John Martyn, the influential Scottish singer-songwriter whose career spans an incredible five decades, will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award and perform at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2008 on Monday 4 February.
Since he emerged on the Sixties folk club scene John's distinctive vocal style, ground-breaking use of the echoplex tape delay, emotive lyrics, and fusion of musical genres including blues, jazz, ambient and electronica, have earned critical praise and a devoted fan base.
Over the years he has collaborated with a diverse range of musicians including Danny Thompson, Steve Winwood, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton and Paul Weller, and his prolific back catalogue includes One World, Grace And Danger and Solid Air – the latter often featuring in polls to find the Best album of all time.
The ninth annual Radio 2 Folk Awards will be presented by Mike Harding who says: "With his superb innovative guitar playing and acutely observed song-writing, John Martyn helped define British folk music in the late Sixties and Seventies and in May You Never wrote what is arguably one of the Best-loved folk songs to come from these islands. He has experienced a welcome renaissance in recent years and it's fitting that we reflect his stature as a hugely influential and talented artist."
