Carl Martin (musician)
Encyclopedia
Carl Martin was an American
Piedmont blues
musician and vocalist, who was capable with a variety of instruments
and musical styles.
Martin was born in Big Stone Gap, Virginia
, United States
. He started making records
with a number of groups including the Four Keys, the Tennessee Chocolate Drops, the Wandering Troubadours and as Martin, Bogan, and Armstrong.
Additionally he accompanied Chicago musicians such as Bumble Bee Slim
and Tampa Red
throughout the 1930s. His solo work recorded in the 1930s is also notable, songs such as "Crow Jane" and "Old Time Blues" feature his remarkable guitar accompaniment. From this decade onwards, Martin played regularly solo in the Chicago
area, with his repertoire extending across blues, jazz
, pop
, country
, and even non-English
songs. He reunited with Bogan, and Armstrong in the 1970s, and played at folk
and blues music festival
s across the States.
Martin died in Pontiac, Michigan
, in May 1979, at the age of 73.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Piedmont blues
Piedmont blues
Piedmont blues refers primarily to a guitar style, the Piedmont fingerstyle, which is characterized by a fingerpicking approach in which a regular, alternating thumb bass string rhythmic pattern supports a syncopated melody using the treble strings generally picked with the fore-finger,...
musician and vocalist, who was capable with a variety of instruments
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
and musical styles.
Martin was born in Big Stone Gap, Virginia
Big Stone Gap, Virginia
Big Stone Gap is a town in Wise County, Virginia, United States. The population was 5,643 at the 2010 census.-History:The community was formerly known as "Meneral City" and "Three Forks." The "Big Stone Gap" refers to the valley which has been created on the Appalachia Straight, located between...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He started making records
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
with a number of groups including the Four Keys, the Tennessee Chocolate Drops, the Wandering Troubadours and as Martin, Bogan, and Armstrong.
Additionally he accompanied Chicago musicians such as Bumble Bee Slim
Bumble Bee Slim
Amos Easton , better known by the stage name Bumble Bee Slim, was an American Piedmont blues musician.-Biography:Easton was born in Brunswick, Georgia, United States...
and Tampa Red
Tampa Red
Tampa Red , born Hudson Woodbridge but known from childhood as Hudson Whittaker, was an American Chicago blues musician....
throughout the 1930s. His solo work recorded in the 1930s is also notable, songs such as "Crow Jane" and "Old Time Blues" feature his remarkable guitar accompaniment. From this decade onwards, Martin played regularly solo in the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
area, with his repertoire extending across blues, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, and even non-English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
songs. He reunited with Bogan, and Armstrong in the 1970s, and played at 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....
and blues music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
s across the States.
Martin died in Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County...
, in May 1979, at the age of 73.