The Longest Johns

The Longest Johns, abbreviated as TLJ, are a British acapella folk music band based in Bristol, United Kingdom.https://thelongestsong.fandom.com/wiki/Thelongestsong_Wiki The band was formed in June 2012, when a group of friends sang a sea shanty for "a bit of a laugh" at a barbecue held to celebrate the diamond jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/sea-shanty-tiktok-wellerman-story-4898364 The band gained popularity in early 2021, when their rendition of the 1800s folk song "Wellerman" went viral on TikTok.https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/13/style/sea-shanty-tiktok-wellerman.html
==Members==
The original band consisted of four members when it was formed in June 2012, consisting of Josh Bowker, Andy Yates, Jonathan "JD" Darley and Dave Robinson. In 2015, Robbie Sattin joined TLJ as a replacement to Bowker, who was "doing dad stuff" (spending time with his newborn daughter). Eventually, Sattin would became a full member of the band.https://www.facebook.com/TheLongestJohns/photos/a.408394329202918/928757447166601 In June 2016, the rise in TLJ's popularity resulted in Bowker leaving the band to focus on his own business, opening and running a cafe in Bristol, known as the Milk Teeth.https://thelongestsong.fandom.com/wiki/Josh_Bowker
On November 1, 2017, Anna Cornish joined TLJ, having sung with the band since as early as July 2017. On October 2, 2019, Cornish announced she would be stepping back from work with TLJ to focus on other projects.https://thelongestsong.fandom.com/wiki/Anna_Cornish As of May 2023, the band consists of Yates, Darley, and Sattin. The band announced the departure of Dave Robinson on 1st May 2023.
==History==
The Longest Johns were formed in June 2012, when Bowker, Yates, Darley, and Robinson were at a friend's barbecue held to celebrate the diamond jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. The band joined YouTube on June 25, 2012,https://www.youtube.com/c/thelongestjohns/about and uploaded it's first video, a rendition of Haul Away Joe sung in the kitchen, on June 26, 2012.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JolABkulkro On June 18, 2016, TLJ released their first full-length album, Written in Salt.https://thelongestsong.fandom.com/wiki/Written_in_Salt According to Darren Johnson of the bright young folk, the album is "a fine debut album from five guys who are able to apply their considerable vocal and creative talents to both revisiting traditional shanties and contributing new ones to the genre."https://brightyoungfolk.com/records/written-in-salt-the-longest-johns
In April 2016, TLJ began recording their second studio album, Between Wind and Water, which was released on June 19, 2018.https://thelongestsong.fandom.com/wiki/Between_Wind_and_Water In 2020, TLJ released Cures What Ails Ya, which included a mix of traditional tunes and their band's own compositions. Mike Davies of folking.com stated that the band takes a "irreverent and playful approach to the tradition." Tunes such as "Got No Beard" and "Hoist up the Thing" are humorous in nature. Their original tune "Fire and Flame" tells the story of Halifax Explosion, a 1917 maritime disaster which took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.https://folking.com/the-longest-johns-cures-what-ails-ya-own-label/ In January 2022, the band's fourth studio album, Smoke and Oakum, was released. 
==Channel milestones==
* 100,000 subscribers: September 2020
* 200,000 subscribers: February 2021
* 300,000 subscribers: March 2021
* 400,000 subscribers: July 2021https://socialblade.com/youtube/user/thelongestjohns/monthly
* 500,000 subscribers: February 2023
==References==
Category:Music YouTubers
Category:English YouTubers
Category:Users who joined in 2012