Inspirational, influential and above all progressive John Martyn has now entered his fifth decade as a renowned singer-songwriter. His timeless music has influenced whole generations of new artists including Everything But The Girl, Morcheeba, Sade, The Verve, Paul Weller and U2's The Edge. His song craft is recognised the world over with Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Ralph McTell, Wet Wet Wet, Courtney Pine, Dr John and Beck having all recorded their own renditions of his songs.

There was no Hogwarts for John his guitar wizardry is self-taught; a truly progressive artist who has never been one to stay with a tried and trusted sound, preferring to explore, experiment and break new ground bringing new ideas, colours and textures to his music. His live performances are legendary and compelling. His guitar playing has evolved over the years - acoustic guitar in the 60s, to electro-acoustic in the 70s with a wah wah pedal, fuzz box and echoplex, to the 80s which saw him playing electric guitar almost exclusively in a full band setting and the 90s which saw trip hop and funk enter his music.

John’s creative restlessness means that many of the songs on his studio albums have evolved from exploring and pushing back conventional musical boundaries during less structured live performances. John is an incurable romantic who sings from his heart; no other artist sings with such commitment transcending life’s emotional spectrum. A captivating voice of effortless charm, love and sensuality that is also capable of explosive anger, jealousy and hate; a roller coaster ride for the listener.

One World Records has established itself as the label for live John Martyn gigs on CD. Here is a taster of the One World catalogue tracking John’s career through his live performances. A treasure chest of gems and trinkets that are well worth exploring and more are planned for the future...

John Hillarby, 2006