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Beth Orton’s John Martyn Tribute

3:27 PM GMT 06/02/2009

Beth Orton’s John Martyn Tribute

I THINK OF JOHN MARTYN and I think of beauty and hope. I just loved his music, his sentiment, him as a person. He was a beautiful man, and he always had such beautiful intentions behind his songs.

His music took me to a different place, it took me to this incredibly warm, beautiful world. It was very magical, and very mysterious, and very romantic and just full of hope. It was like eternally believing in Father Christmas – not in a sickly sentimental way, but it touched the part of you that never gives up on the dreams of having a really beautiful life.

He inspired me: I wanted to write beautiful songs like him.

He was an innovative guitar player. He had an incredible, individual style, but my love for John Martyn and his music has always been really personal. It’s something I’ve never questioned or wondered about, it was just an ‘is’; I never deconstructed or studied his music. Watching him as a younger man on YouTube, it struck me just how effortless it was for him to come out with something so beautiful, how effortlessly his hand moved up and down the fretboard to create that feeling and mood.

Its beauty is that there was no science to his craft, it had to be from his heart, it had to be in his make-up, in his voice, in his self, and the way he was built. It was the way he was made because his music was honest. That voice was just there with him from when he was very young. He opened his mouth and out came those words and those melodies and that voice... There was nothing else he could do but open his mouth and sing that. It was so natural for him.

When I first started singing I wanted to emulate this huge Scottish man. I used to sing along to him a lot and when I first went into the studio with William Orbit I sang Don’t Want To Know, which was my favourite song. [Hear Beth’s version here…]

I kind of blew my chance meeting him. He asked me to support him, {Beth’s debut album] Trailer Park had come out and I’d been rabbiting away about him being a big influence and it was amazing, but I did get very drunk and he was trying to abstain and I was charging backstage going wa-hey. I was just very excited just sharing the bill with him!

As told to: Lois Wilson

Posted by Danny_Eccleston at 3:27 PM GMT 06/02/2009

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  • Isaw John Martyn playing to a small gathering at 10a.m on a sunday morning at the Sweetwaters festival in New Zealand january 1980.Even at that time of day with his joint stuck in guitar strings .I was impressed,i have enjoyed his music ever since.It's a shame he is no longer with us.

    Posted by Nick Ash at 5:54 PM GMT 11/02/2009 Report Abuse

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  • RE: Nick Ash

    The first time I saw him (1975 ish) he told the crowd not to applaud but throw spliffs...several people did!

    He also lost his pick and asked if anyone in the audience had one...I nearly broke my arm getting mine out of my back pocket (jeans were tight in those days) and he played Over the Hill using my plectrum... :)

    Happy Days!

    Posted by Tubey at 8:04 PM GMT 05/03/2009 Report Abuse

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