John Martyn

Scottish singer-songwriter John Martyn started out as a folk artist with jazzy leanings that were highly unusual for the mid-1960s. He made a couple of albums with then-wife Beverley that were very much of their time before embarking on a musical journey that combined folk, blues, jazz, and rock, with a tendency towards electronic and atmospheric experimentation. His early-'70s albums are as distinctive and striking as anything in the singer-songwriter canon. Alcohol problems and commercial concerns found him adopting a slicker, more pop-oriented sound as he moved toward the '80s, but Martyn came out on top again both personally and artistically with his '90s releases and performances. A true survivor, in 2006 Martyn overcame the amputation of his right leg below the knee. Continuing to tour and record, four decades after his debut album.

• rock
• pop
• folk
• roots
• singer songwriter
• 1970s
• 1990s
• 1980s
• island
• 2000s