Music like Martyn Bennett

Martyn Bennett (17 February 1971 – 30 January 2005) was a Canadian-Scottish musician who was influential in the evolution of modern Celtic fusion, a blending of traditional Celtic and modern music. He was a piper, violinist, composer and producer. He was an innovator and his compositions crossed musical and cultural divides. Sporting dreadlocks at the height of his performing career, his energetic displays led to descriptions such as "the techno piper". Diagnosis of serious illness at the age of thirty curtailed his live performances, although he completed a further two albums in the studio. He died fifteen months after release of his fifth album Grit.

He was born Martyn Bennett-Knight in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. His father Ian Knight was a Welsh geologist and musician. His mother was Margaret Bennett, singer and folklorist who was born on Skye. His grandfather, George Bennett, was also an enthusiastic piper. For his first five years, he lived in the Codroy Valley, where Gaelic and traditional music were part of the culture. He was five years old when the family moved to Quebec. His parents separated when he was six and his mother moved back to Scotland, taking him with her. They stayed briefly on Mull, before moving to Kingussie, where he had his first lessons on playing the Great Highland bagpipe from David Taylor, also his history teacher. By the age of twelve, he was winning junior piping competitions.