Since the rise of sea shanties in recent months, it got me thinking, how exactly were shanties introduced on such a large scale?
Was there a group of shanty writers who then released songs on a large scale to the public? Did one sailor make a song, share it with his mates, and have it spread by word of mouth?
While there's (perhaps?!) more to be said, you might enjoy reading this amazing 4-part answer /u/dgbd wrote when I asked a similar question!