Martyn Bennett

Martyn Bennett (born February 17, 1971, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada - died January 30, 2005, Edinburgh, Scotland) was a Canadian-born Scottish piper, violinist, composer and producer who was influential in the evolution of modern Celtic fusion, a blending of traditional Celtic and modern music. He was born to a family rooted in both the Island of Skye and Wales. He spent his formative years in the Cordroy Valley, Canada surrounded by Gaelic-speaking Scottish immigrants who had come from Canna and Moidart in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland in 1820. So it is ironic that the most concentrated source of his musical upbringing was absorbed some 2500 miles from its origin, which, for the most part, had become much diluted since the times of The Highland Clearances and the tragic aftermath of the Jacobite uprisings of 1690-1746. At age 19, he took to the peaking rave scene in Glasgow and began formulating what would become his signature hybrid of traditional Gaelic and modern house, hip-hop, and dance music. Martyn fused rural and urban music (rurban, urbal?), mixing classical styles with contemporary rhythms and technologies, and emerged with a sound which was unique yet familiar, and in high demand throughout Glasgow. After finding his niche in the Gaelic/dance arena, Martyn began garnering attention by composing for European theatrical productions. Beginning with the score for "The Haunting of Billy Marshall", Martyn composed for the Tom McGrath adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Kidnapped" and David Harrower's "Knives in Hens". These works led to television and movie scores and eventually on to solo performances, highlights of which include performing as personal piper for the Tanzanian President on his visit to Edinburgh, a three month tour of the U.S. with Green Linnet recording artist Wolfstone, consecutive appearances (in 1995 and 1996) at the Edinburgh Hogmanay for crowds of over 90,000 people (and a couple of sheep), and a gig as entertainer for the Braveheart premiere at Stirling Castle. In November 2000 Martyn was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphona. Martyn Bennett died on January 30, 2005.