"A while back, I got a little bit obsessed with the late guitarist Richard Martin, whose playing on Oliver Lake's 1st album I've always really liked, but about whom I otherwise knew zilch. I pulled together everything I could google about him in this comment at DO. Anyway, it seems to me that from the little I've heard, he's a musician who should be better remembered. Do you know happen to know anything more about him?"I didn't know him personally, but I did see Martin play a number of times. The first was probably in 1974 or so, at the Moose Lounge (a North Side corner bar that featured live jazz) as part of a band that also included Kenny Gooch on drums, John Mixon (father of Darrell Mixon) on bass, Willie Akins on saxophones and Rich Tokatz on percussion.
After that, I also saw him play at the Upstream Lounge (a yesteryear St. Louis club that occupied two different spaces downtown on Pine St.) and, in the early 1980s, a couple of short-lived places on Laclede's Landing, the names of which I've forgotten. One of those times, he was playing with organist Terry Williams; another time, he was doing a blues gig with the late Johnnie Johnson on piano, Gus Thornton on bass, probably Kenny Rice on drums and one or more singers I can't recall.
Regarding equipment, I remember early on seeing him playing a black Les Paul through a Fender Twin reverb - a very "rock and roll" setup - through I'm pretty sure that later I also saw him play a more conventional jazz guitar, like an ES 335 or something similar.
Martin seemingly could play just about any style, from bebop to blues to Wes Montgomery-type octaves to scratchy R&B rhythm, and even some screaming rock stuff, and his abilities were held in high regard by other local guitarists and musicians in general. For some reason, I also remember him as a sharp dresser, at least in the beginning of his career - the first time I saw him play, he had on a black leather jacket and turtleneck that gave him kind of a Richard-Roundtree-as-Shaft look.
I don't know any specifics about the cause or manner of his death, but I do remember that it was considered a significant loss in the St. Louis music community.
Dennis Owsley's book City of Gabriels mentions Martin a few times and includes a photo of him on page 180 (which I couldn't scan successfully) as well as this one-graf bio:
St. Louisan Richard Martin (1948 - 1984) was a guitarist of uncommon talent. He began taking lessons at age nine, apparently becoming obsessed with the instrument. By sixteen, he was a guitar instructor in the Ludwig Musc Store. Martin worked in a variety of contexts with such musicians as Buddy Rich, Gene Ammons, Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff and others. He played on two BAG recordings in 1970. In 1977, he recorded with Freddie Washington, the Kennedy Brothers and Nat Adderly in a concert at SIU-Edwardsville. He and drummer Kenny Rice worked around St. Louis for several years. In 1983, he toured 32 countries and performed before Queen Elizabeth II in London. Martin was better known in Europe than in the United States.Now, perhaps some of StLJN's readers will contribute some of their memories of Richard Martin via the comments. There must be a least a few other "old heads" out there who remember this fine musician, and if you're one of them, please share some of what you recall with the rest of us. The floor is open....
12 comments:
Much appreciated. I've wondered about him for a long time.
BTW, here's an album cover with a picture of Martin.
I was 14 or 15 years old when my father, Richard Martin died @ 36. I remember it well. He died of cirrosis of the liver and he was ill for quite some time.
Now I am older than my father was when he died (I have an older sister and a younger brother); I also have a 15 year old son now who is equally obsessed with the guitar as my father was.
I am Richard's first wife. He and I married in St. Louis on March 8, 1968 when I was 17 and he was 20. We left for Colorado Springs, CO that same day where Richard was working with a rock band (can't remember the name, now).
Richard and I had two daughters together, one of whom (tmartin) posted a comment on this website. Richard was the most dedicated to his craft musician I have ever known. He literally used to practice scales all day long. I used to have to call him in for meals, and many times the meals would go hours cold.
He loved music and has passed down his talen legacy to his daughter Dawn Martin (a singer/songwriter) and to his 16 year old grandson who also has a passion for the guitar. Richard used to own two Gibson guitars.
To add some details about Richard Martin: I first saw him playing with the Kenny Gooch quintet in July 1975 at Mr. Conner's Jazz House on Natural Bridge, just to the west of Fairgrounds Park. The quintet then had John Mixon, Freddy Washington, David Hines, and Richard. He was awesome to my ears from that day - great time, soloing, and comping. (This was before the KG Quintet had either Ray Kennedy or Johnny O'Neal on piano.)
Several months later, Richard was playing in a lounge act with matching suits w/ Terry Williams somewhere near the airport; the music matched the suits - bland. Richard also played at Bernice's Oasis on Natural Bridge; this was a place about ten feet wide and fifty feet deep. It was an organ group and in that day no one could seem to avoid playing "Mr. Magic", requested too often.
