Keith Martin (musician)
Encyclopedia
Keith Martin is an American
R&B
singer-songwriter
and multi-instrumentalist
, currently living in Surabaya, Indonesia, Indonesia
. Martin is best known for writing and singing romantic love songs. He is also an accomplished musician, playing keyboards
, bass guitar
, drums
, and percussion
.
, and Stevie Wonder
. He was also influenced by jazz
and gospel music
. He started playing piano
, drums and singing when he was 10, and started writing music when he was aged nineteen.
Martin was a force among local artists in the late 1980s, working and performing with Johnny Gill
and Stacy Lattisaw
. He was a part of the group Masqerade, which included the twins Art and Scott Powell, Sharif Walters and D'Extra Wiley, who later became a member of the 1990s new jack R&B group II D Extreme
.
Con Funk Shun
founder and drummer Louis A. McCall Sr.
saw Martin, and signed him to his Gaithersburg, MD
artist management company owned by him and his wife Linda Lou McCall, a music business consultant and songwriter. Linda Lou McCall was hired by MC Hammer
in 1990 to help set up his corporate operations and administration in Oakland, California
. When she became Vice President of Hammer's artist management company, she and her husband arranged for Martin to come to California, and got him on as part of MC Hammer's Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em and Too Legit to Quit
world tours.
When the McCalls relocated to Los Angeles
in 1992, Martin followed, enabling him to work with Boyz II Men
, Shovani and Buster, Grammy Award
winning songwriter and producers Marty Sharon and Danny Sembello, Oji Pierce, Ian Prince, and the The Time
's Jesse Johnson
.
brought Martin to Sony
, where he released his first album, It's Long Overdue
in 1995, which peaked at #82 on the US
Billboard
R&B Albums chart
. His first single "Never Find Someone Like You" (which was also independently recorded by Backstreet Boys
before) peaked at #53 on the Billboard Hot 100
and at #43 on R&B Singles chart, and was included in the platinum-selling Bad Boys
soundtrack
.
For the next decade Martin stayed busy in the music industry, producing and writing, and releasing several solo albums, gaining him a large fan base throughout the world. His ballad, "Because Of You", is still a major favorite in the US and Asia.
, who hired him as in-house producer in Manila
, Philippines
, producing and writing for artists in the Philippines and Indonesia
. He collaborated with Filipino
singer Kyla
on her Not Your Ordinary Girl
and Beautiful Days
albums, with Gloc 9 on his Ako Si…
album, with Agnes Monica
on her Whaddup A.. '?! album, with Gary V., 604 and others. As of late 2009, he worked with POSH, an all-girl group signed to Viva Records to produce one of their singles, "Missing You" off their album My Heart.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
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...
and multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
, currently living in Surabaya, Indonesia, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. Martin is best known for writing and singing romantic love songs. He is also an accomplished musician, playing keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, and percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
.
Early years
Martin was the second son of three children in Washington, D.C. Growing up, he listened to Glenn Louise, Jimmy Jam and Terry LewisJimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
, and Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
. He was also influenced by 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...
and gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
. He started playing piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, drums and singing when he was 10, and started writing music when he was aged nineteen.
Martin was a force among local artists in the late 1980s, working and performing with Johnny Gill
Johnny Gill
Johnny Gill is an American R&B singer-songwriter. He is the sixth and final member of the R&B supergroup New Edition, and was also a member of another supergroup called LSG; with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat. His signature song "My, My, My" has been included on numerous romantic...
and Stacy Lattisaw
Stacy Lattisaw
Stacy Lattisaw is an American R&B, dance, and gospel singer. Since the 1990s, she has exclusively sung gospel music, as a callback to her Christian roots.-Career:...
. He was a part of the group Masqerade, which included the twins Art and Scott Powell, Sharif Walters and D'Extra Wiley, who later became a member of the 1990s new jack R&B group II D Extreme
II D Extreme
II D Extreme was an American new jack swing/urban R&B group from the early 1990s that included D'Extra Wiley, Randy Gill and Jermaine Mickey...
