Talk:Beverley Martyn

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[edit] Date of birth

Based on the 1965 single "at the age of 16", I had a look through the English birth registers for 1948/1949 but couldn't find Beverley Kutner. Bluewave 11:08, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

Unfortunately I can't corroborate these dates. There are three sources:
From the biography on Voiceprint:
Beverly Martin was a student at the Corona Academy of Theatre Arts when she was singled out to front "The Levee Breakers", a much lauded Jug Band. At the age of 16 she made her first single 'Babe I'm Leaving You' which was released on the Parlophone label http://www.voiceprint.co.uk/web/Release/OW112CD/

from this article on the Famous Jug Band

Henry loved obscure jug band and blues records and by 1965 was a member of a band called The Levee Breakers who played around the South East and even got to record a single for Parlophone. http://www.pmpr.co.uk/msm12.htm

and then from the Big Muff site this reprint of a journal article:
May 1970, Beat Instrumental #85 Beverley had been singing with the Levee Breakers, a remarkably good blues trio that made one record with George Martin for Parlophone, and had been among the first of Denny Cordell's artists to appear on the Deram label when it started, with a driving song called Happy New Year (1)

The footnote is as follows:
(1) muffnote: Released september 1966 (DM 101)etc

So I have Beverley recording a solo single in 1966 on Deram which follows the Levee Breakers single on Parlophone which is probably either in 1965 or maybe 1966. Not enough evidence to stand up in a court of law but putting 2 and 2 together etc!! The dates sound about right though.
I guess there may also be a number of reasons why she can't be found in the English births register e.g. I know she was from Coventry but was she born there? Is Beverley her first Christian name? (some people prefer to use their second like Michael Colin Cowdrey - and of course he was born in India). Sadly there doesn't seem to be a lot of information on Beverley available--twitter 08:21, 26 July 2006 (UTC)

As a footnote I fond a reference on the Rockmine website www.rockmine.music.co.uk/L_Cyclo/LCyclo20.html (unavailable at the moment but Google has a cacged version which shows:
Levee Breakers: Beverley - vocals; Johnny Joyce - guitar; Les McCann - guitar. Released on single, 'Babe I'm Leaving You' Parlophone R 5291, in 1965

All looks convincing. I've also seen a reproduction (somewhere on the web!) of a poster from 1965, advertising a folkclub which was headlining the Levee Breakers (inc Beverley). I wasn't really questioning your dates (unless she was much older/younger than the quoted 16), just surprised not being able to track down her birth. There was another Kutner (male) born in Coventry in 1950 (maybe a brother) but I couldn't see a likely candidate for Beverley in earlier years (even a second name B). Of course she could have been born abroad (or even Scotland!). Just wondered if you (or anyone) had any other clues. Bluewave 09:36, 26 July 2006 (UTC)