John Martyn RIP

Thanks to Martin Cowan:

“No doubt you have seen that the great John Martyn has sadly passed away, aged just 60.

“Criminally overlooked in his lifetime, his vast output over 40 years holds up remarkably well and defies the simplistic categorisations of "folk" or "jazz".

“This was soul music of the most tortured kind, with Martyn's heart-on-sleeve song writing and naked vocals enhanced by the genius of his guitar playing.

“Much has been made of his superb 1970s output, including phenomenal live performances both solo and with long time sparring partner Danny Thompson, but he continued to write and record strong songs through the 80s and 90s.

“Releases such as "Glorious Fool", "Cool Tide" and 2004's "On The Cobbles" are as good as anything in his entire catalogue.

“Eccentric, innovative, joyous and moving - I can only hope that now in death he will at last reach as large an audience as his talent deserved.”