Beverley Martyn

Originally known by her birth name Beverly Kutner, the accomplished British folksinger Beverly Martyn enjoyed widespread regard before she encountered and entered a romantic partnership with the British singer/songwriter John Martyn. Long acquainted with Paul Simon, she had recommended the reference to Donovan featured in the Simon and Garfunkel number “Fakin’ It.” Recounting their history during a mid-’90s conversation, Simon noted, “She wasn’t married to John Martyn at that time, but I knew her from way back in English scufflin’ days and we brought her over to sing at the Monterey Pop Festival.”

The pair wed in 1969. In the year that followed they issued two notable collaborative records, Stormbringer—captured in Woodstock, NY, with American players that included Levon Helm of the Band and Paul Harris on keyboards—and The Road to Ruin. The alliance proved fleeting, however. Soon after the birth of her second child in 1971 the marriage ended. Although she later sought to reclaim her standing as a traditional singer, Beverly Martyn never regained the level of recognition she had once attained.