Bristol, U.K. a cappella/folk group the Longest Johns rose to prominence off the back of their sea shanties and have since gone viral.

Josh Bowker, Andy Yates, Jonathon Darley, and Dave Robinson formed the Longest Johns after a night of singing sea shanties at a friend's barbecue in 2012. Their debut EP, Bones in the Ocean, came out the following year. In the run-up to an appearance at the 2015 Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival, Bowker pulled out to be present for the birth of his first child; Robbie Sattin covered for him, eventually joining the band permanently. Their debut album, Written in Salt, arrived in 2016, although shortly after its release Bowker left the band to focus on running his business. Anna Cornish stepped into his shoes in 2017, appearing on their second effort, 2018's Between Wind and Water; the album contained the track "Wellerman" which would go viral in the years to come. Cornish left in 2019 to focus on her other band, the Norfolk Broads. Wanting to shake things up for their third album, 2020's Cures What Ails Ya, the Longest Johns incorporated full instrumentation for the first time. "Wellerman" went viral in early 2021, leading to a signing with Decca Records and a massively increased profile. The following year saw the release of their fourth studio album, Smoke Oakum. ~ Liam Martin, Rovi