Rock Berntsen

The Falkland Islander who came to England with his family in 1975 to seek a new life style far away from farms and sheep, especially sheep! Settling in Southampton he was soon singing and playing his own Falkland songs around the pubs and clubs of his adopted city. Rock's obvious respect and affection for his homeland communicated itself to his audience and seemed to prove the old adage, “you can take the man out of the Falklands, but you can’t take the Falklands out of the man.”

In 1984 Forest Tracks recorded and produced the, LP ‘Kelpers after all’ (still available from the label as a CD) A series of promotion gigs followed out of which the popular duo UpMarket was born and so began a twenty year partnership with Scots fiddler Bill Eddie. Rock said one of the many highlights was being heckled by a Jump Jet in Portsmouth Docks and playing at a posh wedding in Chichester on the same day!

He has worked as a rhythm guitarist with a country band - Played blues and swing with his son Mike as Berni2Berni - Busked in the South of France and Ireland.

Rock has been played on the radio all over including Italy and Australia, He has a fan in Korea, and to his surprise, ‘Kelpers’ is still getting airplay in the Falklands.

Rock's love of his down home material has never died and he is now working on a project to tell the story of Snow Squall. The last extreme American, clipper. Wrecked in the islands with some of his ancestors aboard.

So if you want to be entertained while learning about a little known part of the world. Hear about raw courage on a windjammers deck as she rounds the Horn. Find out what happens when a Sealion bites your bum. Or listen to Rock’s comment on the futility of war in Dark side of the Moon. (As recorded by Vin Garbut.) Check him out.