Moon Martin
Encyclopedia
John David "Moon" Martin (born October 31, 1950, Oklahoma
) is an American singer, songwriter
and guitarist.
artist and composer
. Originally a rockabilly
artist
, he wrote the song
s "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)
", made famous by the English
singer Robert Palmer, and "Cadillac Walk", made famous by the American
singer Willy DeVille
.
Martin scored two minor hits of his own with "Rolene" (#30 Billboard Hot 100
) and "No Chance" (#50), both in 1979. His 1982 song, "X-Ray Vision" was an MTV
hit music video
.
He was given the nickname
"Moon" because many of his songs had the word "moon" in the lyrics
.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
) is an American singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and guitarist.
Career
Martin gained recognition in the 1970s as a popPop 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...
artist and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. Originally a rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
artist
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, he wrote the song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)
Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)
"Bad Case of Loving You " is a 1978 song recorded by Robert Palmer and written by Moon Martin. The song appeared on Palmer's 1979 album Secrets and was a hit, reaching #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Canadian RPM chart in 1979...
", made famous by the English
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...
singer Robert Palmer, and "Cadillac Walk", made famous by the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer Willy DeVille
Willy DeVille
Willy DeVille was an American singer and songwriter. During his thirty-five year career, first with his band Mink DeVille and later on his own, Deville created original songs rooted in traditional American musical styles. He worked with collaborators from across the spectrum of contemporary...
.
Martin scored two minor hits of his own with "Rolene" (#30 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 "No Chance" (#50), both in 1979. His 1982 song, "X-Ray Vision" was an MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
hit music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
.
He was given the nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
"Moon" because many of his songs had the word "moon" in the lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
.
Studio Albums
- Shots From A Cold Nightmare (1978, Capitol RecordsCapitol RecordsCapitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
) - Escape From Domination (1979, Capitol) - #80, Billboard 200Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
- Street Fever (1980, Capitol) - #138, Billboard 200Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
- Mystery Ticket (1982, Capitol) - #205, Billboard 200Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
- Mixed Emotions (1985, Capitol FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) - Dreams On File (1992, Fnac France)
- Cement Monkey (1993, CORE)
- Lunar Samples (1995, CORE)
- Louisiana Juke-Box (1999, Sonodisc France-Eagle UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
)
External links
- Official site
- Moon Martin at VH1