Friends and family of a late County Durham folk musician are to launch final album of his work in aid of charities close to his heart.
A posthumous album of Martin Matthews' music will hit the market next week, with proceeds going towards charities like Marie Curie, Macmillan, and the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre.
No Time Like The Present, a collection of 17 tracks featuring pieces composed by Martin and others with treasured personal connections, was recorded in the final months of his life before his death at 71 in August last year.
Working alongside friend and music producer Sean Taylor, Martin, from Lanchester, was committed to creating an audio record of tunes he hoped will one day become a key part of the traditional session repertoire.
The skilled banjo player had toured North America and Canada, and recorded four earlier albums in partnership with Sean, cementing his reputation not just as a custodian of folk music, but as a pioneer.
Bassist and producer Sean, who collaborated with Martin for more than 20 years, said: “Martin was a perfectionist in everything he did.
"Even through the difficult months and years of his illness, he was determined to get this album finished. He considered it a job that needed to be done, and done well.
“We managed to record everything before he died, but in true Martin fashion, he left me with extensive notes addressing each and every point of the album he felt should be refined during the production process.
"Over the past year, I’ve worked to fulfil those wishes as best I could and while I’m sure there are things he’d still want to change, I think we’ve produced something he’d be proud of.”
Grandfather-of-two Martin was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2020. As well as receiving invaluable support from end-of-life charity Marie Curie as well as Macmillan Cancer Support, he was provided with pioneering treatment by The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation during the course of his illness.
Martin undertook a clinical trial of a new cancer drug at the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care, Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.
Patients come from across North East England and Cumbria for treatment at the centre, which offers hope for people with advanced cancer. The research and clinical trials undertaken there are part of long-term national and international efforts into the disease.
His wife Maria, originally from Newry, Co Down, said: “The support we received from these organisations during Martin’s illness is something I, along with our wonderful daughter Cate, will always cherish.
"Their kindness and practical assistance during such a challenging time made a world of difference to our experience.
"Martin was truly grateful for all they did for him, and it was his firm wish that proceeds from this album, one he was incredibly passionate about, went to them in order to support other families facing a cancer diagnosis."
Among the tracks featured on the album is The Connemara Set, a tune named in honour of the musician’s namesake, his great-grandfather Martin Mannion who emigrated to England in the 1860s from Clifden in Connemara, Co Galway. He, along with many other famine emigres, found employment in the North East coalfield.
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Another piece is Mr Coyne’s Jigs, a tune for Mr Peter Coyne, a surgeon at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, who operated on Martin in June 2021.
In the sleeve notes of the collection, written before his death, Martin told how it was thanks to the work of Mr Coyne and other medics that he was “given more time to complete this album”.
No Time Like The Present will be available from November 16, with people invited to make a charitable donation with their order. A launch event will be held by friends and family that day at Steam Brewing Company in Newtown Aycliffe, Co Durham. Email maria.matthews52@gmail.com to order your copy or visit www.martinmatthews.uk to find out more.
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