.
Con Funk Shun
Con Funk Shun
Con Funk Shun is an American R&B and funk band popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Influences include James Brown and Sly & the Family Stone.-History:...
founder and drummer Louis A. McCall Sr.
Louis A. McCall Sr.
Louis A. McCall Sr. was an American singer, songwriter, drummer, and event planner. He is best known as the co-founder and drummer of the 1970s and 1980s funk/R&B band Con Funk Shun. Louis was murdered in a home invasion robbery in 1997.-History:Louis A. McCall Sr...
saw Martin, and signed him to his Gaithersburg, MD
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
artist management company owned by him and his wife Linda Lou McCall, a music business consultant and songwriter. Linda Lou McCall was hired by MC Hammer
MC Hammer
Stanley Kirk Burrell , better known by his stage name MC Hammer , is an American rapper, entertainer, business entrepreneur, dancer and actor. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s...
in 1990 to help set up his corporate operations and administration in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. When she became Vice President of Hammer's artist management company, she and her husband arranged for Martin to come to California, and got him on as part of MC Hammer's Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em and Too Legit to Quit
Too Legit to Quit
The cassette tape version of this album is considerably longer, with the addition of four songs . After "Find Yourself a Friend" there follows "Rollin' On " . After "Gaining Momentum" is "Burn It Up" . The last two songs on the album are then "Addams Groove" and "Street Soldiers "...
world tours.
When the McCalls relocated to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1992, Martin followed, enabling him to work with Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...
, Shovani and Buster, Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winning songwriter and producers Marty Sharon and Danny Sembello, Oji Pierce, Ian Prince, and the The Time
The Time (band)
The Time is a funk and dance-pop ensemble formed in 1981. They are close Prince associates and arguably the most successful artists who have worked with him.-Prince, Formation and Success:...
's Jesse Johnson
Jesse Johnson (musician)
Jesse Woods Johnson is a musician best known as the guitarist in the original lineup of The Time....
.
First album
Michael McCaryMichael McCary
Michael Sean McCary is an American R&B singer, best known as the former bass singer of the popular R&B group, Boyz II Men....
brought Martin to Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
, where he released his first album, It's Long Overdue
It's Long Overdue
It's Long Overdue is a Keith Martin's album released on 18 April 1995 by Sony and Ruffhouse, which peaked at #82 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The song "Never Find Someone Like You" was released as a first single and peaked at #53 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at #43 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles &...
in 1995, which peaked at #82 on the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
R&B Albums chart
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
. His first single "Never Find Someone Like You" (which was also independently recorded by Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. They rose to fame with their debut international album, Backstreet Boys...
before) peaked at #53 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and at #43 on R&B Singles chart, and was included in the platinum-selling Bad Boys
Bad Boys (1995 film)
Bad Boys is a 1995 American action comedy film directed by Michael Bay in his directorial debut, and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer...
soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
.
For the next decade Martin stayed busy in the music industry, producing and writing, and releasing several solo albums, gaining him a large fan base throughout the world. His ballad, "Because Of You", is still a major favorite in the US and Asia.
Move to Philippines
In 2004, he came to the attention of EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, who hired him as in-house producer in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, producing and writing for artists in the Philippines and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. He collaborated with Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
singer Kyla
Kyla
Melanie Hernandez Calumpad Alvarez , better known by her stage name Kyla, is an R&B singer, songwriter, producer, TV host, and occasional actress from the Philippines....
on her Not Your Ordinary Girl
Not Your Ordinary Girl
Not Your Ordinary Girl is the fourth studio album by Kyla. It was released by Poly East Records under EMI Philippines in 2004. The album spawned five singles, including the number-one singles "Because Of You", "Human Nature", "If the Feeling Is Gone", "Not Your Ordinary Girl", and "Till They Take...
