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Artist News Obituaries
John Martyn dies
By CMU Editorial | Published on Friday 30 January 2009
CMU favourite John Martyn died yesterday, aged 60, it has been announced. No details of the cause of his death have yet been given, but the BBC report that he passed away in hospital in Ireland and a message posted on his official website yesterday simply reads: “With heavy heart and an unbearable sense of loss we must announce that John died this morning”.
Born Iain David McGeachy in Surrey in 1948, Martyn moved to Scotland in 1953 after his parents divorced.
His professional career began at the age of 17 in London, with his blend of folk and blues making him an instant star on the city’s mid-60s folk scene, and securing him a record deal with Island Records in 1967.
In 1970, he released his third album, ‘Stormbringer!’. For this album Martyn had developed an even more idiosyncratic sound through the use of guitar effects, including an Echoplex (an early delay pedal), which he used in such a way that meant he had to play his guitar out of time with his vocals (and any other instrumentation) in order for it all to be heard correctly.
The album was also the first of two released that year which featured collaborations with his then wife, Beverley Martyn.
He is best known for his 1973 album ‘Solid Air’, the title track of which was written about his close friend Nick Drake, who was suffering from depression at the time and died after overdosing on anti-depressants 18 months after the album’s release.
The album is widely considered to not only be Martyn’s best work, but also one of the defining albums of the 70s. It continues to find new fans of all ages today, thanks in part to Martyn’s live performances of the album, which began after the success of a performance as part of All Tomorrow’s Parties’ Don’t Look Back concert series in 2006.
These shows saw Martyn perform in a wheelchair, as his right leg was partially amputated in 2003, after a cyst below his knee burst.
In his forty year career Martyn released 20 studio albums and worked with artists including Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Phil Collins and Sister Bliss. Earlier this month, he was awarded an OBE for being ace. And if you’re still wondering why we’re so sad that he has died, just watch this performance of ‘I’d Rather Be The Devil’ from The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1973.
