Iain David McGeachy (11 September 1948 – 29 January 2009), known professionally as John Martyn, was a British singer-songwriter and guitarist.
On leaving school he attended Glasgow School of Art, but left to pursue his musical aspirations. ==Late 1960s== Mentored by Hamish Imlach, Martyn began his professional musical career when he was 17, playing a fusion of blues and folk resulting in a distinctive style which made him a key figure in the British folk scene during the mid-1960s.
He signed to Chris Blackwell's Island Records in 1967 and released his first album, London Conversation, the same year.
Released in 1968, his second album, The Tumbler, was moving towards jazz. ==1970s== ===Original sound=== By 1970 Martyn had developed a wholly original and idiosyncratic sound: acoustic guitar run through a fuzzbox, phase shifter and Echoplex.
By the 1970s he had begun incorporating jazz and rock into his sound on albums such as Solid Air (1973) and One World (1977), as well as experimenting with guitar effects and tape delay machines such as Echoplex.
He struggled with substance abuse and domestic problems throughout the 1970s and 1980s, though he continued to release albums while collaborating with figures such as Phil Collins and Lee "Scratch" Perry.
Released in 1968, his second album, The Tumbler, was moving towards jazz. ==1970s== ===Original sound=== 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! released in February 1970. ===Collaborations with Beverley Martyn=== Stormbringer! was written and performed by Martyn and his then-wife Beverley, who had previously recorded solo as Beverley Kutner.
Their second duo album, The Road to Ruin, was released in November 1970.
In 1978, he played guitar on the album Harmony of the Spheres by Neil Ardley. ==1980s== Martyn's marriage broke down at the end of the 1970s and "John hit the self destruct button" (although other biographers, including The Times obituary writer, attribute the break-up of his marriage to his already being addicted to drink and drugs).
I had worked with and known him since the late 1970s and he was a great friend.
Island Records felt that it would be more successful to market Martyn as a solo act and this was how subsequent albums were produced, although Beverley continued to make appearances as a backing singer as well as continuing as a solo artist herself. ===Solo Releases=== Released in 1971, Bless the Weather was Martyn's third solo album.
In February 1973, Martyn released the album Solid Air, the title song a tribute to the singer-songwriter Nick Drake, a close friend and label-mate who would die in 1974 from an overdose of antidepressants.
On Bless the Weather and on Solid Air Martyn collaborated with jazz bassist Danny Thompson, with whom he proceeded to have a musical partnership which continued until his death. Following the commercial success of Solid Air, later on in 1973 Martyn quickly recorded and released the experimental Inside Out, an album with emphasis placed on feel and improvisation rather than song structure.
In February 1973, Martyn released the album Solid Air, the title song a tribute to the singer-songwriter Nick Drake, a close friend and label-mate who would die in 1974 from an overdose of antidepressants.
In 1975, he followed this with Sunday's Child, a more song-based collection that includes "My Baby Girl" and "Spencer the Rover", which are references to his young family.
In September 1975, he released a live album, Live at Leeds — Martyn had been unable to persuade Island to release the record, and resorted to selling individually signed copies by mail from his home in Hastings.
After releasing Live at Leeds, Martyn took a sabbatical, including a visit to Jamaica, spending time with reggae producer Lee "Scratch" Perry. In 1977, he released One World, which led some commentators to describe Martyn as the "Father of Trip-Hop".
In 1978, he played guitar on the album Harmony of the Spheres by Neil Ardley. ==1980s== Martyn's marriage broke down at the end of the 1970s and "John hit the self destruct button" (although other biographers, including The Times obituary writer, attribute the break-up of his marriage to his already being addicted to drink and drugs).
He struggled with substance abuse and domestic problems throughout the 1970s and 1980s, though he continued to release albums while collaborating with figures such as Phil Collins and Lee "Scratch" Perry.
Released in October 1980, the album had been held up for a year by Chris Blackwell.
Grace and Danger was very cathartic, and it really hurt." In the late 1980s, Martyn cited Grace and Danger as his favourite album, and said that it was "probably the most specific piece of autobiography I've written.
Some people keep diaries, I make records." The album has since become one of his highest-regarded, prompting a deluxe double-disc issue in 2007, containing the original album remastered. Phil Collins played drums and sang backing vocals on Grace and Danger and subsequently played drums on and produced Martyn's next album, Glorious Fool, in 1981.
Martyn left Island records in 1981, and recorded Glorious Fool and Well Kept Secret for WEA achieving his first Top 30 album.
In 1983 Martyn released a live album, Philentropy, and married Annie Furlong but the couple, who had lived in Scotland, later separated.
