Martyn Joseph

Singer and songwriter Martyn Joseph crafts songs of deep feeling, clarity, and moral urgency that resonate with listeners worldwide, establishing himself as both a compelling live performer and a distinctive composer. Born in Penarth, Wales, on July 15, 1960, Joseph first devoted himself to golf rather than music, taking up the sport at age 10 and achieving a playable handicap by 15 before claiming several amateur titles. Music captured his attention only in his late teens, prompting him to begin writing original material and taking the stage.

His initial recordings appeared in 1983 as a series of self-released albums whose audience steadily expanded until the 1989 album An Aching and a Longing moved nearly 30,000 copies, almost entirely through sales at concerts. Myrrh Records later secured retail rights to that album, after which “Dolphins Make Me Cry” received notable radio exposure. Impressed by the growing grassroots support, the Sony-distributed Epic label offered a contract; Joseph’s first Epic release, 1992’s Being There, featured “Dolphins Make Me Cry” alongside the charting U.K. singles “Please Sir” and “Working Mother.” Following the 1995 album Martyn Joseph, relations with the label cooled, leading Joseph to record 1996’s Full Colour Black and White and 1998’s Tangled Souls for the independent U.K. label Grapevine Records.

In 1999 he launched his own imprint, Pipe, thereby gaining complete artistic control; the debut Pipe release, Far from Silent, appeared that same year. Subsequent Pipe output included both studio albums and numerous live documents—among them official bootleg editions—while his touring schedule kept him active across the U.K., Europe, the United States, and Canada. On those tours he has shared bills with artists ranging from Joan Armatrading and Suzanne Vega to Celine Dion and Shirley Bassey, and in 2004 he joined Tom Robinson and Steve Knightley for the collaborative album Faith, Folk and Anarchy. Also in 2004 he received the BBC Welsh Music Award for Best Male Artist, and in 2012 he won Best Folk Song at the World Independent Music Awards for “There’s Always Maybe.”

A longtime admirer of Bruce Springsteen, Joseph issued Tires Rushing by in the Rain in 2013, presenting his own readings of 17 Springsteen compositions. Sanctuary followed in 2015. Beyond music, Joseph has long advocated for human rights and economic justice, earning recognition from Amnesty International and co-founding the Let Yourself Trust to support charitable and human-rights initiatives globally.