Sloop John B

228. “Sloop John B” is a song that is often credited to Brian Wilson and/or The Beach Boys. The song is based on a traditional Bahamian folk song, “The John B. Sails”.  It was transcribed by Richard Le Gallienne and published in Harper’s Monthly Magazine in 1916 and interpreted again by Carl Sanburg in 1927.  In 1958 the Kinston Trio recorded “The Wreck of the John B.” which is the version used as the basis for the Beach Boys song. In 1951 it was recorded by the Weavers as “The John B Sails” and again in 1960 by British skiffle artist Lonnie Donegan.

The song is based on the sinking of a 19th century vessel named after its captain, John Bethel. The disastrous voyage was problematic on several fronts including drunkenness, theft, misbehavior and the sloop having been overloaded with a cargo of pineapples.

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