Returning to Island records, he recorded Sapphire (1984), Piece by Piece (1986) and the live Foundations (1987) before leaving the label in 1988. ==1990s and 2000s== Martyn released The Apprentice in 1990 and Cooltide in 1991 for Permanent Records, and reunited with Phil Collins for No Little Boy (1993) which featured rerecorded versions of some of his classic tracks.
Returning to Island records, he recorded Sapphire (1984), Piece by Piece (1986) and the live Foundations (1987) before leaving the label in 1988. ==1990s and 2000s== Martyn released The Apprentice in 1990 and Cooltide in 1991 for Permanent Records, and reunited with Phil Collins for No Little Boy (1993) which featured rerecorded versions of some of his classic tracks.
Returning to Island records, he recorded Sapphire (1984), Piece by Piece (1986) and the live Foundations (1987) before leaving the label in 1988. ==1990s and 2000s== Martyn released The Apprentice in 1990 and Cooltide in 1991 for Permanent Records, and reunited with Phil Collins for No Little Boy (1993) which featured rerecorded versions of some of his classic tracks.
The similar 1992 release Couldn't Love You More was unauthorised by and disowned by Martyn.
Permanent Records also released a live 2-CD set called "Live" in 1994.
Returning to Island records, he recorded Sapphire (1984), Piece by Piece (1986) and the live Foundations (1987) before leaving the label in 1988. ==1990s and 2000s== Martyn released The Apprentice in 1990 and Cooltide in 1991 for Permanent Records, and reunited with Phil Collins for No Little Boy (1993) which featured rerecorded versions of some of his classic tracks.
And (1996) came out on Go! Discs and saw Martyn draw heavily on trip-hop textures, a direction which saw more complete expression on 2000s Glasgow Walker; The Church with One Bell (1998) is a covers album of blues classics, which draws on songs by other artists, including Portishead and Ben Harper.
In 2001, Martyn appeared on the track "Deliver Me" by Faithless keyboard player and DJ Sister Bliss. In July 2006, the documentary Johnny Too Bad was screened by the BBC.
In 2001, Martyn appeared on the track "Deliver Me" by Faithless keyboard player and DJ Sister Bliss. In July 2006, the documentary Johnny Too Bad was screened by the BBC.
Some people keep diaries, I make records." The album has since become one of his highest-regarded, prompting a deluxe double-disc issue in 2007, containing the original album remastered. Phil Collins played drums and sang backing vocals on Grace and Danger and subsequently played drums on and produced Martyn's next album, Glorious Fool, in 1981.
On 4 February 2008, Martyn received the lifetime achievement award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.
The BBC website stated Martyn's "heartfelt performances have either suggested or fully demonstrated an idiosyncratic genius." Eric Clapton was quoted saying that Martyn was "so far ahead of everything, it's almost inconceivable." To mark Martyn's 60th birthday, Island released a 4CD boxed set, Ain't No Saint on 1 September 2008.
Iain David McGeachy (11 September 1948 – 29 January 2009), known professionally as John Martyn, was a British singer-songwriter and guitarist.
He remained active until his death in 2009. ==Early life== Martyn was born in Beechcroft Avenue, New Malden, Surrey, England, to Betty (Beatrice Ethel, née Jewitt), his Belgian Jewish mother and Thomas Paterson (Tommy) McGeachy, his Greenock-born Scottish father.
In 2009, a double CD Deluxe edition of Solid Air was released featuring unreleased songs and out-takes, and sleeve notes by Record Collector's Daryl Easlea.
The set includes unreleased studio material and rare live recordings. Martyn was appointed OBE in the 2009 New Year Honours and died a few weeks later.
The sleeve note says, “all the tracks on this recording were kept as John wished — in their entirety”. ==Death== Martyn died on 29 January 2009, in hospital in Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Ireland, due to acute respiratory distress syndrome.
I loved him dearly and will miss him very much." Mike Harding introduced an hour-long tribute to Martyn in his Radio 2 programme on 25 February 2009.
In 2010, a 2CD Deluxe version of Live at Leeds was released, and it was discovered that not all of the songs on the original album were from the Leeds concert.
Martyn had recorded new material before he died and his final studio album, Heaven and Earth, was completed and released posthumously in May 2011.
A tribute album, Johnny Boy Would Love This, was released on 15 August 2011, comprising cover versions of his songs by various artists. The “Grace & Danger: A Celebration of John Martyn” tribute concert held on 27 January 2019 at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall marked the tenth anniversary of his passing.
A tribute album, Johnny Boy Would Love This, was released on 15 August 2011, comprising cover versions of his songs by various artists. The “Grace & Danger: A Celebration of John Martyn” tribute concert held on 27 January 2019 at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall marked the tenth anniversary of his passing.
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