Folk veteran Carthy to play solo gig at Legion in June

Folk music veteran Martin Carthy will visit Shetland as part of his extensive UK tour, appearing at the Lerwick Legion on Friday 24th June in a solo capacity with local support.

Since the mid-1960s Carthy has been lauded as a top singer/songwriter, with no less than Bob Dylan and Paul Simon both citing him as an influence.

Carthy’s arrangement of the traditional folk song Scarborough Fair was adapted, apparently without permission, and turned into a hit by Simon and Garfunkel – a situation and argument that was only resolved when Simon himself invited Carthy to sing the song with him on stage at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2000.

A renowned solo performer in his own right with a strong percussive guitar style that emphasises melody, he has twice been a member of the equally legendary band Steeleye Span; and a member of the Albion Country Band (alongside members of Fairport Convention).

He was a long-term musical partner of acclaimed fiddler Dave Swarbrick (Fairport Convention) while also regularly teaming up with his wife Norma Waterson and daughter Eliza Carthy in the equally renowned Waterson-Carthy group.

For his part Carthy always prefers to follow an insatiable musical curiosity rather than cash in on his unrivalled position.

In 2014 he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Radio 2 Folk Awards and has also been awarded an MBE by the Queen.

The show is being promoted by Davie Gardner of local company Atlantic Edge Music Services.

Gardner said: “It would not be over-stating the fact to say that Martin Carthy is a legend in global folk music circles, so I’m delighted to be able to bring him to Shetland for this one-off special show.

“His talents and influences speak for themselves in every respect, so this should hopefully make for another memorable night of music in the isles.”