Martin Simpson

A gifted and influential guitarist, banjoist, singer, and songwriter, Martin Simpson is one of the most visible examples of the relationship between the traditional folk music of the United Kingdom and American roots music. Simpson's life reflects this journey. Born in England, he moved to the United States in the late '80s. After recording several Celtic folk-leaning solo albums and collaborating with British folk-rock legends like <a href="spotify:artist:1y2rqr1xpuz2ia93MQ9eEC">June Tabor</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2IZohp3Lo4D9nbEmn5r06l">the Albion Band</a>, the move allowed him to absorb the unique forms of guitar playing in the U.S., where he continued to record, both as a collaborator and as an acclaimed solo artist, with lauded efforts like 2007's Prodigal Son, 2011's Purpose & Grace, and 2024's Skydancers combining various folk traditions with virtuosic musicianship.

Born in the Humberside town of Scunthorpe in northern England, Simpson began playing guitar at the age of 12 and played in local pubs just two years later. Well-known on the regional circuit by the early '70s, he recorded his debut album, Golden Vanity, for Bill Leader's <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Trailer+Records%22">Trailer Records</a>. Instead of aligning with the new contemporary folk songs or their traditional precursors, Golden Vanity borrowed elements of both, with <a href="spotify:artist:74ASZWbe4lXaubB36ztrGX">Dylan</a> covers alongside ancient ballads. He toured with <a href="spotify:artist:4OrrjMGltjy6ojX6034f8u">Steeleye Span</a> and the <a href="spotify:artist:2IZohp3Lo4D9nbEmn5r06l">Albion Band</a> during the late '70s and began a long relationship with <a href="spotify:artist:1y2rqr1xpuz2ia93MQ9eEC">June Tabor</a>, working on her solo albums and earning a co-billing for 1981's A Cut Above. His subsequent three solo albums, released from 1981 to 1986, continued to embrace contemporary and traditional pieces. <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Shanachie+Records%22">Shanachie Records</a> signed him just after his move to the U.S. in 1987. That same year, he released a duet album with his wife, <a href="spotify:artist:2tFN9ubMXEhdAQvdQxcsma">Jessica</a>, titled True Dare or Promise. His first <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Shanachie%22">Shanachie</a> release, 1989's Leaves of Life, signaled another period of artistic excellence, exemplified by its follow-ups When I Was on Horseback, A Closer Walk with Thee, and Red Roses, again recorded with <a href="spotify:artist:2tFN9ubMXEhdAQvdQxcsma">Jessica</a>. During the mid-'90s, the Simpsons played with the Band of Angels and recorded for such labels as <a href="spotify:artist:5G8I1tHncgncP66aiDncoX">Rhiannon</a>, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Red+House%22">Red House</a>, and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Water+Lily+Acoustic%22">Water Lily Acoustic</a>.

A new collection of British traditional folk songs called Bramble Briar arrived in 2001, followed by Righteousness and Humidity, a bluesy set inspired by the Deep South featuring <a href="spotify:artist:4OrrjMGltjy6ojX6034f8u">Steeleye Span</a>'s <a href="spotify:artist:3JTOcaD0qZUqafb1xIUCbQ">Rick Kemp</a>. 2005 saw a return to English folk with Kind Letters, followed by the award-winning Prodigal Son (2007), the genre-hopping True Stories (2009), and the star-studded Purpose & Grace (2011). After the embellishments of Purpose & Grace, Simpson stripped everything back to banjo, guitar, and vocals on 2013's Vagrant Stanzas. Ever restless, he embarked on a collaborative record for his next project. Murmurs (2015) featured <a href="spotify:artist:3Wa7g8dHTrbPgTlyIII6tH">Nancy Kerr</a> on fiddle and <a href="spotify:artist:2RePyZFhRc3qX0OO7h8I4k">Andy Cutting</a> on squeezebox alongside Simpson, and the trio included their own take on traditional songs like "The Plains of Waterloo." Simpson returned to solo work for his next record, 2017's Trials & Tribulations. The album was produced by <a href="spotify:artist:0DCLBHSfbqLoGK3ikLGPxc">Andy Bell</a> (<a href="spotify:artist:3Cf7jFBOVBRDTvFUxGAJgF">Kate Rusby</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2Sp19cOHSqAUlE64hekARW">Teenage Fanclub</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:79fyBJJSUvWw4263rXYDM0">Bellowhead</a>) and included his daughter Molly Simpson's debut vocal performance. Giving a nod to his collaborative past, 2019's Rooted saw <a href="spotify:artist:3Wa7g8dHTrbPgTlyIII6tH">Nancy Kerr</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2RePyZFhRc3qX0OO7h8I4k">Andy Cutting</a> return as featured artists alongside other musicians. The album was released on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Topic+Records%22">Topic Records</a>, which also put out 2020's Home Recordings, a set of songs recorded during the COVID-19 lockdown. 2024's Skydancers saw Simpson deliver an assured set of originals, 18th century broadside ballads, and reworkings of songs by <a href="spotify:artist:4rAgFKtlTr66ic18YZZyF1">Woody Guthrie</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:1y2rqr1xpuz2ia93MQ9eEC">June Tabor</a>. ~ John Bush & James Christopher Monger, Rovi