known for his musical collaborations with Tony Barrand. As Roberts and Barrand, they perform a cappella and accompanied performances of traditional English folk music. They also perform and record fare such as sea...
  
  
• Rick Spencer
• The 97th Regimental String Band
• Tom and Chris Kastle
• Old Town School of Folk Music Sea Music Class

2011

• Bob Walser
• Cindy Kallet
  Cindy Kallet
  Cindy Kallet is an American folk singer/songwriter from New England. She currently performs solo, with Grey Larsen, and as part of the trio of Kallet, Epstein & Cicone...
  
  
• Pint and Dale
• Belize Culture and Heritage Association
• Great Lakes Navy Band
• Tom and Chris Kastle

External links

• Chicago Maritime Festival official website