Martin had strong links with the Ilfracombe & Barnstaple clubs. He used to stay with Mollie and Mike Hilson. Both he and Redd were regular guests. He even ran the bar at the Ring O Bells in St. Issey over one Mayday - only time I've seem Mervyn completely stumped! (Not quite true - I've seen Les Barker do it as well).

Martyn set several of Kipling's poems to music, but he had great trouble with the Kipling Society and was unable to record them. It wasn't till years later that Peter Bellamy got them on-side and was able to record his own settings.

First time I met Martin & Redd was at the National Festival when two very young and green country boys - me and John Barnett - went up there 'cause Mervyn Vincent was booked as a guest. Martin & Redd invited us down to the Troub after the weekend, and that was the first time I heard Doc Watson. Barny & I were invited to perform and I remember Martin saying there was a man in the fromt row with a tape recorded - "If there's anything you don't want recorded, I'll make sure he turns it off" (!) This was the man who taught his wife - Jeannie - how to tear telephone directories in half. You didn't argue with Martin.

I once asked Martin why he didn't drive - he avoided details, but somewhere along the line the incident in question resulted in two police cars lodged in shop windows.

I still sing a couple of Redd's songs, including his auto-bigraphical Firing the Mauritania.

Great characters. Happy days.

Tom Brown