In 1976-1977, Richard Martin would often play Sunday matinees with Terry Williams, Willie Akins, Ben Jones, Ben Thigpen and a male singer (who had a style similar to Lou Rawls) at Regal Sports on Olive Street, a few blocks east of Grand. This place could get really hot!
Richard also played at place called the Fountainebleu in East St. Louis with Terry Williams and a singer named Jeniece Staton (wow!).
In the summer of 1980, he played with Kenny Rice, Johnnie Johnson, and Gus Thornton at Pupillo's on Laclede's Landing; Chuck Berry once came in but ran out after too many people recognized him; there were Sunday jam sessions there where people like Philip Wilson (drummer for the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, among other bands) would drop in.
By 1983, Groove Holmes had started coming through St. Louis, and I remember Groove telling me that there were several times that Richard had done some gigs with him.
I think that it was sometime not long after this that Richard passed away; there was an obit in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch a few days later.
Two more things. I remember in one early conversation Richard telling me that he had spent some time living in San Francisco at Bill Kreutzman's place (one of the Grateful Dead drummers) and sometime around 1980 he had been flown in to NYC to work in the Saturday Night Live Band because the regular guitar player couldn't make it. I think the latter was through Dave Sanborn, someone who often played with the SNL band.
I'm wondering if you can see/hear Richard in any of these SNL appearances?
Tetsuo
hi,
growing up my mother moved to st. louis for a short time and worked the gas light square district. she would take me to all the hot music clubs and show me the world of music in a different light, it was that time i got to see richard martin and most of the top players in st. louis. even though i was young we became friends. he is surely missed.
donna austin
A small amount of more info on the should-be-legendary Richard Martin:
45 released on STL based Taurus Records featuring Percy James of Quartette Tres Bien on congas and Gene Anderson Singers on voices (I assume the "Poo-Poo Man" Gene Anderson?) and credited to Richard Martian guitar. I can only assume this is Richard Martin, and is a super-singin', heavy soul-jazz 45 "Dawn Part I & II." Drums are fat and swing capably, congas are up-front and punchy, Richard Martin dances all over the place...pretty great!
Richard was also on an extremely rare free-jazz LP recorded at the Black Artists' Group House in East St. Louis the day that Jimi Hendrix died. It features your usual suspects of Charles "Bobo" Shaw, Oliver Lake, Lester Bowie's younger brother Joseph on Trombone, etc. This has been reissued on LP here: http://eremite.com/album/mte-52 which has more notes on the recording. It's furious and formative, all sounds of universe exploding and being birthed, a must hear for fans of free and spiritual jazz. I've never heard that Kenny Rice/Richard Martin/Nat Adderley LP but sure would love to...Richard Martin, file next to Eddie Fisher and Oliver Sain as St. Louis genius musicians that for whatever reason never got their due in a national way...
I met Richard in the late seventies or early eighties. We were recreational leaders at wohl center with the St. Louis Department of recreation. I was one who had an interest in jazz, And this led to some conversations with Richard.
I asked about west Montgomery and I saw that we both had good feelings and admiration of West. If I am not mistaking Richard stated he graduated from Amherst University and that he had over 700 songs in his repertoire.
One thing that I noticed about Richard was that he always seemed sad. He had a melancholy expression on his face. I assumed that he was reflecting the feeling of many great artist: intellectual poverty. I read about his death in the St. Louis Post dispatch
I was shocked to read of his death at 34 years of age. Th obituary has a wealth of information about his life.
This is an old thread, but if anyone is still listening: I was fortunate enough to have worked with Richard in Joseph Bowie's Defunkt (NYC based) in 1981 and 1982. I was fairly new to the game of touring, and I remember Richard as a mentor and friend. Other musicians I knew from St. Louis all held Richard in high esteem. He was an amazing guitarist, could burn straight ahead jazz, blues, r&b, funk, Bossa nova, and would even play a touch of flamenco during our set.
A legend in the truest sense, we still talk about him.
John Mulkerin
John Mulkerin, thanks for adding your comments. I recognize your name from, among other places, the credits on Defunkt's early albums, which I enjoyed and still have on the original vinyl.
This thread still gets some views, and, as you can see, has accrued a number of interesting comments over the years, as I guess there's just not that much out there on the net about Richard Martin.
I was 16 years old when my mother took me to a club in North St. Louis in order to see Richard play. He was nothing short of brilliant!!! Thanks to my mom and that experience, I have had a love affair with jazz that still burns in me today. Thanks Richard. Peace and Love...Chris Nawrocki. This is Richard playing with Defunkt in Berlin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pecwNbB0zvs
Hola. Me gustó mucho saber de Richar Martin. Hay varias fotos de su concierto de 1977, con Nat Adderley en http://www.autumnhillrecords.com/#!kenny-rice-quartet
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