The Longest Johns

The Longest Johns are a folk and sea shanty group from Bristol, England, formed around a shared love of traditional maritime songs. They built a large online following through a cappella and lightly arranged shanty covers and originals, releasing their material independently and through platforms like YouTube and Spotify before the genre saw a broader revival.

Their best-known recording, «Wellerman», became a global phenomenon when it went viral on TikTok in early 2021, sparking a wave of interest in sea shanties and introducing the group to a massive new international audience years after its original release on their 2018 album Between Wind and Water. Their catalog blends genuine historical shanties like «Drunken Sailor» and «Haul Away, Joe» with newer folk-influenced songs such as «Bones in the Ocean», all delivered with tight vocal harmonies and a communal, work-song energy.

Beyond the viral hit, the group has continued to perform and record, drawing on the deep well of British and Atlantic maritime folk tradition while also writing original material in the same idiom. Their rise is notable as one of the clearest examples of a centuries-old folk tradition finding new life through modern internet culture.