Sad synchronicity. I was spending my lunch hour tweaking a story that name-checks John Martyn, when I look up to see on the news ticker that he’s just died. I guess he wasn’t the sort of guy to overstay his welcome, but 60 is still way too young. He was a genuine one-off who ploughed his own furrow, and the world will be a sadder place for his parting. And if anyone doubts his genius, consider the fact that he managed (briefly) to make Phil Collins look cool. I saw him live once, in the old Marquee club, back in the late 70s, and it was the perfect venue for him: intimate, rowdy and dirty. A great gig.
Here’s a performance of “Bless the Weather” from around the same time:
Bless the guy!
Never been another like him. Doubt there ever will.
A totally disagreeable bloke but that made him all the more interesting and likeable.
Dealer, Big Muff and Solid Air are my favourites.
Thanks for posting this Jon.
Effie
Spot on, Effie. And thanks for dropping by 🙂