(WWW) An extensive article by Ziggy Samuels at TheBrokeBackpacker.com has what is probably the most comprehensive directions in recent years on beginning busking.Recently updated, it covers chapters such as What Does Busking Mean, Ethics and Moral Philosophy, Busking Setups, How to Busk, Picking Your Pitch, Busking Tips and Secrets, and Just Go Do It!

"With this busking guide in hand, you’re gonna learn both how to busk and how to do it right! That is why you should learn how to busk because it’s an adventure", says Ziggy. He adds, "Busking brings joy to people. It brings entertainment and music to the streets. It makes people smile."

Some interesting observations are also mentioned such as How Not to Be A Knob since "not all buskers are saints - some can be right tos...

[ Continued ]

(MASSACHUSETTS) The Daily Hampshire Gazette has jumped into the performing arts community circle reporting on four individual buskers on a recent summer's day.'The sounds of the street: A day in the life of four downtown buskers' features a fiddler, a singer-songwriter, a tap dancer, and a percussionist all with different stories and motives while performing on the street.

For some performers, busking is just a fleeting moment in their career. But for others, it’s an important stop on the road to fame. Some make it, some don't. Some persist, some give up. There are all sorts of rhyme and reasons for busking. It may surprise the reader to learn about these performers.

“Some wonderful musicians got their chops by performing for street audiences, and there’s lot of merit in putting yourself out there...

[ Continued ]

(SINGAPORE) An article on Singapore's TodayOnline website examines busking and braving the elements and social prejudice. Indeed, busking is not for the faint-hearted. The growth of busking has also resulted in greater competition for space, especially for the popular and more lucrative spots.More than two decades after a plan was introduced in 1997 to allow performers to add more colour to the streets of Singapore, the busking scene has grown by leaps and bounds.

Baey Yam Keng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, told Parliament that the number of younger performers has more than doubled since 2008.

Along with busking comes opportunities as well as setbacks. Most busking 'laws' between buskers have been traditionally unwritten with buskers preferring to...

[ Continued ]

A new article at the Evening Times lists the "top ten" buskers who became celebrities. Blues great BB King went town to town in Mississippi playing his guitar for loose change. The stand-up comic Eddie Izzard first took his talents to the streets of Sheffield then on to fame in Europe.Can you guess which future star was kicked out of Spain for vagrancy? How about guessing which star performed fire tricks on the streets of London? Of course, we can't forget the star who performed a mime act on the streets of New York while an acting student.

The top ten is quite entertaining and revealing while the "X" list (ex-busker) contains an incredible list of lists featuring all buskers who became *Stars*. There is a new master compilation currently being built that is due out sometime next year.

Read about...

[ Continued ]

(LONDON) Striking photographs from nearly 70 years ago show some of London’s most colourful street performers wowing the crowds in the mid-20th Century.The incredible images at the Sun display a fearless acrobat flinging themselves through a small head-height hoop, a Charlie Chaplin impersonator ‘snake charming’ in front of a captive audience, and disabled ex-servicemen performing to the passing crowds.

Another stunning photo shows a banjo player being ably assisted by his pet pooch and a gentleman quietly concentrating as he plays a tune on what appears to be a Zither – a stringed instrument which is fiercely difficult to master.

The shots capture a post-war Britain, still labouring under rationing laws but blinking in the light of a blossoming economy.

Check out the link below for more amazing vintage...

[ Continued ]