News !
Last Site Update: 14th June 2009 Album update
John Martyn 11th September 1948 - 29th January 2009
With heavy heart and an unbearable sense of loss we must announce that John died on 29th January.
Live in joy, live in love, live in music...
Completion of John's Final Album
Those of you who are frequent visitors to John's website will know that John had been working on a new album, provisionally entitled Willing To Work, for some time now.
In response to the many requests for an update, there is good news! Producers Gary Pollitt and Jim Tullio will be working on the album over the next few weeks in Chicago. John made his wishes clear on the artistic direction of the album and also on how it was to be released!
Regrettably jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders will not now play on the album. Despite the fact that it was John's wish that he would, there are 10,000 reasons why this will not now happen. However, some good news! The Band's Levon Helm and Jim Weider have contributed as has Canadian musician Garth Hudson. It is great news that Willing To Work will be finished by people close to John, that we can be confident that John's wishes will be respected and we will get to hear the album as close as is possible to that which John intended. What does John have to say on the subject? John tells us about the album.
So there you have it from the man himself! Too many songs, a thumbs down to record companies and the album will be released on the net, right here in fact on John's own website, johnmartyn.com! John, "I won't have people telling me what to do!"
Updates on Willing To Work will be added soon!
Solid Air Deluxe Edition
Universal Music have announced a 2CD deluxe version of Solid Air is to be released on 25th May 2009. Tracklisting is -
Disc 1 (Remastered original album)
Solid Air
Over The Hill
Don't Want To Know
I'd Rather Be The Devil
Go Down Easy
Dreams By The Sea
May You Never
The Man In The Station
The Easy Blues / Gentle Blues
Disc 2 (Out takes, demo and live)
Solid Air (Alternative Take)
Over The Hill (Alternative Take)
Don't Want To Know (Alternative Take)
I'd Rather Be The Devil (Alternative Take)
Go Down Easy (Alternative Take)
Dreams By The Sea (Alternative Take)
May You Never (Alternative Take)
The Man In The Station (Alternative Take)
The Easy Blues/Gentle Blues (Alternative Take)
Keep On
Never Say Never (Demo)
In The Evening
May You Never (Single Version)
The Easy Blues (Live in Paris)
May You Never (Live in Paris)
I'd Rather Be The Devil (Live in Paris)
Universal Music Press Release, "Compiled, with John Martyn's blessing, by John Hillarby from the official John Martyn website and with sleeve notes by Record Collector's Daryl Easlea, Martyn's landmark album from 1973 has now been digitally remastered and expanded into a two CD set. Disc One contains the original album, considered by many to be his best album, digitally remastered and sounding better than ever. Disc Two contains twelve previously unreleased out-takes, three live tracks and the 7" single version of "May You Never".
Price is likely to be around £14.99. Available to preorder here from Amazon and here from HMV.
Investiture at Buckingham Palace
On 27th March Teresa and Mhairi received The Order of the British Empire from the Prince of Wales.
The OBE was awarded to John for services to music and was presented to Teresa and Mhairi during a private audience with The Prince of Wales prior to an Investiture.
Teresa said, "John didn't believe for a while that he had received an OBE. He didn't believe it until he saw it in the papers. But he was thrilled, and was looking forward to coming here to receive it." She added, "Prince Charles knew John's music and liked him and said he was sorry he was not here to receive it himself."
Thank you
Teresa would like to thank everyone for your messages of support. Your love for John and his music meant everything to John and was so very special to him. You made everything worthwhile and John loved you all. Please don't underestimate how important your love was to John and how much he appreciated and loved you back. He will miss you all as I know you are missing him.
Grace and Danger Covers Band
Will play The Queens Head, Monmouth on Sunday 26th July...
May You Never - The Very Best of John Martyn
A new competitively priced release from Universal Music providing an introduction to John's music. Tracklisting -
May You Never
Solid Air
Bless The Weather
Sweet Little Mystery
Over The Rainbow
Head And Heart
Don't Want To Know
John The Baptist
Over The Hill
Spencer The Rover
Fairy Tale Lullaby
Singin' In The Rain
Couldn't Love You More
Sunshine's Better
Small Hours
Visit the competition page for your chance to win a copy of this release!
Television and Radio Programmes
The Johnny Too Bad documentary was broadcast again on the BBC4 television channel on 20th, 21st and 22nd March2009. Followed by an Old Grey Whistle Test with Bob Harris introducing John in concert at the Collegiate Theatre, University College London. It's just John, a bottle of beer, his guitar and Echoplex in a trademark concert recorded in 1978. Songs include Couldn't Love You More, Small Hours and May You Never. There was also a BBC Compilation of one hour of John's performances from the BBC archives, starting with the Old Grey Whistle Test in 1973 and ending with his last appearance on Later with Jools Holland in 2004.
A great shame that this has not been released by the BBC on DVD, but there are copies out there if you can track one down...
Condolence Book
The Condolence Book was available from 4th February to 16th March 2009 and is now closed. A sincere thank you to you all for your messages, there were 1,500 in all! All the messages will be given to Teresa and John's family.
Thank you
John's family and friends would like to thank everyone for the overwhelming messages of support and sympathy we have received. Your messages mean so much to us at this difficult time.
A particular thank you to the people of Thomastown who welcomed John with open arms to the their community many years ago, a warm welcome that John greatly appreciated and enjoyed, making many new friends. If you find yourself in Southern Ireland be sure to visit Thomastown and enjoy their hospitality.
Service to celebrate John's Life
Voiceprint to close One World Label as a mark of respect
Voiceprint have announced that there will be no new releases on John's One World label and that they will not be re-pressing their existing John Martyn releases. This means that when their existing stock is sold all titles will no longer be available.
Rob Ayling, Managing Director and founder of Voiceprint said, "John's passing has come as a great shock. We worked closely together over a number of years to make some of John's less commercial material available to John's fans but it's just not the same now, we will miss John dreadfully and so I've decided to delete our existing catalogue of John Martyn releases as a mark of respect."
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