TARA HUNTER
Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. ~Goethe
Surprisingly, I came to chanties through television specifically the Due South episodes which featured Stan Rogers' "Barrett's Privateers" and "Northwest Passage". When I went tall ship sailing onboard HMS Bounty in 1999, my shipmate "Big Steve" was kind enough to sing "Barrett's Privateers" over and over and over again for me (by the way, this is VERY annoying to many chanteymen). He also introduced me to some other chantey "chesnuts". Also while on Bounty, I had a fortuitous run-in with a bunch of singing pirates from Maryland. Little did I know that our paths would cross again .

After I moved to Maryland from my little landlocked hometown in Southwestern Virginia, I eventually found and joined the maritime living history group Ship's Company. It took me THREE YEARS to get up enough courage to sing at their Open Chantey Sing in Wheaton. I wanted to. I just physically couldn't get past my shyness. My voice teacher/ "musical therapist" Rita is to credit/blame for the transformation. Since then, I've sung with the caroling group Joyefull Noyse, as an occasional guest with the Ship's Company Chanteymen , as a guest with maritime-folk artist Don Stallone, and with my friend Barbara as the maritime duo Handsome Cabin Boys.

Back to television, my day job is in documentary film production. My goal in life is to produce a historical-based documentary that allows me to hire all my maritime friends as extras, include some chanties, and have a big historical dance sequence. I can dream.

Favorite maritime song: Northwest Passage by Stan Rogers

Non-maritime musical influences: Bonnie Raitt, Alanis Morissette, and Annie Lennox

-Tara

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