
Mike Walker
Born in Orkney in 1954, Mike’s life was to intertwine with the music of Bert Jansch and John Renbourn which had enthralled him from an early age. He first met Bert when he was a support to Bert’s 1973 Edinburgh University gig. He studied guitar in London with the same teacher as the young Renbourn. At RCA Records and later as senior mastering engineer at the legendary Trident Studios in Soho, Mike found himself frequently working on Bert, John and Pentangle catalogues, collaborating with both Bert and John. His intimate knowledge has proved very useful as a member of the Bert Transcribed team. Mike, now largely based in Crete, is a key teacher in the Renbourn Guitar Workshops, which he has continued to run since John’s sudden passing in 2015.
One for Bert
A piece by Mike Walker for Bert Jansch
Mike says: It crossed my mind that the guitar being played in Sandy Bells, the legendary folk pub of the ’60s and ’70s scene, might add a dimension to this project. Sandy Bells epitomises the folk pubs which Bert started off in, before his London days. It remains very much its old self – and is still a mecca for folkies. Bert used to like to compose by just communing with the guitar and then working and re-working/re-voicing the ideas that flowed out. So, I have tried to use that process for this track. The result is a bit old school and is a nod to the early Bert/John/Pentangle days. I have called it ‘One for Bert’ and I hope it will resonate with Bert fans.
This guitar is really impressive. When I received it the balance of sound from it acoustically felt just right. In fact, I don’t remember the last time I picked up a ‘strange’ guitar and took to it so immediately without thinking about set-up, action. string gauges for ease of playing, sound balance etc. If I’d been keeping it, I wouldn’t have changed a thing.


