John Martyn (born September 11, 1948) is a singer-songwriter.

He was born Ian David McGeachy in New Malden, Surrey, England. His parents divorced when he was five; Martyn spent his childhood alternating between England and Scotland.

His professional musical career began when he was 17; a blend of blues and folk resulting in a unique style that made him a key figure in the London folk scene during the mid-1960s. He signed to Chris Blackwell's Island Records in 1967 and released his first album, London Conversation , the following year.

This first album was soon followed by The Tumbler which was moving towards jazz. By 1970 Martyn had developed a wholly original and idiosyncratic sound: acoustic guitar run through a fuzzbox, phase-shifter, and Echoplex. This sound was first apparent on 1970s Stormbringer, which also had Martyn's then wife, Beverley Kutner , as his collaborator. She also appeared on Road to Ruin.

In 1973, Martyn released one of the defining British albums of the 1970s, Solid Air , the title song a tribute to the singer-songwriter, Nick Drake, who in 1974 was to die suddenly following an overdose of antidepressants. On this album, as with the one which preceded it, Bless the Weather , Martyn collaborated with jazz bass player, Danny Thompson .

In 2001 he appeared on the track Deliver Me by Faithless keyboard player and DJ Sister Bliss.

His steady output has gained him considerable recognition as a performer and a songwriter.

In 2003, preceding the release of his latest album On The Cobbles , Martyn had his right leg amputated below the knee as a result of a burst cyst.