John Martyn
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John Martyn |
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| John Martyn | ||
|---|---|---|
 John
Martyn, Dublin,
2006
|
||
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Iain David McGeachy | |
| Born | September 11, 1948 New Malden, Surrey, England |
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| Origin | London, England | |
| Genre(s) | Folk | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, guitarist | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, Guitar | |
| Years active | 1965 - Present | |
| Label(s) | Island | |
| Website | JohnMartyn.com | |
John Martyn (born Iain David McGeachy on September 11, 1948 in New Malden, Surrey, England) is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist.
Contents
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Martyn's parents divorced when he was 5 and he 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
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 that preceded it,
Following the commercial success of Solid Air,
Martyn quickly recorded and released the experimental Inside Out,
a more difficult album with emphasis placed on feel and improvisation
rather than song structure. In 1975, he followed this with
In 1977,
he released
Grace and Danger, released in 1980, reflected the hurt and melancholy at his breakup with wife Beverly. Phil Collins played drums and sang backing vocals as well on this album, which was produced by Martin Levan. Collins also produced Martyn's next album, Glorious Fool (1981).
Martyn left Island records in 1988, and since then his recording output has been characterised more by re-recordings and re-releases of classic tracks through several labels than by original material.
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. There is a more comprehensive short biography written by John Hillarby on the Official John Martyn Website via the link below.
Currently residing in Ireland, 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. Over the years he has performed with a variety of musicians, including Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Phil Collins, Paul Kossoff, Richard Thompson and Steve Winwood among many others.
In July 2006
an intimate documentary 'Johnny Too Bad' was screened on BBC 4 and follows John
during the period surrounding the operation that led to the removal of
his right leg below the knee of a result of a burst cyst as he wrote and
recorded
John continues to write and collaborate with various artists and has recently completed recording a ballad 'Really Gone' with UltanJohn which was released in November '06.
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