Martin Carthy

Martin Carthy MBE 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, North London. After leaving school, he worked behind the scenes at the open air theatre at Regent's Park as a prompter, then an assistant stage manager (ASM) on a tour of The Merry Widow, and then at Theatre in the Round in Scarborough. He then sang in coffee bars. He became a resident at The Troubadour Folk Club in Earls Court in the early 1960s. 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 alternative 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 twice a member of the UK electric folk 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 appointed an 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'. In the 2007 Folk Awards Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick won "Best duo".

Discography

Original / Studio albums (solo or with Dave Swarbrick)

Martin Carthy (1965) with Dave Swarbrick
Martin Carthy's Second Album (1966) with Dave Swarbrick
Byker Hill (1967) with Dave Swarbrick
But Two Came By (1968) with Dave Swarbrick
Prince Heathen (1969) with Dave Swarbrick
Landfall (1971)
Shearwater (1972 reissue with extra tracks 2005)
Sweet Wivelsfield (1974)
Crown Of Horn (1976)
Because It's There (1979)
Out Of The Cut (1982)
Right Of Passage (1988)
Life And Limb (1990) with Dave Swarbrick
Skin And Bone (1992) with Dave Swarbrick
Signs Of Life (1998)
Waiting For Angels (2004)
Straws In The Wind (2006) with Dave Swarbrick

Compilations and live albums

Selections (1969) New Zealand and Australia only
This Is... Martin Carthy: The Bonny Black Hare and other songs (1971) with Dave Swarbrick
Selections (1971) with Dave Swarbrick
Round Up (circa early 1970s) with Dave Swarbrick
Brigg Fair (circa early 1970s) with Dave Swarbrick
Tales of Long Ago (circa early 1970s) with Dave Swarbrick
The Collection (1993)
Rigs of the Time (1993)
The Kershaw Sessions (1994)
A Collection (1999)
Both Ears and the Tail (2000, live recording from 1966) with Dave Swarbrick
The Carthy Chronicles (2001) 4x CD 83 track box set
The Definitive Collection (2003)
Martin Carthy at Ruskin Mill (2005)

Releases on other formats

No Songs (7" vinyl EP 1967) with Dave Swarbrick
"The Bonny Lass of Angelsey" b/w "Palaces of Gold" (7" vinyl single 1976)
100 Not Out (Longform video 1992) with Dave Swarbrick
British Fingerstyle Guitar (Longform video 1993 reissued on DVD 2006)
Guitar Maestros (DVD 2006)

As a member of Steeleye Span

Please to See the King (1971)
Ten Man Mop (1971)
Storm Force Ten (1977)
Live at Last! (1978)
The Journey (1999)

As a member of The Watersons and/or Waterson:Carthy

The Watersons: For Pence and Spicy Ale (1975)
The Watersons: Sound, Sound Your Instruments of Joy (1977)
The Watersons: Green Fields (1981)
Waterson:Carthy: Waterson:Carthy (1994)
Waterson:Carthy: Common Tongue (1996)
Waterson:Carthy: Broken Ground (1999)
Waterson:Carthy: A Dark Light (2002)
The Watersons: The Definitive Collection (2003)
Waterson:Carthy: Fishes & Fine Yellow Sand (2004)
The Watersons: Mighty River of Song (2004) 4x CD & 1x DVD box set of Watersons and related recordings
The Watersons: A Yorkshire Christmas (2005)
Waterson:Carthy: The Definitive Collection (2005)
Waterson:Carthy: Holy Heathens and the Old Green Man (2006)

As a member of Brass Monkey

Brass Monkey (1984)
See How It Runs (1986)
The Complete Brass Monkey (1993) compilation of the previous two albums
Sound and Rumour (1999)
Going and Staying (2001)
Flame of Fire (2004)
The Definitive Collection (2005)

As a member of Blue Murder

No One Stands Alone (2002)

Other notable releases

Thamesiders & Davy Graham (1963) 7" EP
Three City Four: Three City Four (1965)
Dave Swarbrick, Martin Carthy & Diz Disley: Rags Reel & Airs (1966)
Various Artists: Bright Phoebus: Songs by Lal & Mike Waterson (1972)
Albion Country Band: Battle Of The Field (1976)
John Kirkpatrick: Plain Capers (1976)
Band of Hope: Rhythm And Reds (1994)
Wood, Wilson, Carthy: Wood, Wilson, Carthy (1998)
Dave Swarbrick: Swarb! (2003) 4CD box set career retrospective with numerous Carthy tracks
4 Martins: Guitar Nights (2003) released on CD and DVD

External links