Small Hours: The Long Night of John Martyn

No one else sounded like John Martyn. No genre could claim him. He is one of the few musicians truly deserving of over-used terms like 'one-off' and 'unique.' He is a treasure, no less precious for being tarnished. He was a uniquely expressive singer, a dazzling guitarist on both acoustic and electric, a fearless experimenter, a poetic songwriter, a vaulting live performer, and an innovative recording artist. His music was that of both a troubled soul and an inveterate chancer and charmer; he was at once bar-room raconteur and small hours' brooder. He lived an extraordinary and often chaotic life. It involved alcoholism, heavy drug-taking, two failed marriages, and numerous affairs; by his own estimation he had up to a dozen illegitimate children. Backstage fights and drunken machismo vied with acute vulnerability and tenderness. He ended his life in a wheelchair after losing a leg to amputation. However, Martyn's cult status is now similar to that of Nick Drake. Numerous current artists cite him as a key influence. A 2011 tribute album featured 30 artists, including Beck, Paolo Nutini, and The Cure, and his albums are currently being re-released in extended editions by Universal Music.