John Martyn

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(1948 – 2009)

John Martyn OBE, born Iain David McGeachy (11 September 1948 – 29 January 2009), was a and . Over a forty-year career he released twenty studio albums.

He grew up in Glasgow and attended Shawlands Academy. John Martyn moved to London from Glasgow in the mid 1960s. He made his initial recorded impact in 1967, at the age of 19, with his debut album London Conversation. He then quickly became an integral part of the British music scene, incorporating , , and even into his unique sound.

In the late to early he was close friends with Nick Drake, for whom he wrote the song Solid Air. The album of the same name remains an extremely moving album, as does the later Grace And Danger which documents his divorce from his wife Beverley with whom he recorded several albums (as John & Beverley Martyn).

During the John lived in Hastings on the South Coast of England. Whilst in Hastings he released, amongst others, the Live at Leeds album which he sold from his own house. Also during his time in Hastings John tried to help Paul Kossoff put his life back together.

A long held alcohol problem didn’t prevent Martyn from releasing twenty-two albums. In 2003 he contracted an infection that resulted in the amputation of part of a leg, an episode documented in the 2004 BBC documentary “Johnny Too Bad”. He recovered, however, and continued to play, record and tour. In 2008, he was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Folk Awards. He has influenced many songwriters and guitarists and is an artist whose stature only grows with time.
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  • Solid Air
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  • London Conversation
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  • Bless The Weather
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  • Sweet Little Mysteries
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  • west-wing

    He's incredible. Sad way to die. But I'm glad that musically I discovered him.

    Saturday afternoon

  • anjski

    "eibhli ghail chiuin chearbhail" works like an ethereal brain waves oscillator

    22 days ago

  • DanielAdams00

    He drank himself to death, but he finished strong, leaving his legacy and music to marvel at.

    27 days ago

  • d1lll1nger

    Great!

    last month

  • RussellChap

    folk to funky to...

    March 2012

  • thrillseeker01

    My memories are of being invited back for "coffee" in girls rooms while at Poly in the 70`s, and of seeing the great mans penultimate and very last gigs.

    March 2012

  • openedears

    Rather than mistagged, I'd say he's impossible to tag. A lot of his work is very much in the folk genre, but he explored so many other areas both commercial and esoteric that any limited set of tags are going to be a bit misleading. But what a master he was and what a treasure his best work is.

    February 2012

  • A1enochka

    !!

    February 2012
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