Obituary

Front Row

John Wilson
BBC Radio 4

Monday 9 February
John Wilson presenting

John Martyn
Shortly before the recent death of the influential musician John Martyn, John Wilson recorded an interview with him in which he reflected on his life and his music. As well as hearing extracts from the interview, novelist Ian Rankin and fellow musician Danny Thompson pay their respects to the British singer-songwriter.

John Martyn

Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell website

By now most of you will be aware of the death of singer songwriter guitar stylist musician John Martyn. By virtue of his huge talent and colourful and sometimes reckless lifestyle his passing was noticed and commented upon by nearly all of the popular media.

I would just like to add my personal comments because John was very much a contemporary of mine and I admired his music immensely.

Remembering Musician John Martyn

Iain MacDonald
BBC Scotland

Here, BBC Scotland reporter Iain MacDonald recalls his and other stories about singer-songwriter John Martyn who died last week at the age of 60.
The folk, blues and funk artist was widely regarded as one of the most soulful and innovative singer-songwriters of his generation. Iain interviewed the musician for a BBC radio programme.
But the journalist was also among those who "cottoned on to" the Martyn phenomenon back in the 1960s.

Great Art That Came Without Regrets

John Wilson
The Observer

We're steering unsteadily along narrow corridors on an upper floor of a London hotel, John Martyn cheerily pointing the way with a tumbler of brandy and port. I've got one hand on his wheelchair, one on the handle of a swing door. There's a wheezy cackle in his throat that makes a rich baritone sound like it's fighting through radio interference. "Sorry mate, I don't have a reverse gear, I can't go back... "

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