John Martyn

John Martyn OBE ( born September 11, 1948 as Ian David McGeachy in New Malden, Surrey; † January 29, 2009 in Ireland) was a British musician. He united in his music different styles into a new whole, he was " an electrifying guitarist and singer whose music made the boundaries between folk, jazz, rock and blues. "

Youth

John Martyn, an only child, spent his early childhood in London. Martyn's parents, both opera singers left, divorced when he was five years old, and he moved to his grandmother to Glasgow. At 15, he began playing guitar, initially under the guidance of Hamish Imlach, a traditional Scottish singer, he appeared as a guest musician at the shows. At 17, he began with solo performances in Scotland, a year later he moved to London, where he performed in folk clubs.

Early career

1967 Martyn got a contract with Iceland Records and recorded his first album London Conversation, his second record, The Tumbler from 1968 was produced by Al Stewart. His music was influenced at this time by Davey Graham very, who played a mixture of jazz, folk, blues and various other genres. However, he dealt increasingly with Irish and Indian music as well as with the late John Coltrane, and began experiments on the electric guitar.

In 1969 he met the singer Beverly Kutner know, the two married. They appeared together in 1970 and took their first joint plate, Stormbringer. Martyn continued to seek its own guitar style and led to Stormbringer the Echoplex one, an analog delay, which in his future career, especially in the 1970s, a trademark of his music was. Martyn adopted Wesley, the two year old son, Beverly, and 1971, was born their daughter Mhairi.

Even with the release of their second album The Road to Ruin 1970 it became clear that their musical goals disagreed. John was not satisfied with conventional music and was looking for a freer style outside the mainstream.

The 1970

His next solo album, Bless The Weather of 1971, was recorded in three days in the studio. Many of the songs show the typical way of playing Martyn, combine the percussive elements and games plucking of acoustic guitar with vocals that is more like an instrument than a voice. On this album, the double bassist Danny Thompson played together for the first time with Martyn, who was to accompany him repeatedly throughout his career. Martyn experimented on this album with tape loops, an effect he began a long time later.

The album Solid Air from 1973, continued the course began, though the mood was generally darker than that of the previous album. Typical of this sentiment is the song Solid Air, which was dedicated to his deceased friend shortly after Nick Drake. A counterpoint to this mood is May You Never, which was later covered by Eric Clapton on his album Slowhand. Together with Bless the Weather Solid Air is considered as the masterpiece of Martyn.

With the next album, Inside Out, 1973, Martyn began to leave the previously pursued line of beautiful melodies and sounds. His music was angry and harsh, his voice increasingly used as an instrument. Martyn justified this change with the fact that he is actually not such a nice person, and turned consciously from the image of " cute boy " from: ". 'm Not really that nice, and I very Consciously turned away from all that" He sat increased effect devices along with its steel-string guitar, and alternated between solo performances and the interaction with Danny Thompson. In 1974, he recorded the 1975 album released Sunday 's Child, then it was in reference to publications three years quiet around him.

During this time he toured a lot and tried to market a self-produced live album from home, which was not accepted by Iceland Records. In 1976, he took a break, even among other things, to cure his increasing alcohol and drug problems and spent four months in Jamaica. After his return in 1977 he released the album One World, an almost minimalist, jazzy album on which his voice was once again used as a tool rather than as a vocal and in which Steve Winwood participated. The music of this album took a step back to the not so harsh and angry side, a development that he completely withdrew with his album Grace and Danger from the year 1980. The album was the processing of his painful divorce from Beverly, an angry reflection of the deal with separation. From this dark mood of the song Sweet Little Mystery stands out, a light, catchy -like song, which ties in with the mood of the two albums Bless The Weather and Solid Air. Phil Collins, who also separated at this time by his wife, worked on the album. Martyn began drinking heavily again: " You name it, I soaked myself in it ... it was a dark period in my life. " Martyn played hardly any acoustic guitar, but almost exclusively electrically, which many of his veteran fans distraught.

1980-1990

Collins produced Martyn, who had to leave Iceland Records in 1980 for a contract with Warner Brothers. They released in 1981 the album Glorious Fool, again the drums and Eric Clapton played on the Collins in a song guitar. The album was commercially quite successful and reached number 25 on the charts. The subsequent 1982 album Well Kept Secret, also produced with Collins, was very pop- oriented, and again very successful (Top 20).

