Martin Harley

The hard-working roots musician tells us how going to nashville helped him hone in on his playing to reach new heights.

- Rob Laing

I ’ll tell you where I’m going, when I get there’, so says Martin Harley in his autobiographical signature song One For The Road. And after a dozen years of touring various continents, it seems to us that one of the country’s finest blues/folk/ country/swing/slide guitar musicians (yep, he’s certainly versatile) might be nearing his destination on new album, Static In The Wires. “I feel like I’m in a great place,” he tells us. “And I’ve made a good record with people whose talents I’ve recognised and enjoyed.”

It’s very good, in fact. And one of those people is US bassist Daniel Kimbro, co-credited on his second record with Harley following 2015’s Live At Southern Ground. The two hit it off after an impromptu set together at a Tennessee festival and you could even say he’s the Danny Thompson to Harley’s John Martyn… “I’d always been a fan,” Martin concurs. “They achieved so much with two instruments – there’s a lot to be learned from that. Daniel can go in all kinds of directions. He can go down some pretty deep rabbit holes because his musical vocabulary is broad enough to do that.”

Martin’s music has always reflected American connections; inspired to play slide by Ry Cooder’s