Singer/songwriter Ralph McTell is best known for the iconic ballad Streets of London.
But the gifted self-taught guitarist is far from being just a one-hit wonder. In a career spanning nearly half a century he’s penned countless songs, recorded more than 30 albums, had his own radio show and appeared in two children’s television series.
He’s never stopped singing and playing his guitar and at the age of 70 has just embarked on a nationwide tour.
And yet he will always be inextricably linked to the 1974 Ivor Novello Award-winning song Streets of London, which made him a household name and has to rank as one of the most-loved songs of the 20th century.
Even today it continues to draw in fans around the world.
“It’s just been translated into Mandarin Chinese and Serbian,” says Ralph, who admits that his publishers don’t know how many cover versions of it have been made as it has proved impossible to keep on top of the copyright. “It’s one that buskers do and children learn to play the guitar to,” he added, “it’s a very big song.”
Today Ralph speaks fondly of a ballad that, when he was younger, became a source of some frustration.
As he explains: “If you have a hit like that when you are young it tends to eclipse everything you did before it and everything after it. I would get so frustrated because I’d written so many other good songs.
“But you have to balance it out. When you get to a certain age you can reflect on it. I have to think, where would my life be without it?”
Ralph’s live performances (he’s coming to the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield on Saturday, November 14) showcase his beautifully-crafted narrative songs and virtuoso guitar playing. He says he has been influenced by many styles but is usually categorised as a folk, country and blues singer.
“I like jazz, folk, Sinatra,” he added, “I’ve just been to see Randy Newman, who is the best living musician in the world today, and Bob Dylan – I saw him 50 years ago and 50 years later I was back at the Albert Hal to see him again.”
Surprisingly for one who has lived and breathed music from an early age, Ralph had no formal instrumental training and reveals that he can’t read music.
“I have been very lazy,” he says, “and it’s too late to start now. But I’m in good company. Paul McCartney can’t read music either and he’s done quite well.”
However, his natural ear for music and passion for playing the guitar have also served him well. The London-born singer, who chose to replace his family name May with the stage name McTell because of his admiration for blues performer Blind Willie McTell, decided early on that he wanted to make a living as a musician.
An abortive attempt to become a military man ended when he bought himself out of the Army.
He busked, toured Europe and gradually got his name out there, until he was signed by Transatlantic Records in 1967.
Since then he’s worked constantly and says he is driven by his love for music and what it can do.
He explained: “Music has given me a focus and a direction and a discipline – it is a driver. I play every day and I’m still discovering new things every day. I have been very fortunate. The older you get the more refined you can be.
“You know the furrow to plough because you know what’s been successful and good for you. The desire to make music is driven by an artistic desire to do something good for the world.
“In the absence of a belief in a supernatural being I depend on music as an expression of common humanity.”
He’s also been fortunate in his personal life. He met and married his Norwegian wife Nanna back in 1966 – its their golden wedding anniversary next year – and today they have four children and a dozen grandchildren. They live in homes in London and Cornwall.
And he’s still in good health, with sufficient stamina to gig and tour.
As he says: “I have always found touring a challenge but it’s the most privileged position to be in. People are going to leave their homes, get dressed up, have a meal and come to hear you play your songs.
“It’s never really felt like a job to me but you need the stamina and your wits about you. I enjoy a beer and a few glasses of wine but I never drink before I play and I jog every other day to keep fit and to keep an eye on my weight.”
For Ralph, running is not just about fitness. It is, he adds, “a form of transcendental meditation. I run two or three miles every other day and it clears your head and makes you feel better.”
His new tour will feature a series of tribute songs for the centenary of poet Dylan Thomas’ birth as well as classics from his repertoire. Will they include Streets of London? You’ll have to wait and see. Tickets for the LBT concert are £19 from 01484 430528 or www.thelbt.org.uk
