Sorry, Cecil & fellas, you muffed it on this part.
Actually, um, no and no.
They don’t “still exist”, they were formed from performers who met at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in the mid '90s.
They’re not English - the Sons of Anacreon are based in Southern CA, and there’s not a legit Brit among them.
They’re also friends of mine (or rather, friends-of-friends). Last I heard, they were playing semi-regularly at the Moose Lodge in Burbank. It’s a heck of a show.
Might want to read the website in closer detail there…
While the date on that column is “1991,” the information provided in the on-line version certainly post-dates 1994. Whatever that date might be, songbird must have provided some information that wasn’t in the original column. When Cecil originally wrote the article, he didn’t mention the current existance of the Anacreontic Society. I blame [del]George Bush/Bill Clinton[/del] songbird. Take out your wrath on him.
The column missed an important point. When I was younger, I remember hearing or reading a report on the origins of “Anacreon” that explained why our National Anthem is so difficult to sing. The original melody was commissioned as a deliberate test of the vocal range of it’s singers, the Anacreon Society. Reportedly, it was part of a competition, possibly amongst the members or between other singing/drinking clubs. Or not unlike the challenge of singing and performing “Father Abraham” or the obscene version of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” after a few beers.