Martyn's parents divorced when he was five 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
Stormbringer in 1970, which featured 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 that preceded it,
Bless the Weather, Martyn collaborated with jazz bass player,
Danny Thompson, with whom he proceeded to have a fruitful musical partnership which continues to this day. He also developed a new, slurred vocal style, the timbre of which resembled a
tenor saxophone.
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
Sunday's Child. In September of that year he released a live album,
Live at Leeds - Martyn had been unable to convince Island to release the record, and Martyn resorted to selling individually signed copies by mail from his home.
Live at Leeds features Danny Thompson and drummer
John Stevens, and is notable not only for the performances given, but the recording quality and incredibly quiet audience for a live recording. After releasing
Live at Leeds, Martyn took a sabbatical, including a visit to
Jamaica, spending time with famous reggae producer
Lee 'Scratch' Perry.
In 1977, he released
One World, which led some commentators to describe Martyn as the 'Father of Trip-Hop'. It included tracks such as 'Small Hours' and
Big Muff, a collaboration with
Lee 'Scratch' Perry. One World is notable for having been recorded outside, the album's lush soundscapes partly the result of microphones picking up ambient sounds, such as water from a nearby lake.
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
On the Cobbles (2003)
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.
