1. Martin Dominic Forbes Carthy MBE was born on 21 May 1941 and is an English singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in English folk music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, as well as later artists such as Richard Thompson, since he emerged as a young musician in the early days of the folk revival in the UK during the 1960s and 1970s.
Martin Carthy's father had played fiddle and guitar as a young man but Martin Carthy was unaware of this connection to his folk music heritage until much later in life.
Martin Carthy picked up his father's old guitar for the first time after hearing "Rock Island Line" by Lonnie Donegan.
Martin Carthy has cited his first major folk music influences as Big Bill Broonzy and the syncopated guitar style of Elizabeth Cotten.
Martin Carthy performed his first professional engagement at the age of 16 at The Loft, a coffee bar in Primrose Gardens.
Martin Carthy became a resident at the Troubadour folk club in Earl's Court in the early 1960s after his friend Robin Hall persuaded him to visit and listen to the piper Seamus Ennis.
Martin Carthy joined Redd Sullivan's Thameside Four in 1961 as a skiffle guitarist and singer.
Martin Carthy has since described how Larner's performance of "Lofty Tall Ship" altered his perception of how a traditional folk song could be sung, and how it was a key moment in his own development as an artist.
Martin Carthy learned the traditional song "Scarborough Fair" from Carthy, which he later developed into his own song "Girl from the North Country".
In 1964, Martin Carthy joined Marian Mackenzie, Ralph Trainer and Leon Rosselson in the group The Three City Four.
Carthy's debut solo album, Martin Carthy, was released in 1965, and featured Dave Swarbrick playing fiddle on some tracks, although he was not mentioned in the album's sleeve notes.
Martin Carthy has sung with The Watersons since 1972; was twice a member of British folk rock group Steeleye Span; was a member of the Albion Country Band 1973 line-up, with members from the Fairport Convention family and John Kirkpatrick, that recorded the Battle of the Field album; and was part of the innovative Brass Monkey ensemble, which mixed a range of brass instruments with Carthy's guitar and mandolin and John Kirkpatrick's accordion, melodeon and concertina.
Martin Carthy was a member of The Imagined Village for all three of their albums.
Martin Carthy has inspired contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, as well as later artists such as Richard Thompson.
Martin Carthy has lived for many years in Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire.
Martin Carthy was named Folk Singer of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2002, and again in 2005 when he won the award for Best Traditional Track for "The Famous Flower of Serving-Men".