Martyn Joseph

Martyn Joseph, born on July 15, 1960, in Penarth, Wales, is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist known for his Celtic and folk music. Joseph began playing golf at the age of ten and became the youngest winner of the Glamorganshire Golf Club Championship at seventeen. However, he gradually shifted his focus to music, participating in school eisteddfods and writing songs from an early age. His first studio release was I'm Only Beginning in 1983, marking the start of a career that would span over four decades. Joseph's early albums included Sold Out, Ballads...In Quieter Moments, and An Aching and a Longing. In 2004, he won the Best Male Artist Category in the BBC Welsh Music Awards. His music often addresses social issues and injustice, as seen in songs like "Dic Penderyn" and "The Good in Me is Dead". His major label debut with Sony Records was Being There in 1992, which featured stripped-down arrangements produced by Ben Wisch. The album included notable singles such as "Dolphins Make Me Cry", "Working Mother", and "Please Sir". Joseph's second release under Sony, the self-titled Martyn Joseph, was produced by Mick Glossop and included the single "Talk About It in the Morning" co-written with Tom Robinson. After being dropped by Sony, he recorded two albums for Grapevine Records: Full Colour Black & White and Tangled Souls. In 1999, Joseph established his own label, Pipe Records, to gain creative freedom and complete control over his work. His first release under Pipe Records was Far From Silent, which explored themes of fame and fortune. Notable releases under this label include Whoever It Was That Brought Me Here Will Have To Take Me Home in 2003 and Deep Blue in 2005, the latter featuring political tracks like "Yet Still This Will Not Be" and "How Did We End Up Here". Joseph has also collaborated with artists such as Tom Robinson and Steve Knightley. In 2019, he released Here Come the Young, which included a tribute to Phil Ochs in his album Days of Decision: A Tribute to Phil Ochs (2020). Following albums include This Is What I Want to Say (2024) and Troubled Horses (2025).