UK

John Martyn

30 Jan 2009

Adam Sweeting
The Guardian

Hellraising folk musician and creator of the seminal album Solid Air

Ain't No Saint was the title of the four-CD restrospective of John Martyn's career, released to mark his 60th birthday last September. The name could hardly have been more apt, since Martyn, who died yesterday, became renowned for a career that lurched between triumph and disaster, both personal and musical. Drugs, drunken brawls and marital breakdown littered his CV, but then so did several of the most enduring and idiosyncratic albums made by a British artist in the last 40 years.

Last Word

30 Jan 2009

Matthew Bannister
BBC Radio 4

Matthew Bannister tells the life stories of people who have died recently: Bill Frindall, John Updike, John Martyn, Reg Gutteridge and Angela Morley.

John Martyn Dies Aged 60

30 Jan 2009

Colin Irwin
Daily Telegraph

British musician John Martyn has died aged 60. Our writer recalls a prickly encounter and examines his legend and his legacy.

Singer and guitarist John Martyn had a reputation that always preceded him. A rebel in all senses, he railed against every musical cliché and genre straitjacket they tried to pin on him – annihilating the genre barriers between folk, blues, jazz, rock and avant-garde as he bullishly rejected attempts to tame him and mould him into a sellable product.

May We Never Forget The Genius Of John Martyn

30 Jan 2009

Pete Paphides
The Times
Pic
John Martyn: guitar pioneer

For many music fans, one lingering image of John Martyn, the British singer-songwriter who has died at the age of 60, remains preserved in the amber of the communal memory bank: 36 years ago, the pioneering acoustic artist appeared on The Old Grey Whistle Test playing the song for which he will probably be remembered best, May You Never.

The Day John Martyn Played For Us In Prison

30 Jan 2009

Erwin James
The Guardian music blog

In 'Paranoia City', the hellhole that was our home, Martyn's heartfelt concert made us feel human again.

The news of John Martyn's passing took me back to a packed gymnasium in what, at the time, was one of the most dangerous high security prisons in the country. HMP Long Lartin, a festering wound of a jail nestled in the heart of the beautiful Vale of Evesham, Worcs, held men serving some of the longest sentences in the system.

John Martyn - 1948-2009

30 Jan 2009

Terry Staunton
Uncut website

It's ironic that John Martyn’s final live shows, late last year, found him performing his classic 1980 album Grace & Danger in its entirety, as the singer-songwriter had constantly spoken of his reluctance to dwell on the past. He'd previously excused himself from any involvement in the obligatory deluxe edition reissue of the record in 2007, and had taken a similarly hands-off approach to last year's career-spanning box set Ain't No Saint.

Farewell, John Martyn…

30 Jan 2009

Danny Eccleston
Mojo website
Farewell, John Martyn...
pictureHERE'S THE LAST TIME I saw John Martyn, trundling onstage at last year's MOJO Honours List ceremony in his wheelchair, waving and smiling like the Queen mum in her landau, one leg short since 2004, when a burst cyst poisoned it, forcing amputation.

John Martyn: Pioneering Singer-songwriter

30 Jan 2009

James McNair
The Independent

John Martyn: Pioneering singer-songwriter who blended folk with jazz and played with Eric Clapton and Dave Gilmour

Before he passed away this week at the age of 60, the singer and guitarist John Martyn had cheated death many times. A former heroin user and lifelong alcoholic who suffered numerous injuries in falls, he also seemed to treat being shot at, pancreatic failure, and a broken neck sustained when his car collided with a bull as occupational hazards.

The Wild Man Of Folk Dies Aged 60

30 Jan 2009

Jonathan Brown
The Independent

The wild man of folk dies aged 60

Tributes paid to John Martyn, hellraiser whose haunting music was loved by millions

John Martyn, the folk-blues singer whose extraordinary voice and virtuoso musicianship beguiled a generation by speaking directly from the dark pit of his soul, has died at the age of 60. Best known for his 1973 masterpiece Solid Air, the title track of which was written for his friend and fellow tortured genius the late Nick Drake, Martyn's songs spoke of loneliness and love always wrapped up in the most beautiful of musical accompaniments.

John Martyn Dies

29 Jan 2009

Anonymous
BBC 6music website

Tributes begin for folker John Martyn who has passed away aged 60

29 January 2009 - The legendary singer-songwriter and a founder of the British folk scene has died. A post on John Martyn’s official site reads: "With heavy heart and an unbearable sense of loss we must announce that John died this morning." The cause is not yet known.

Pages

Subscribe to UK