Martin Carthy
Martin Carthy (born
May 21,
1941) is an
English folk singer and
guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as
Bob Dylan and
Paul Simon and later artists such as
Richard Thompson since he emerged as a young musician in the early days of the
folk revival.
He was born in Hatfield and grew up in
Hampstead,
London. After training as an actor he sang in
coffee bars. He became a resident at the Troubador
folk club in
Earls Court in the late 1950s. He joined Redd Sullivan's Thameside Four in 1961. He is a renowned solo performer of traditional songs in a very distinctive style, accompanying himself on his trusty old
Martin Guitar; his style is marked by the use of alternate tunings, and a strongly percussive picking style that emphasizes the melody. His debut album,
Martin Carthy, was released in
1965, and also featured
Dave Swarbrick playing
fiddle on some tracks, although he was not mentioned in the album's sleeve notes.
He has also been involved with many musical collaborations. He has sung with
The Watersons since 1972, was an early member of the UK
folk rock group
Steeleye Span, and was part of the innovative
Brass Monkey ensemble, which mixed a range of
brass instruments with Carthy's guitar and
mandolin and
John Kirkpatrick's
accordion,
melodeon and
concertina.
For many years Carthy has enjoyed a creative partnership with fiddle player Dave Swarbrick and, more recently,
Waterson:Carthy has provided the forum for a successful partnership with partner
Norma Waterson together with their daughter
Eliza Carthy.
In June
1998 he was awarded the
MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours. He was named
Folk Singer of the Year at the
BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in
2002, and again in
2005 when he also won the award for
Best Traditional Track for '
Famous Flower of Serving Men'.
Studio albumsDave Swarbrick appeared on Carthy's first two albums, but was not at that time given equal billing for contractual reasons.
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Martin Carthy (1965)
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Second Album (1966)
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The Bonny Black Hare (1967)
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Landfall (1971)
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Shearwater (1972)
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Sweet Wivelsfield (1974)
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Crown of Horn (1976)
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Kershaw Sessions (1978)
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Because It's There (1979)
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Out of the Cut (1982)
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Right of Passage (1988)
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Wood Wilson Carthy (1998)
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Signs of Life (1998)
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Waiting for Angels (2004)
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At Ruskin Mill (2005)
; with Dave Swarbrick
Byker Hill (1967)
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Rags, Reels & Airs (1967)
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No Songs (EP) (1968)
But Two Came By (1968)
Prince Heathen (1969)
Selections (1971)
Life and Limb (1990)
Skin and Bone (1992)
; as a member of Steeleye Span
Please to See the King (1971)
Ten Man Mop (1971)
Storm Force Ten (1977)
Live at Last! (1978)
; as a member of Brass Monkey
Brass Monkey (1984)
See How It Runs (1986)
Sound and Rumour (1999)
The Complete Brass MonkeyGoing and Staying (2001)
Flame of Fire (2004)
The Definitive Collection (2005)
; as a member of Blue Murder
No One Stands Alone (2002)
; DVD
Martins 4 (2005) (Martin Carthy,
Martin Simpson,
Martin Taylor and
Juan Martin)
*
CarthyOnline: Great Unofficial Website*
BBC Folk database*
Waterson:Carthy Official Website*
Stephen Yarwood's music pages*
discography on Slipcue e-zine]
