John Martyn
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John Martyn (born September 11 1948) is a singer-songwriter.
He was born Iain David McGeachy in New Malden, Surrey, England. His parents divorced when he was five; Martyn spent his childhood alternating between England and Scotland.
His professional musical career began when he was 17; a blend of blues and folk resulting in a unique style that made him a key figure in the London folk scene during the mid-1960s. He signed to Chris Blackwell's Island Records in 1967 and released his first album, London Conversation, the following year.
This first album was soon followed by The Tumbler which was moving towards jazz. By 1970 Martyn had developed a wholly original and idiosyncratic sound: acoustic guitar run through a fuzzbox, phase-shifter, and Echoplex. This sound was first apparent on Stormbringer in 1970, which also had Martyn's then wife, Beverley Kutner, as his collaborator. She also appeared on The Road to Ruin in 1970.
In 1973, Martyn released one of the defining British albums of the 1970s, Solid Air, the title song a tribute to the singer-songwriter, Nick Drake, a close friend and label-mate, who in 1974 died suddenly from an overdose of antidepressants. On this album, as with the one which preceded it, Bless the Weather, Martyn collaborated with jazz bass player, Danny Thompson.
In 1977, he released One World - an album recorded after spending some time in Jamaica, including a song co-composed with famous Reggae producer Lee 'Scratch' Perry.
Grace and Danger, released in 1980 included Phil Collins on drums and backing vocals. Collins also produced Martyn's next album, Glorious Fool (1981).
In 2001 Martyn appeared on the track Deliver Me by Faithless keyboard player and DJ Sister Bliss.
His steady output has gained him considerable recognition as a performer and a songwriter.
In 2003, preceding the release of his latest album On The Cobbles, Martyn's right leg was amputated below the knee as a result of a burst cyst.
Martyn is still touring, and brings his inimitable blend of folk-blues-reggae-ambient-rock music together with his typically Glaswegian sense of humour wherever he plays.
Discography
- London Conversation (October 1967)
- The Tumbler (December 1968)
- Stormbringer (February 1970) (with Beverley Martyn)
- The Road to Ruin (November 1970) (with Beverley Martyn)
- Bless the Weather (November 1971)
- Solid Air (February 1973)
- Inside Out (October 1973)
- Sunday's Child (January 1975)
- Live At Leeds (September 1975)
- One World (November 1977)
- Grace and Danger (October 1980)
- Glorious Fool (September 1981)
- Well Kept Secret (August 1982)
- Philentropy (November 1983)
- Sapphire (November 1984)
- Piece by Piece (February 1986)
- Foundations (October 1987)
- The Apprentice (March 1990)
- Cooltide (November 1991)
- Couldn't Love You More (October 1992)
- No Little Boy (July 1993)
- And. (August 1996)
- The Church With One Bell (March 1998)
- Glasgow Walker (May 2000)
- On The Cobbles (April 2004)