Letter of Marque

Our upcoming Performances:

May 31, Jun 1,7 & 8 Virginia Renaissance Festival, Spotsylvania, VA
Sept 25 Sunset Cruise aboard the Schooner Woodwind

Letter of Marque formed as a happy accident during the summer of 2006. We're in the Baltimore-Washington area, and as friends, we share a passion for maritime history and the music that comes out of that heritage. One coincidental occasion brought us together as individuals to sing - unrehearsed (yikes!) - for a party. Though not perfect, we had one of those rare moments of synchronicity. Thus, we decided to take that special moment and make it intentional. Unbeknownst to him, one of the party guests even gave us our name!

Hoist us an e-signal! (Contact Us)

Pix from our Premiere gig!

Pix from Tim and Kathy Michau's wedding 10/22/06

Letter of Marque House Concert February 22, 2008

May 10 House Concert, Edgewater MD (Opening for Tom Lewis!)

Letter of Marque is:

Mea Clift Vocals, tin whistle
Tara Hunter Vocals, guitar
Vince Wilding Vocals, melodeon

Letter of Marque celebrates the diversity of maritime music, from traditional chanties and forebitters to more modern maritime songs. Our song repertoire is pulled from the following maritime traditions:

British Navy
Irish/Scottish folk tunes
American Navy and merchantmen
Whaling
Mississippi River watermen
Great Lakes watermen
Erie Canal watermen
Canadian watermen
Chesapeake Bay watermen
"Feminist" sea songs

We draw inspiration from such artists as (some of whom are local(*)!):

Want to find out more about maritime music?

Mudcat - an excellent source of information (including lyrics)
The book "Shanties from the Seven Seas" by Stan Hugill
Open Shanty Sings in Maryland (sponsored by the Ship's Company Chanteymen)

Want to find out more about maritime history and heritage?