Ralph McTell’s iconic hit Streets of London sold more than 90,000 copies in one day, has been covered by over 200 artists and has sold more sheet music than any song since the Second World War.
It’s still a favourite on contemporary playlists, just one highlight from a musical career spanning over 50 years and more than 30 albums, among them Gates of Eden (2006) and Hill of Beans (2019).
Now, at 82, McTell has a new album, From There to Here, due for release next year, and is currently on tour in Ireland.
The Somewhere Down the Road tour includes a stop at Belfast’s Mandela Hall next week, but the fact these dates are billed as his ‘final tour’ will inject a note of sadness to proceedings.
“I’m really looking forward to coming back to Ireland,” enthuses McTell, who performs at Omagh’s Strule Arts Centre tonight.
“You know, my creative relationship with Ireland has been one of the biggest joys of my life. I have many friends there.
“Back in the day, I met some Irish lads, while working on a building site in London. We got on so well and the craic was great. I remember asking one of them, a guy called Michael, if he found life in England strange compared to his homeland.
“His reply, ‘it’s a long way from Clare to here,’ went on to become the inspiration and title for my song From Clare To Here.
“Some years ago, I went into a book shop and found the song listed as an Irish traditional single. I felt so honoured that they’d consider it one of their own!”
McTell made his Northern Ireland debut at the Belfast Festival in 1969.
‘I arrived right at the start of the terrible upheaval and troubles, but I fell in love with the country as well as the culture," he recalls.
“I toured all over Northern Ireland and visited beautiful places, including Coleraine, Portstewart and Derry. In 1971, I did my first gig in the Republic and formed lifelong friendships. I love the country and the people very much.”
The singer’s life experiences have proven the inspiration behind most of his work. A gifted storyteller, he tells how trauma and loss shaped his early childhood.
“My dad was a war-damaged soldier who made some very poor choices. He was traumatised by his experiences, as a member of the ‘desert rats’ during World War Two and was never the same.
“He ended up leaving my mother for another woman. Like many lads at the time, I grew up fatherless.
“The war claimed men’s lives in more ways than one. The result was that ‘dads’ in the street became a kind of communal property!”
At 15, Ralph followed in his dad’s footsteps and joined the army.
“I was doing badly at school. Things were hard and so I became a boy solider. However, I soon borrowed the money and bought my way back out again!
“I went to college, and there I heard the music that was to influence the rest of my life – Woodie Guthrie - that started me on a trail around Europe, a guitar slung over my back as I played the travelling minstrel. I was full of romantic fervour then!
“I ended up in Paris, busking on the streets in the Latin Quarter. I’d sit and watch the poor people wandering around, nowhere to go.
“I always had enough money to buy something to eat but they had absolutely nothing. It was very sad.”
Contrary to popular belief, his iconic hit was inspired by the streets of Paris, not London.
“Originally, the title was Poor People of Paris. But I got to thinking about home and remembered this big market street in Croydon where an old boy used to wander up and down kicking through the litter looking for bits of discarded fruit and vegetables, and so the song became Streets of London.”
From There to Here: Irish Voices in the Words and Music of Ralph McTell features some of Ralph’s best-loved songs re-imagined with help from highly acclaimed Irish artists such as Declan O’Rourke and Finbar Furey.
“The track Mr Connaughton, featuring my friend Declan O’Rourke, was inspired by the Irishman, Kevin Connaughton, who lived in the flat above our childhood home,” explains McTell of re-recording his 1992 hit.
“Post-war England, before rock and roll, was very drab and gloomy. Mr Connaughton was a cheerful, optimistic kind of man who was always smiling. He brought a bit of sunshine to the place.
“We formed a special bond, partly because of my need for a father-figure and partly because I was one of the few in our street who could understand his accent!
“I think I understood him because, as a five-year-old, I’d been admitted to hospital where my nurse was an Irish girl. I came out with an Irish accent!
“Years later, I was at a gig in London when a young woman approached me. She told me her name was Josephine Connaughton - although she pronounced it the Irish way. She was his daughter!
“Since then, I’ve had the privilege to meet other members of the family. It’s been a highlight of my life.”
Over the years, the singer has been inspired by many artists and musicians but, even today, former Beatle Paul McCartney remains one of his favourites.
“I think he’s a melodic genius! His early songs are just stunning. I also admire artists like Cole Porter and Irving Berlin. The simple beauty of their work is inimitable and probably beyond a lot of modern music’s capability.”
Modern technology has impacted every stratum of society, but McTell doesn’t appreciate its influence on music.
“The instruments available to musicians of my generation would have deterred all but the most determined.
“They were so awful, they cut your fingers and didn’t always respond properly. But you knew the sound you wanted and you persevered. We were driven and I loved every minute.
Today, thanks to technology, anyone can make music - unfortunately, it’s bloody awful
— Ralph McTell
“The quality demanded from an individual musician was incredible, but sadly now we’d be hard-pressed to form a good swing band.
“In my opinion, technology has made music too predictable. It eliminates the human ‘error’ and gives a perfect beat. Perfection can be sterile.
“Today, everyone and anyone can make music - unfortunately, it’s bloody awful.”
As the interview winds down, conversation turns to the singer’s recent health issues.
“I was diagnosed with prostate cancer a few years back and needed radical surgery. Tests revealed that not all the nasties had gone, and so I had radiation treatment which was quite gruesome.
“I’ll be having some blood tests later, it’s part of a six-monthly check-up. Prostate cancer is the commonest cancer among men and I’d encourage everyone to get a check-up.
“Of course, it’s a hassle, inconvenient and at times, awful. But, it’s just life, isn’t it? You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t worry sometimes, but you must get on with it. I’m so fortunate to have my music, it’s a great distraction and a wonderful therapy.”
Ralph McTell, tonight, Strule Arts Centre, Omagh / October 29, Mandela Hall, Belfast. Full Irish tour dates at ralphmctell.com