MARTIN CARTHY – British Folk Hero Par Excellence

`Arguably the greatest English folk song performer, writer, collector and editor of them all’ – Q Magazine

For more than 45 years Martin Carthy has been one of folk music’s greatest innovators, one of its best loved, most enthusiastic and, at times, most quietly controversial of figures. His skill, stage presence and natural charm have won him many admirers, not only from within the folk scene, but also far beyond it.

On May 21st this year Martin Carthy turns 70, (three days before Bob Dylan achieves septuagenarian status!) and to celebrate the occasion, on May 9th, Topic Records will release ‘The Essential Martin Carthy’.

Carthy has been associated with Topic throughout most of his long recording career and it is from these impeccable recordings that the album is drawn. Amidst more than 40 albums, he has recorded only 10 solo albums, of which the acclaimed ‘Waiting For Angels’ was the most recent.

His self titled debut album, released in 1965, also featured fiddle-player, Dave Swarbrick, who will feature among Martin’s guests at a very special 70th Birthday Concert, taking place at Queen Elizabeth Hall on Saturday May 14th. The concert will form part of Southbank Centre’s Festival of Britain, National Treasures strand. Also joining Martin will be Tom Robinson and Carthy’s daughter, Eliza – a highly acclaimed recording artist in her own right. The evening will begin at 6.30pm with journalist Colin Irwin conducting an interview with Martin about his life and career.

Although Martin performs tirelessly (previously with Steeleye Span and more recently with family band Waterson:Carthy, Imagined Village or solo, in back room bars), this concert will provide a rare opportunity to see Martin Carthy perform centre stage, on a grand scale and armed only with his voice, guitar and a batch of wonderful songs.

Whether in folk clubs (which he continues to champion), on stage or making TV appearances (he was the subject of the acclaimed `Originals’ music documentary series on BBC 2) – with typical modesty, Martin said recently: “I’ve never really had a career..I’ve just been lucky enough to skate along and do what I want..and it’s really the folk clubs and folk club organisers who have allowed me to do that for so long.”

Always an authoritative interpreter, Carthy has preferred to follow an insatiable musical curiosity rather than cash in on his unrivalled position as consummate story-teller, ballad singer, ground-breaking acoustic and electric-guitarist. Perhaps, most significant of all, are his traditional songs with guitar, which have influenced a generation of artists, most notably Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, (who Martin taught his arrangement of ‘Scarborough Fair’ to) on both sides of the Atlantic.

Martin Carthy was awarded the MBE for services to English Music in 1998 and won Singer of the Year and Best Traditional Track at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2005.

The tracklisting for the 2 disc retrospective is as follows:

CD One