Martin Duffy (musician)
Encyclopedia
Martin Duffy is an English
keyboardist
who originally played in Felt
and currently plays with Primal Scream
.
and grew up in Rednal
in the south of the city, attending St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School
in King's Norton, and growing up listening to Two Tone, punk
, The Beatles
and Led Zeppelin
. In 1985 he joined the indie
band Felt
as a keyboard player. Felt frontman Lawrence
later recalled "I put up notices in Virgin (Records) in Birmingham advertising for a guitarist saying 'Do You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star?' I'd put two up when this guy came up to me and said, 'I know this keyboard player. He's 16. He's just left school. He's a genius."
Duffy also played with The Charlatans
following the death of founder-member Rob Collins
, appearing with the group at Knebworth
supporting Oasis
in 1996 and contributing keyboard parts to the bands fifth album Tellin' Stories
along with Collins. He has also played on recordings by Heidi Berry when she recorded for Creation Records
and he played on several Airstream singles.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
keyboardist
Musical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
who originally played in Felt
Felt (band)
Felt were a 1980s British alternative rock band led by Lawrence, whose surname was never listed in any credits or press; the band's name was inspired by Tom Verlaine's emphasis of the word "felt" in the Television song "Venus"...
and currently plays with Primal Scream
Primal Scream
Primal Scream are a Scottish alternative rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie and Jim Beattie and now based in London. The current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes , Martin Duffy , and Darrin Mooney...
.
Career
Duffy was born in BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and grew up in Rednal
Rednal
Rednal is a residential suburb on the south western edge of metropolitan Birmingham, West Midlands, England, 9 miles south west of Birmingham city centre and forming part of Longbridge parish and electoral ward....
in the south of the city, attending St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, Birmingham
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School is a mixed Catholic secondary school in Kings Norton, Birmingham, England that specialises in mathematics and computing. The school, which is part of the Birmingham Catholic Partnership, consists of key stage three , key stage four and a Sixth form college...
in King's Norton, and growing up listening to Two Tone, punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
. In 1985 he joined the indie
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Felt
Felt (band)
Felt were a 1980s British alternative rock band led by Lawrence, whose surname was never listed in any credits or press; the band's name was inspired by Tom Verlaine's emphasis of the word "felt" in the Television song "Venus"...
as a keyboard player. Felt frontman Lawrence
Lawrence Hayward
Lawrence Hayward , known simply as Lawrence, his surname never used in credits or press, is best known as the singer, songwriter and guitarist of British indie band Felt.-Felt:...
later recalled "I put up notices in Virgin (Records) in Birmingham advertising for a guitarist saying 'Do You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star?' I'd put two up when this guy came up to me and said, 'I know this keyboard player. He's 16. He's just left school. He's a genius."
Duffy also played with The Charlatans
The Charlatans (British band)
The Charlatans are an English alternative rock band. The band's line-up currently comprises Tim Burgess , Mark Collins , Martin Blunt , Tony Rogers and Jon Brookes .Former members of the band include guitarist Jon Day , vocalist Baz Ketley...
following the death of founder-member Rob Collins
Rob Collins (musician)
Rob Collins was an English musician best known as the original keyboardist of The Charlatans.-The Charlatans:...
, appearing with the group at Knebworth
Concerts at Knebworth House
The grounds of Knebworth House near the village of Knebworth in Hertfordshire, England has become a major venue for open air rock and pop concerts since 1974 when The Allman Brothers Band attracted 60,000 at the first large concert held at the venue....
supporting Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
in 1996 and contributing keyboard parts to the bands fifth album Tellin' Stories
Tellin' Stories
Tellin' Stories is an album by the British band The Charlatans , released on April 21, 1997. It includes the final contributions of founder-member and keyboard player Rob Collins who died in a car accident midway through recording...
along with Collins. He has also played on recordings by Heidi Berry when she recorded for Creation Records
Creation Records
Creation Records was a British independent record label headed by Alan McGee. Along with Dick Green and Joe Foster, McGee founded Creation in 1983. The label lasted until its demise in 1999. The name came from the 1960s band The Creation , whom McGee greatly admired. McGee, Green and Foster were...
and he played on several Airstream singles.