Martyn Clift was born third in a family of six children. His father was
a policeman and so the family moved several times when Martyn was very
young, but they settled in Sutton Valence, Kent, in August 1950.
Martyn went to Sutton Valence County Primary School and then to
Maidstone Grammar School where he got seven O levels and three A
levels. He was a Choirboy in the Church choir, the Grammar school
choir, and sang with the grammar school choral society. He also learned
to play the oboe and played with the school first orchestra.
Martyn showed an interest in sound equipment as a teenager, dismantling
the family radio and hooking up speakers in different places. He
acquired a tape recorder and set up a studio to record the family
telling stories about themselves.