Martin Carthy: English Roots

Following Martin on a very personal musical journey, filmmaker Greg Bailey accompanies Martin as he and his wife Norma Waterson go to Buckingham Palace to collect Martin's MBE; to St Paul's Cathedral to cross swords with the 'great man' theory of English history; and to see Martin's unique guitar style drive the famous Morris Dancers of Bampton in Oxfordshire. The program sees Martin's inimitable guitar playing and singing develop from his groundbreaking partnership in the 60s with Dave Swarbrick, the doyen of folk fiddlers, to the recent acclaimed work with his wife the great folk diva Norma Waterson - along with the leading light of the new generation of folk performers, their daughter, Eliza Carthy. Along the way, this passionate, complex artist challenges many preconceived notions of English identity and culture and suggests how his beloved traditional music could point to a more meaningful, radical alternative. Named Folk Singer of the Year 2002 by the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Carthy was born in Hertfordshire in 1941 and sang in church choirs as a child. Lonnie Donegan was, in part, responsible for Carthy's love of the guitar and he was consumed by the skiffle boom before enjoying 60s London with the likes of Davy Graham, Bert Jansch, Odetta and Diz Disley. An acknowledged influence on both Bob Dylan and Paul Simon (with whom he recently performed) Carthy's pioneering ventures took him into the heart of the 70s folk explosion. He has also enjoyed three decades of celebrated performance with wife Norma and more recently has toured and recorded with their daughter Eliza.