Bert Jansch

Bert Jansch
Jansch performing in August 2006
Background information
Birth name	Herbert Jansch
Born	(1943-11-03)3 November 1943 Glasgow, Scotland
Origin	Edinburgh, Scotland
Died	5 October 2011(2011-10-05) (aged 67) Hampstead, London, England
Genres	Folk, folk rock, folk baroque
Occupation(s)	Musician, singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar, banjo, Appalachian dulcimer, concertina, sitar
Years active	1965–2011
Labels	Transatlantic Charisma
Formerly of	Pentangle
Website	www.bertjansch.com

Herbert Jansch (3 November 1943 – 5 October 2011)^[1] was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s as an acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter. He recorded more than 28 albums and toured extensively from the 1960s to the 21st century.

Jansch was a leading figure in the 1960s British folk revival, touring folk clubs and recording several solo albums, as well as collaborating with other musicians such as John Renbourn and Anne Briggs. In 1968, he co-founded the band Pentangle, touring and recording with them until their break-up in 1972. He then took a few years' break from music, returning in the late 1970s to work on a series of projects with other musicians. He joined a reformed Pentangle in the early 1980s and remained with them as they evolved through various changes of personnel until 1995. Until his death, Jansch continued to work as a solo artist.

Jansch's work influenced many artists, especially Jimmy Page, Mike Oldfield, Paul Simon, Pete Hawkes, Nick Drake, Donovan, Neil Young, and Johnny Marr. He received two Lifetime Achievement Awards at the BBC Folk Awards: one, in 2001, for his solo achievements and the other, in 2007, as a member of Pentangle.