John Martyn

RIP John Martyn, who died yesterday. Although he was never a household name, he was one of the great guitar innovators. Solid Air, his most famous album is one of those albums you need with you if you were on a desert island. Every track is magnificent, and sounds utterly sublime, particularly on vinyl.
Martyn had a dark old life. There were periods of alcoholism (sometimes there were live performances marred by drunkeness), drugs and failed marriages. In 2003, he had his right leg amputated and continued to play live in his wheelchair. There was an excellent documentary that BBC4 ran around this time (Johnny Too Bad), following the operation and his return to live performance that revealed a cantankerous (and frequently hilarious) stoner of a man, who refused to sit still.

"May you never lay your head down without a hand to hold

may you never make your bed out in the cold..."

John Martyn - May You Never