GIVEN that his career as a recording artist now spans 40 years and he has 23 albums to his name, you might think that Martyn Joseph has seen most things.

But even he has to admit that the past few days have been a bit of whirlwind.

Martyn who comes to Bury Met next Friday, is one of five leading UK folk and roots artists invited to take part in a special songwriting project, 21st Century Folk, by the BBC. Martyn was tasked with writing a song based on the experiences of Andrea Bell, founder of a soup kitchen and foodbank in Sunderland. The result is Albert’s Place which was released this week and which saw Martyn appearing on Breakfast TV, being interviewed live by Jeremy Vine on Radio Two and also putting in an appearance on the One Show.

“It has been a bit crazy,” said Martyn, “but you get these little spasms sometimes, you just go with the flow.”

Bury Times: Martyn Joseph (Picture: Jolyon Holroyd)

Albert’s Place is a song which could bring Martyn back into the mainstream. It’s a beautifully observed and heartfelt work and typical of his output over the years.

For fans he remains an undiscovered national treasure; a genuine storyteller who has real mastery of his art, producing songs with a real social conscience.

“I don’t think that’s the job of every songwriter,” he said. “The vast majority of music sold is purely about entertainment but I’ve always been drawn to the tradition of Woody Guthrie, early Dylan and Pete Seeger, the story tellers.”

Albert’s Place was written to a tight deadline of around five weeks.

“Having been asked to take part you’re not going to say no as it’s a lovely opportunity for me and also to highlight the great work Andrea is doing,” he said. “But part of you does think ‘how the hell am I going to do this?’. But I suppose that’s my job although the writing process is in part very mysterious and there’s nothing you can guarantee about it; it’s a process that’s beyond analysis.”

Martyn travelled to Sunderland to meet Andrea and to hear about the work she does.

“She’s a larger than life personality and thankfully there was no awkwardness from the start,” he said. “I just though about what I think is still the best song ever written about homelessness - Ralph McTell’s Streets of London - and what he’d actually done with the song.

“He does what I’ve know for many years that if you have got big subject the best way to tell the story is to find one person’s story within all that.”

Albert’s Place gets its name from the former owner of the building which now houses the soup kitchen, a butcher who would give away meat to families that were struggling.

“I got Andrea to tell me about the various people she’s helped and the key story was about a lady who was at a church event who was clearly outside the group. Andrea went over and said ‘here’s a cup of tea for you with love’ That’s such a powerful line it stuck with me and is a key to the song.”

Martyn will also now be able to include the song into his live shows as he resumes a UK tour following a Christmas break.

“I haven’t been able to play it to anyone as there was the official launch this week,” he said.

“When you meet someone like Andrea you always think the human spirit is amazing, you realise what we are capable of.

“Obviously the bad guys get all the headlines but this good work goes on across the globe every day. I have my own small charity - Let Yourself Trust - which runs alongside the music. We work with small organisation and all these volunteers, if you took all that away we would be in a mess. In spite of everything going on in the world, the glass is still half full for me.”

For his live shows Martyn will be showcasing songs from his most recent album 1960 released in 2021 but also be looking back at his career has he reaches a landmark 40 years as a recording artist.

“1960 is a record I’m very proud of,” he said. “It was a far more personal record for me. I suppose that’s because we had lockdown and I sat at home with time on my hands to look a little bit backwards. Also I entered into my seventh decade on the planet and I became a grandad. Plus I lost my dad who had Alzheimer’s and one of the songs, Shadow Boxing is specifically about that illness.

“But the album’s still in folk charts after a year and even though it’s more personal than political, people seemed to have enjoyed it.”

Given that there are another 22 albums plus countless covers to choose from, putting a touring setlist together might have been a major challenge.

“I’ve carefully selected songs,” said Martyn. “Some of them which I wrote in my 20s are a bit naive, they were written at a different time and I was a different person, so there are some songs I would never play.

“I think songwriting is an evolving thing. Even though I’m 62 now I feel like I’m on top of my game. Some musicians now would just be playing their best songs and that would be it but I’m still hungry to make my best record ever, I’m still hungry to write that song that will be the defining song, I still want to make best art I can and I know in my heart that what I’m producing now is the best it’s been.

“If I could have written some of the songs I’m writing now when I was signed to a big label - he released two albums through Sony in the 1990s - I think life would have been very different. But I’m very grateful for what I’ve had. I’ve had a lifetime making a living not a killing though music and I’m anxious to carry on and see what’s in the future.”

Martyn Joseph, The Met, Bury, Friday, January 20. Details from www.themet.org.uk