BIOGRAPHY

'I was born to music and I have been true to this purpose above all others, all of my life...and my influences are life, love and loss'.

The Maestro aged three - Continuity!

Andy Martin spent most of his formative years in Melbourne, Australia, but he is now a European based writer/producer/performer.

From his debut performance of `Waltzing Matilda´ - at 7 years of age! – to the present day.

Anglo/Australian Andy Martin comes from a musical background. His Great grandfather was a musician in a circus band, his grandfather Albert was a jazz drummer, his father Peter played guitar in a skiffle group, his mother Deanne was a trained singer, his Uncle Peter was & still is!... the bass player in a well known Melbourne pop band called `The Bellairs´ - cousin Michelle was a vocalist in a Melbourne based pop covers band called `Whisperin' Jack´ - Aunt Pamela was a vocalist & made it to 2nd place in the Australian version of talent show `New Faces´ & cousin Christopher is a music teacher & conductor in Ottawa, Canada.

Currently residing in Europe, Andy Martin is a writer/producer/performer with a huge catalog (more than 300 songs!) of original Rock/Pop & MOR/AOR material. He has performed in venues such as Sun City in Southern Africa & was the resident musician/entertainer at Stringfellows Nightclub, Covent Garden, London in 1994-95. Other prestige UK venues where Andy has appeared include Blazers Club in Windsor (3 times) & at the invitation of Dai Llewellyn to perform at his London club `The Embassy´ in Knightsbridge.

AWARDS: He has won several awards for his songwriting.

These include a SARIE nomination for his No.15 single PERFECT SIGNS b/w BLUE GUITAR (MINC/EMI 1985) & 1st place in the Australian annual World Pater Awards (1992) sponsored by Radio Australia, Mushroom Records & The Victorian Rock Foundation based in Melbourne. In the UK, Andy was the outright winner of the 2CR Radio `Starsearch´ contest - the finals being held at the Bournemouth Winter Gardens in front of a capacity audience. He had no hesitation in performing one of his own songs 'GO NOW' & this performance secured him 1st place, recording sessions & a trip to Nashville, USA.

In 1985 he wrote the radio jingle for Canadian Pacific Airways & in 1994 scored 2 album cuts in Australia on the Sony/Columbia & Mushroom/Festival labels. One of these compositions, `HEART DON´T BREAK´, was chosen & produced in Sydney by Garth Porter, ex-keyboard player of the 70's hit group `Sherbet´ (who scored an international No.1 record with their song 'Howzat'.) Andy originally wrote the song for Roy Orbison but it was recorded by New Zealand country rock artist, TC Cassidy. Another track, `STAY´ was recorded by the nationally known Australian media personality, Denis Walter.
Visit: http://www.deniswalter.com.au/

Andy acknowledges the need for a major recording contract in his desire to reach out to a global audience, with his product available to all. This web site is of course a major step forward in achieving this. At this time, the website has a page 1 Google and Yahoo rating!

His music appeals to a very wide sector of the public & his wealth of experience in the industry guarantees his ability to be a long term force, either as a highly coverable writer or performer in his own right.

Essentially he is very much a `live´ performer & is currently appearing in Germany & The Netherlands. Andy has also worked for 3 cruise lines - TT Lines (Australia), P&O (UK) & SAFLEISURE (Cape Town). He has also entertained in numerous 5 star international hotels which include The Cape Sun in Cape Town, The Johannesburger, The Cascades Hotel (Sun City) & in Australia, The Melbourne Hilton. In The Canary Islands, 5 star hotels include The Tenerife Princess, Hotel Jacaranda, The Bougainville Playa, The Las Vegas & on the island of Gomera - the 400 room Hotel Tecina owned by Norwegian company Fred Olsen.

On the cabaret & show circuit, Andy has appeared with Smokey Robinson, Peter Sarstedt, ex manager Emile Ford, The Marmalade, Joe Longthorne, The Rockin' Berries, Hot Chocolate, Lenny Henry, The Real Thing & even The Bay City Rollers! Andy bought his first stage suit from Mike Sheridan of `The Nightriders´ fame! These names may not be so contemporary now - but they have all been big stars & to have worked with names such as these does prove that Andy has earned the priveledge, having also learned his stage-craft as a performer.

Andy has been featured on radio in Australia, The UK & Spain & has of course also appeared on television. He was a regular guest on `In Melbourne Today´ & also appeared on GMTV Channel 10 in Sydney when he was officially presented with his World Pater Award for his winning song `SAVE THE WORLD´, reflecting public concern on environmental issues. (A very famous recipient of a World Pater Award is Sir. Bob Geldof!)

During 1985, Andy was chosen to entertain a US delegation from The White House on a goodwill/investment visit to South Africa. This was led by Senator Steve Symms of Idaho, in the company of President P.W. Botha of South Africa and other dignitaries. In the same year, Cosmopolitan Magazine chose him as the sole entertainer for their annual `Crystal Ball´ which was held at Rand Airport in Johannesburg & attended by billionaire Sol Kerzner.

During 1997, Andy re-located to the Canary Islands where he quickly established himself as one of the most sought after entertainers. He was offered more cruise work with Royal Carribbean-Celebrity Cruise lines, but decided to re-locate to Germany in September 2004 to concentrate on the completion of his debut CD, entitled 'INTERVALS' This was completed in Germany after a further six months & released in mid-February 2005 via Cdbaby & Tower Records in the USA.

Andy has followed the trend of today's independent writer/producers & formed his own record label `Virtual Masters´ in 1996. He is self-published via `Control´/PRS/MCPS but has worked with various publishers on assignment & these include EMI/SONY/IMAGE & MUSHROOM.

Ever mindful of the vital role major labels continue to play in the new music business of today, Andy would be pleased to consider any offers regarding recording, production & general distribution of his product. Currently, his music is distributed worldwide by 50 digital download companies, including Apple iTunes & MSN music.

Andy believes: “A hit record is not an accident, it is a planned event” & that this process begins fundamentally with the creation of `the song´. He is very capable of producing other artists, solo acts or bands. It is not for nothing that Andy is known as `The Maestro´, `The Commander´ or `The Lion´. With such a history as this, certainly these are titles that have been earned through years of study and thousands of hours of live performance. Listen to the music here & find out why Andy has been bestowed such titles!

Hoping that you will be interested to explore the potential that his talent offers, Andy thanks you for visiting his website. Please visit again soon for further updates/mp3's/lyrics/CD´s & more good news! Don't forget to laugh with Andy at Canadian icon, Ed The Sock - see this & others at the `Links´ page. Andy´s online and regularly updated press kit can be viewed at: www.sonicbids.com/andymartin

Thank you for your visit & please sign the guestbook!

Ed Hastings - Webmaster