Martyn moved to Scotland and married Annie Furlong. In 1983, he was - at that time without a record contract - the live album Phil Trophy on his own label Body Swerve out that was recorded on a number of appearances in 1982 and 1983 and einfingen the characteristic way of playing and singing John Martyn. The production of the issued next year album Sapphire was very difficult because of misunderstandings between Martyn and producer.

In the next few years, several compilations of Iceland Records, in which Martyn was back under contract appeared, and in 1986 the album Piece by Piece, on which he experimented again with the use of his voice. His next album, the Foundations released in 1987, recorded live, Martyn showed once more in the old style by some of his older favorites such as May You Never revised in addition to three new songs.

1990-2000

After his design was rejected for a new album in 1988 by Iceland Records, he left the label and signed after two years with a series of performances a contract with Permanent Records. Here released in 1990 The Apprentice. In addition to the usually accepted at Martyn use of the electric guitar, the use of synthesizers and trips to the disco beat, he reached into the piece Patterns in the Rain after a long time for the acoustic guitar. On the next album Cooltide of 1991, he did not expand on the use of synthesizers. In 1992, BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert, a live recording of a concert in Glastonbury from the year 1986. The album received good reviews, it was Martyn's abilities as an excellent guitarist and his masterful handling of effects units.

In the same year Permanent Records brought against the will of Martyn Album Could not Love You More out that Martyn designated as overproduced, and he recorded the album No Little Boy opposed in the next year - with the same titles, but completely under the direction produced by Martyn. Due to the associated left dispute Martyn the label.

Including Iceland Anthology of 1994, which covers a large part of his career - - and live recordings in which participated, among others, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd in the next few years several other compilations appeared. Martyn grappling with his health, the death of his wife Annie and other problems, so he brought out his next album in 1996 with new material. Musically, he broke new ground and used samples and trip- hop style elements. As a guest musician Phil Collins and John Giblin occurred. His next album, The Church with One Bell from 1998, was unusual for him, since it contained only cover versions of songs by other artists. However, Martyn coined the pieces of his unmistakable signature on, and the album was mainly in the United States a success: Martyn could buy the apartment Located beside his eponymous church in which he lived with his partner Teresa Walsh ever since.

The last years

At the suggestion of Phil Collins Martyn changed his approach to the writing of new songs. He learned keyboards and used this instrument rather than his guitar to compose. In 2000 he released the album as compiled Glasgow Walker, which contains a series of melancholy and gentle pieces and was well received by the critics.

In the next few years a whole series of concert recordings and compilations published. Martyn fought in this time with health problems, and his leg was amputated in 2003 because of a cyst so that it could only occur in a wheelchair. Only in 2004 came up with On the Cobbles out an album of new material that was recorded in various studios mostly with acoustic instruments. Apart from a number of other compilations and live recordings, this should be the last album John Martyn.

In December 2008, Martyn was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II to the Officer of the Order of the British Empire. He died in January 2009 at the age of 60 years by a double pneumonia in a hospital in Ireland.

Discography

• London Conversation (1967 )
• The Tumbler (1968 )
• Stormbringer! ( with Beverley Martyn ) ( 1970)
• The Road to Ruin ( with Beverley Martyn ) ( 1970)
• Bless the Weather ( 1971)
• Solid Air (1973 )
• Inside Out (1973 )
• Sunday 's Child ( 1975) ( with Danny Thompson and Liam Genockey )
• One World (1977 )
• Grace & Danger ( 1980)
• Glorious Fool (1981 )
• Well Kept Secret ( 1982)
• Philentropy (1983)
• Sapphire (1984)
• Piece by Piece (1986 )
• Foundations (1987)
• The Apprentice (1990 )
• Cooltide (1991)
• BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert (1992 )
• Could not Love You More (1992 )
• No Little Boy (1993 )
• Live (2CD), aka Dirty Down & Live and Classics Live (1995 )
• And. (1996)
• The Church with One Bell ( 1998)
• Glasgow Walker ( 2000)
• On the Cobbles (2004)
• Heaven and Earth (2011)