Bert Jansch
A guitarist whose intricate, haunting style became the bedrock of the British folk revival, inspiring generations from Jimmy Page to Nick Drake.
1943–2011 (age 68)·Scottish folk musician·Birthday: November 3·The Silent Generation
Biography
Bert Jansch emerged from the Scottish folk clubs with a guitar style that seemed to contain entire landscapes—dusky, rhythmic, and profoundly original. Arriving in London in the 1960s, he was a quiet force, his debut album sounding like a weathered classic from day one. His playing, a masterful blend of British folk, blues, and jazz, was defined by its complex alternate tunings and a percussive attack that made one guitar sound like three. While his solo work established him as a troubadour's troubadour, his co-founding of the band Pentangle proved his versatility, helping to fuse folk with jazz in wildly inventive ways. Jansch's influence was a slow burn that became a permanent flame, his techniques and sensibility silently woven into the fabric of rock and folk music, revered by peers and successors as a true musician's musician.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Bert was born in 1943, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bert Was Born
The biggest hits of 1943
#1 Movie
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Best Picture
Casablanca
Bert's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1943Born
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1948Started school
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1956Became a teenager
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1959Could drive
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1961Could vote
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1964Turned 21
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1973Turned 30
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1983Turned 40
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 50
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 60
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2011Died at 68
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
Key Achievements
- Released the seminal 1965 album 'Bert Jansch,' featuring the influential anti-war ballad 'Do You Hear Me Now?' and the instrumental 'Angie.'
- Co-founded the pioneering folk-jazz group Pentangle, which achieved significant commercial success and critical acclaim in the late 1960s and early 70s.
- His guitar composition 'Blackwaterside' was famously adapted by Jimmy Page for Led Zeppelin's 'Black Mountain Side.'
- Received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Folk Awards in 2001, solidifying his status as a pillar of the genre.
Did You Know?
He taught himself guitar while living in Edinburgh, partly by watching other players in folk clubs.
For a time in the early 1960s, he was literally homeless in London, sleeping on floors and in parks.
He was a keen gardener and had a deep knowledge of plants and wildflowers.
Neil Young once compared Jansch's importance to that of Jimi Hendrix, calling him as good an acoustic guitarist as Hendrix was an electric one.
“I never really thought of myself as a folk singer. I just play the songs I like.”
