In recent years, I have had the real privilege of spending time with Martin Simpson, both on a one-to-one basis and in a group situation. I calculated last week that we have now spent 100 hours together, and it’s been an amazing journey to date!
I have listened to Martin’s music for over twenty years and have always loved both his songwriting and his performances. I have also seen him live many times and have always been really impressed by how he constantly develops and evolves his music. It’s no wonder that he has won so many BBC Folk awards. Still, Martin’s material embraces a wide range of influences, and this is reflected in some quite extraordinary material over the years. As well as being an extraordinary guitarist, Martin plays a wide range of other instruments, including banjo, Dobro, ukulele and mandola.
The first time I saw Martin on a 1–1 basis, when he started tuning his acoustic with extraordinary dexterity, I felt equally inspired and depressed! This year, he released “Some Kind of Jubilee” to celebrate 50 years of his music, and I can’t wait until May 17th to hear some of it. I have had the real privilege of spending time with Martin Simpson, both on a one-to-one basis
These 100+ hours have been a fascinating insight into the songwriting process, and I am 100% sure they have been a major influence on my own writing for The Small Change Diaries. Martin has also opened up my mind to the possibility of exploring other instruments. Martin is well known for using altered tunings, and these explorations have helped me learn the ukulele, dobro and walking dulcimer.
I have learned a massive amount in this time. The key lessons are: expanding my playing beyond the guitar; learning to step beyond standard tunings; how to construct and write great songs; the importance of good lyrics; and the importance of constant practice and refinement. Earlier this year, with a small amount of trepidation, I played him Adam Blames Eve: The Small Changes Diaries, his debut album. I credited him in the sleeve notes, as without his influence I would never have written or recorded this material! Check out his site at www.martinsimpson.com for some quite sublime and inspiring music!
Here he is in his teaching room, and here’s a taster of him in action.
Update 2026
Martin Simpson will be playing The Old Woollen Mill on May 17th with Liz Hanks and Louis Campbell, with material from “Some Kind of Jubilee”, his latest album, released later this year. This will be another superb concert and of course I hosted Martin and Liz in 2024 for a evening of pure magic