Louis Berk
I've been singing since I was able to gurgle but only playing the guitar since I was 11, when my "father homeward came one day and gave to me a toy" (Thanks, Tom).
That was about 50 years ago give or take a few months and I've been singing, playing and writing songs on and off, during all that time.
Tell me about your history? How did you get where you are now?
I began by playing in Folk Clubs in the early 70s and built up a following and strong reputation on the South Coast of England. I got a bit lost in the 80s as the acoustic scene nosedived. I returned to serious composition in the 90s. Live performance is not something I'm too interested in any longer but composing and recording songs is still part of my life.
Have you performed live in front of an audience? Any special memories?
Not any more. I did a lot of live playing in my youth but with age comes the understanding of what is meant by the old saw, "discretion is the better part of valour".
Your musical influences
When you get to my age, this is not a short answer!
My earliest musical memories are Lonnie Donnegan singing "My Old Man's A Dustman", and Peter Sellars and Sophia Loren duetting on "Doctor I'm In Trouble". Another song which made a great impact on me at an early age was Tom Jones singing "Green, Green Grass Of Home" (which is on my album but for copyright reasons I can't post to Soundclick.com). It is the first time I realised that songs could tell a story. I suppose that lead to the realisation that I wanted to sing and write songs.
My earliest folk influence would have to be Peter, Paul and Mary - and the plethora of song writers they introduced me to, such as Bob Dylan and Gordon Lightfoot.
Since then the list is long and never ending... including the Beatles, Kinks, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Bert Jansch, Ralph McTell, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Jonathan Kelly, Ry Cooder, Steely Dan, Lyle Lovett, Richard Thompson, Steve Earle, Nanci Griffith, Gillian Welch....
And that's not to mention the big band and Jazz phase I went through when I was listening to Woody Herman, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Lester Young and Rahsaan Roland Kirk.
Right now I'm just as likely to listen to Hot Club of Cowtown as I am to kick down with QOTSA.
Eclectic is probably the best word to describe my tastes and influences.
What equipment do you use?
My main acoustic at the moment is a 2002 Gibson J-45 Advanced Jumbo.
Anything else?
I've started some recording again after a 10 year hiatus and the result is some new material which will appear from time to time.
