John Martyn was born on September 11, 1948 in New Malden, Surrey, England, UK. He was a composer and actor, known for The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Colombiana (2011) and Hit and Run (2012). He was married to Annie Furlong and Beverley Kutner. He died on January 29, 2009 in Kilkenny, Ireland.
Martyn was hugely respected by other musicians and songwriters, many of whom were more commercially successful than he was. Beth Orton, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Jools Holland and Fish are all fans of his music.
On 4th February 2008, he was the winner of the lifetime achievement award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, presented to him by Phil Collins.
His song "May You Never" was recorded by Eric Clapton on his 1977 album "Slowhand".
His childhood was divided between his mother's houseboat in England and his father's home in Scotland. He heard music in both the Presbyterian church and the English music halls.
In December 2008, he was living in Belfast, Northern Ireland.