and Beautiful Days
Beautiful Days (album)
Beautiful Days is the fifth studio album by Kyla.. It was released by EMI Philippines in June 3, 2006. The album includes the single Beautiful Days written by Kyla herself with producer Jonathan Manalo inspired from her boyfriend Rich Alvarez and the main theme song of weekly TV series Now &...
albums, with Gloc 9 on his Ako Si…
Ako Si…
Ako Si... is the second album and his last album from Star Records of Pinoy rapper, Gloc-9. It has 14 tracks and released under Star Records on 2005.- Track listing :# D Intro# Slick n Sly# Tula# Ipagpatawad Mo# Love Story Ko# English Tracks...
album, with Agnes Monica
Agnes Monica
Agnes Monica is an Indonesian recording artist and actress. Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, she started her career in entertainment industry at the age of six as a child singer. She has recorded three albums which established herself as one of the most popular child singers in the 1990s...
on her Whaddup A.. '?! album, with Gary V., 604 and others. As of late 2009, he worked with POSH, an all-girl group signed to Viva Records to produce one of their singles, "Missing You" off their album My Heart.
Back in US
In May 2008, Martin was brought back to the United States by his first manager, Linda Lou McCall, and her business partner, Ruben Harper. He is currently signed to harperMcCALL OmniMEDIA. He lives in Stockton, California, and is chief producer/songwriter for the harperMcCALL "Rhyme Scene Unit" production team. His most recent work is the 2009 remake of Con Funk Shun's 1981 song, "California 1", produced by him and McCall for Rhyme Scene Records.2011
In January 2011, Keith Martin wrote & produced 2 songs for Australian recording artist Ron Kingston. The first song was a duet called "My Friend" which features Ron Kingston and Indonesian singer Mia on the release. The Disney inspired & animated music video was completed by Empire Films in Australia and released to the public on 26th of September 2011.Albums
- 1995 It's Long OverdueIt's Long OverdueIt's Long Overdue is a Keith Martin's album released on 18 April 1995 by Sony and Ruffhouse, which peaked at #82 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The song "Never Find Someone Like You" was released as a first single and peaked at #53 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at #43 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles &...
(US album) - 2003 All the HitsAll the HitsAll the Hits is a Keith Martin's album released in 2003 by Blockbuster.-Track listing:# Forever Will Be - 4:59# Because of You - 3:55# Moment in Time - 4:56# If Love Feels So Good - 4:41...
(US album) - 2004 Love of My LifeLove of My Life (album)Love of My Life is a Keith Martin's album released on 22 March 2004 by EMI. The songs "Because Of You", "Love Of My Life" and "Coming Home" were released as singles.This album is Martin's first Filipino album.-Track listing:...
(Filipino album) - 2004 ValidatedValidated (album)Validated is a Keith Martin's album released on 23 March 2004 by Orchard. The song "Whateva U Need" was released as a single.-Track listing:# Validated - 5:19# Groove On - 4:20...
(US album) - 2005 I'm Not AloneI'm Not AloneI'm Not Alone is a Keith Martin's album released on 14 March 2005 by EMI.This album was Martin's second Filipino album.The song "I Don't Wanna Think About It" written & produced by Shawn Stockman was released as a first single...
(Filipino album) - 2007 Let Me Take ControlLet Me Take ControlLet Me Take Control is a Keith Martin album released on 13 August 2007 by Galaxy Records. The song "Lady" was released as the first single. This album is Martin's third Filipino album.-Track listing:# "Lady" - 4:32...
(Filipino album)
Singles
- 1995 "Never Find Someone Like You"
- 1995 "Moment in Time"
- 2004 "Because Of You"
- 2004 "Love of My Life"
- 2004 "Coming Home"
- 2004 "Whateva U Need"
- 2005 "I Don't Wanna Think About It"
- 2007 "Lady"
- 2009 "California 1"