Johnny Burke has to be a contender. He's a fiddler from North Clare who has lived much of his life in London. I don't know exactly how old he is, but I would guess around 80. In recent years, he was still busking on Portobello Road - and may still be.
Whilst I was living in Latvia, I met an 85-year-old mandolin player who busked regularly in the centre of Riga. He told me he had worked for the Latvian National Opera during the country's first period of independence, between the World Wars.
I also teamed up with an excellent 72-year-old one-man-band (harmonica and assorted percussion) in Porto, Portugal.
David - did you ever play with fiddle player Bridget, now deceased, who was the actress Imelda Staunton's mother? She must have been in her eighth or ninth decade and still playing, till a few years ago.
Sadly, I never met Bridget Staunton. The first I heard of her was from those who attended her wake. I believe she didn't get out much due to ill health in her last few years.
I take it you know who Johnny Burke is, Danny - he was sitting behind me, a little to my right, at the last session we met at (not that I deliberately sat in front of him, you understand - he just preferred to have a wall to lean against).
Oldest busker?
Oldest busker?
And how old might the oldest ITM or STM busker be?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/video_and_audio/7603327.stm
# Posted on September 8th 2008 by Crackpot
Re: Oldest busker?
Johnny Burke has to be a contender. He's a fiddler from North Clare who has lived much of his life in London. I don't know exactly how old he is, but I would guess around 80. In recent years, he was still busking on Portobello Road - and may still be.
Whilst I was living in Latvia, I met an 85-year-old mandolin player who busked regularly in the centre of Riga. He told me he had worked for the Latvian National Opera during the country's first period of independence, between the World Wars.
I also teamed up with an excellent 72-year-old one-man-band (harmonica and assorted percussion) in Porto, Portugal.
112 takes some beating, though.
# Posted on September 8th 2008 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: Oldest busker?
David - did you ever play with fiddle player Bridget, now deceased, who was the actress Imelda Staunton's mother? She must have been in her eighth or ninth decade and still playing, till a few years ago.
# Posted on September 8th 2008 by Rudall the time
Re: Oldest busker?
Sadly, I never met Bridget Staunton. The first I heard of her was from those who attended her wake. I believe she didn't get out much due to ill health in her last few years.
I take it you know who Johnny Burke is, Danny - he was sitting behind me, a little to my right, at the last session we met at (not that I deliberately sat in front of him, you understand - he just preferred to have a wall to lean against).
# Posted on September 8th 2008 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: Oldest busker?
I do remember the lad, David.
# Posted on September 8th 2008 by Rudall the time
Re: Oldest busker?
Never mind the oldest busker. what about this brat who's making 70 quid per hour?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/7531493.stm
# Posted on September 9th 2008 by oldstrings