Fisherman's Friends head for record books with eldest boyband member, 79, to score top 20 hit

The Fisherman's Friends grew up in the same village and have been singing together for 16 years

Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends are set to enter the record books with the oldest boyband member to perform on a top-20 album.

The Cornish shanty singers look set to perform highly in the charts with their new album, One And All, this weekend.

Peter Rowe, 79, is one of the ten vocalists performing on the record. The retired fisherman is believed to be the eldest member of an all-male band to score a top-20 record.

Mr Rowe said: "I am just delighted to be part of the success of the Fisherman's Friends and thrilled that people want to hear these songs.

"I retired as a fisherman in the late 1980s and settled into the quiet life.

"But singing with the guys keeps me young and I look forward to celebrating my 80th birthday with the guys next month."

The group's self-titled debut record sold more than 150,000 copies and a series of appearances in television commercials and at festivals followed. They also had a slot on the iconic Pyramid stage at Glastonbury festival in 2011.

The new album was recorded before the death of singer Trevor Grills, who died following an accident at a gig venue in Guildford earlier this year.

The latest figures from the Official Charts Company show One And All is currently the 12th best-selling album of the week.

The 10-piece group, who were spotted by a record executive while singing outside their local pub, last month declined an offer to perform for their newly-acquired American fan base in order to stick with their day jobs in their home town of Port Isaac.

As well as fishermen, the group includes a farmer, builder, potter, pasty-seller and a shop keeper. As self-employed businessmen, despite recording a Gold disc-certified debut album, the members felt the US tour represented too great a gamble.

Jeremy Brown, 52, a fisherman, told The Independent: “We realise we are not One Direction, and breaking America takes time and commitment. We have a good life doing what we wanted to do in Port Isaac and the success of the singing is an amazing bonus. However, we know that we can’t afford to be away from home for that long or we would lose our livelihood.”

Doris Day still holds the title of the oldest solo artist to enter the UK album charts with an album of new material aged 89.