Folk singer Seth Lakeman on what inspired him to write the song Solomon Browne in tribute to the Penlee lifeboat crew lost at sea

Seth Lakeman grew up surrounded by remarkable stories – whether that be through his father’s career as a journalist, or spending weekends with his family immersed in music at local folk clubs. It was his passion for great stories – and tunes from the folk music community – that inspired his career as a singer-songwriter.

Hear Seth talk about how he came to write Solomon Browne – a special song dedicated to those sadly lost in the Penlee lifeboat disaster on 19 December 1981 – and find out how friends from throughout his life have brought him even closer to the RNLI’s lifesaving cause.

One of the crew members sadly lost was Stephen Madron. In another episode from our 200 Voices series, Stephen's wife Janet Madron shares her deeply personal account of the Penlee tragedy, and why she still loves being an RNLI volunteer. Listen to Janet's podcast episode to hear her story.

200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI   

Interview by the RNLI's Rory Stamp

Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls   

The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200