Bob Martin (folk musician)
Encyclopedia
Bob Martin is an American
folk
singer-songwriter
.
in Boston
during the 1960s, he was influenced by the Cambridge
folk scene and played at the Nameless Coffeehouse
, Club 47 (now Club Passim
), and other folk clubs. Emerging from the same New England city as Jack Kerouac
, Martin was heavily influenced by the beat poet's writing and career. It was in 1972, fifteen years after Kerouac's On the Road
was published, that Bob Martin made his first album Midwest Farm Disaster for RCA Records in Nashville. He worked closely with Chet Atkins, an executive at RCA at the time and many exceptional studio musicians including drummer Kenneth Buttrey, a key player on Bob Dylan
's Blonde on Blonde
album. Due to personnel changes at the label and the onset of disco, Martin's career was not given priority.
In 1974, he "dropped out" of pop culture and moved to a farm in West Virginia
with his family. He continued to write songs, poetry, novels and pursued his muse through various artistic endeavors. In 1982, he recorded his second album, Last Chance Rider for June Appal Recordings
of Whitesburg, KY. The record was recognized as one of the top three folk albums in the country by the National Association of Independent Record Distributors. Martin however chose to play music on his own terms and didn't pursue the music business as a way of life.
It was another ten years, until the release of his third album The River Turns the Wheel (1997), which contained backing vocals
by Bill Morrissey
and Cormac McCarthy
and was on Martin's own label, Riversong Records. It reached number sixteen on the Gavin Americana chart, and was chosen one of the top ten albums in 1997 by Brad Kava of the San Jose Mercury News
. Dave Perry of The Lowell Sun chose it as the best folk album of 1997, and Tom Flannery of The Electric City News also picked it as the best CD of that year. He toured nationally and opened for Merle Haggard
in 1999.
Next To Nothin was released on Riversong Records in 2000. In 2006, Martin completed his first non-fiction novel
, and he continues to perform nationally and internationally.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
.
Biography
While attending Suffolk UniversitySuffolk University
Suffolk University is a private, non-sectarian, university located in Boston, Massachusetts and with over 16,000 students it is the third largest university in Boston...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
during the 1960s, he was influenced by the Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
folk scene and played at the Nameless Coffeehouse
Nameless Coffeehouse
The Nameless Coffeehouse, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, opened in 1967 and is now New England's oldest all-volunteer coffeehouse. Located in the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Harvard Square, the Nameless currently presents a six-concert schedule showcasing acoustic music and comedy...
, Club 47 (now Club Passim
Club Passim
Club Passim is a folk music club in the Harvard Square area of Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was opened by Joyce Kalina and Paula Kelley in 1958, when it was known as Club 47 , and changed its name to simply Passim in 1969...
), and other folk clubs. Emerging from the same New England city as Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
, Martin was heavily influenced by the beat poet's writing and career. It was in 1972, fifteen years after Kerouac's On the Road
On the Road
On the Road is a novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, written in April 1951, and published by Viking Press in 1957. It is a largely autobiographical work that was based on the spontaneous road trips of Kerouac and his friends across mid-century America. It is often considered a defining work of...
was published, that Bob Martin made his first album Midwest Farm Disaster for RCA Records in Nashville. He worked closely with Chet Atkins, an executive at RCA at the time and many exceptional studio musicians including drummer Kenneth Buttrey, a key player on Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's Blonde on Blonde
Blonde on Blonde
Blonde on Blonde is American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's seventh studio album, released in May or June 1966 on Columbia Records and produced by Bob Johnston. Recording sessions commenced in New York in October 1965, with a plethora of backing musicians, including members of Dylan's live backing...
album. Due to personnel changes at the label and the onset of disco, Martin's career was not given priority.
In 1974, he "dropped out" of pop culture and moved to a farm in West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
with his family. He continued to write songs, poetry, novels and pursued his muse through various artistic endeavors. In 1982, he recorded his second album, Last Chance Rider for June Appal Recordings
June Appal Recordings
June Appal Recordings was established by Appalshop to record and distribute music of and from Central Appalachia. Artists with June Appal releases include Buell Kazee, Morgan Sexton, Lee Sexton, Carla Gover, Nimrod Workman and others. Over the last thirty years, June Appal has released more than...
of Whitesburg, KY. The record was recognized as one of the top three folk albums in the country by the National Association of Independent Record Distributors. Martin however chose to play music on his own terms and didn't pursue the music business as a way of life.
It was another ten years, until the release of his third album The River Turns the Wheel (1997), which contained backing vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
by Bill Morrissey
Bill Morrissey
Bill Morrissey was an American folk singer/songwriter from New Hampshire. Many of his songs reflect the harsh realities of life in crumbling New England mill towns.-Career:Morrissey was born in Hartford, Connecticut...
and Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy (musician)
Cormac McCarthy is an American folk singer/songwriter. He was born in Ohio but moved to rural New Hampshire at age ten. He was inspired to play music when his sister, visiting home from college, brought records by Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and Eric Anderson, and he traded his clarinet for a guitar...
and was on Martin's own label, Riversong Records. It reached number sixteen on the Gavin Americana chart, and was chosen one of the top ten albums in 1997 by Brad Kava of the San Jose Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News
The San Jose Mercury News is a daily newspaper in San Jose, California. On its web site, however, it calls itself Silicon Valley Mercury News. The paper is owned by MediaNews Group...
. Dave Perry of The Lowell Sun chose it as the best folk album of 1997, and Tom Flannery of The Electric City News also picked it as the best CD of that year. He toured nationally and opened for Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
in 1999.
Next To Nothin was released on Riversong Records in 2000. In 2006, Martin completed his first non-fiction novel
Non-fiction novel
The non-fiction novel is a literary genre which, broadly speaking, depicts real historical figures and actual events narrated woven together with fictitious allegations and using the storytelling techniques of fiction. The non-fiction novel is an otherwise loosely-defined and flexible genre...
, and he continues to perform nationally and internationally.
Discography
- Midwest Farm Disaster (1972)
- Last Chance Rider (1982)
- The River Turns the Wheel (1992)
- Next to Nothin (2000)