Martin Simpson

Drawing on influences from Britain, Ireland, America and beyond, Martin Simpson builds a purposeful, often upbeat voice on a spare picking style, and he is renowned as one of the world's leading exponents of slide guitar. Born in Scunthorpe in 1953, he left John Leggott College in 1970 to become a full-time musician, first performing at local folk clubs. His output since has spanned solo records, session work, collaborations and instructional DVDs.

His recordings move between traditional and contemporary material. Music for the Motherless Child (1995), made with Chinese pipa player Wu Man, was recorded in a single session, while The Bramble Briar (2001) returned him to English traditional songs. Righteousness and Humidity (2003), focused on music from the Deep South, was nominated for album of the year at the BBC folk awards, and in 2004 he won Best Musician at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Prodigal Son (2007) was voted the best album at the 2008 awards, and in 2015 he released Murmurs with Andy Cutting and Nancy Kerr.