I was shocked and saddened to learn yesterday of the death of John Martyn on Thursday. Martyn, a Scottish folk singer-songwriter, wasn't a big star, but his influence on British folk rock was immeasurable, and his influence on the pop world was also evident; Phil Collins collaborated with Martyn, and Eric Clapton covered his best-known song, "May You Never." Martyn combined folk and jazz elements in his music, with a definite Scottish bent, but the versatility of his music was evident in Clapton's remake of "May You Never," in which the blues-based guitar legend turned it into an American-style country song bordering on Nashville style.
Also sadly noted is the passing of John Updike, the author of the "Rabbit" novels and of several novels and short stories that poetically chronicled postwar American suburbia. I haven't read enough of him, but he had an uncluttered, unpretentious style.
RIP.
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