Does anyone have any of his music - if so what's it like? I assume he spent time in Kintyre?
His website is
http://www.johnmartyn.net
Davie
The Big Man has been a regular vistor to these parts since the early seventies if not longer. Bob (McGeachy) is his first cousin, and further back his family were fishermen from Dalintober I think. He famously broke off his tour of Spain to play at the "Antares" benefit in the Glen along with Hamish Imlach (who had taught him to play the guitar when he was a wee boy in Glasgow.)
His music is very difficult to categorise - he started off as a folkie but evolved his own style really. Best known song is "May you Never" which Eric Clapton covered on the "Slowhand" album. Phil Collins has also recorded a couple of things, and both of them have played on a couple of JM albums back in the eighties.
Now living in Ireland, he is touring again despite losing a leg last year. BBC 2 recently broadcast a documentary about him called "Johnny Too Bad" which managed to be both hilarious and very sad at the same time.
Once of the Stories on his website which has been posted by a fan calls him " "drunken, mad, Scottish, schizophrenic son of a bitch" but I prefer to think of him as a national treasure!
If you're up for it, I would be happy to do a John Martyn special on my radio prog on Argyll FM. Actually, maybe I'll leave it a few months as you'll soon be desperate for something to do on a Saturday night that doesn't involve leaving the house !
Les