Austin John Marshall

Austin John Marshall (30 March 1937 – 3 November 2013) was an English record producer, songwriter, poet and graphic artist, most notable for his work in developing folk music in Britain in the 1960s and 1970s. Writer Karl Dallas described him as "one of the great unsung pioneers of contemporary British folk song".

He was born in Leicester. His father, an RAF pilot, died in the Second World War, and he was educated at Christ's Hospital school in West Sussex. He studied at the Slade Art School and the London College of Printing, becoming a graphic designer whose work was published in Vogue, The Observer and elsewhere.

In 1960 he met the singer Shirley Collins when he was designing the album cover for Rocket Along, a collection of folk songs in which she featured; they married the following year. Marshall continued to work at The Observer, and began taking an interest in traditional music. In 1964 he arranged for Collins to work with innovative guitarist Davy Graham on their joint album Folk Roots, New Routes, conceiving the album's approach and writing its liner notes. He then worked as a record producer, art director and songwriter on Collins' albums The Sweet Primeroses (1967), The Power Of The True Love Knot (1968), Anthems In Eden (1969), and Love, Death and the Lady (1970), on some of which Collins sang with her sister Dolly Collins. He also wrote lyrics for the song "Dancing At Whitsun", first published by Dallas and sung by Collins on Anthems In Eden.

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