In 2012, a rare infection blinded our singer-songwriter in the left eye. Thanks to some truly outstanding healthcare, they managed to avoid removing it. However, the story of the One Eyed Man was born.

Born in Berkshire, UK, Stuart “One Eyed Man” Hutton started playing instruments at just 9 years old. He began with the trombone, before studying the drums and progressing onto acoustic guitar at university, while studying Audio and Music Technologies.

  Fast forward to 2016, he went in search of a more wholesome life, after tiring of the city job he’d worked after university. He packed up and left Cardiff to travel Asia and Australasia, where he took up busking in Melbourne. After trekking the mountains of Myanmar, diving in Indonesia, biking through Vietnam and working cattle in rural Australia, One Eyed Man had plenty of material to develop his songwriting. 

  Spending so much time on the road meant that recording opportunities were few and far between. That is, until he settled in southern Sweden for a few months and wrote his first online release, “Nordic Skies”. The song delves into the journey of switching a routine income to the challenges of travelling and the freedom it provides. This first release caught the attention of BBC introducing DJ Alex West, who also debuted another single “Only In Time” on BBC Radio Solent. 

He has since released several landmark singles which have all been celebrated on the the BBC and other local radio networks:

• Celebes Sea - 2023

• I Will Be Reminded - 2024

• Just For Now (ft. Robbie Culley) - 2924

• Breakfast in Bed - 2024

All are available to listen on all major platforms.

Notable achievements

After finally choosing to go full time in early 2024, One Eyed Man has started working on fresh material to release in 2025.

He’s since been invited to work with engineers around the world, including at the esteemed Abbey Road Studios in London.

Having won the Live N’ Loud competition in 2023 to secure a spot at the Wimborne Folk Festival , he returned in 2024 for a further two sets and a feature on Radio Wimborne.

After leaving work in February, he has also set up the BERKSHIRE ARTISTREE, a community website that helps mentor budding musicians into work and grow their act. The website can be used to find local music events in the area and to celebrate musicians for their contribution to the local music scene.

Philosophy

  In every culture and folklore throughout history, there is a One Eyed Man; be it Odin (the flawed god), Horus, son of Osiris (the protector), the Cyclops (builders of Olympus), the Dajjal (the devil) or many other examples throughout mythology. It suggests that everyone retains a combination of these attributes and “the one eyed man is all of us, and all of us are One”.

  There is also the other old adage “In the land of the Blind, the One Eyed Man is King”, which implies that he who endeavours to learn will overcome those who do not. It also suggests that in the land of the blind, anyone can claim to have one eye and therefore know the truth. This is a somewhat satirical take on things, but also provokes a yearning to learn about and understand the world and it’s mysteries. 

The Teepee

The Teepee represents solitude, travel, freedom, discovery and shelter. Originally designed as a tattoo before becoming a symbol for all releases. It is now the forefront of all merchandise, which helped raise some funds during the Covid-19 pandemic, made of sustainably-sourced materials such as eco cotton and bamboo. Look out on instagram for future drops!

One Tree Planted

At the first full band show, guests were given a token to donate to one of three charities - wildlife conservation, ocean hygiene or reforestation. The votes were for trees and so all ticket proceeds went towards One Tree Planted.

Now, after planting the first tree in 2022, we’ve planted over 750 trees in total.

In 2025, One Eyed Man will be running Spartan Race in order to plant 1000 trees. If you’d like to support, you can donate here.

There is a tree planted in oxford (pictured) in memory of Milan, a dear friend about which “I Will Be Reminded” was written. In June 2024, his family invited us over to perform the song at a festival held in his honour, with over 100 attendees to watch the performance.