Bob Martin September 13, 2008

With a music career spanning forty years, Bob Martin is an acclaimed songwriter and captivating live performer. Born in Lowell, MA, he drew inspiration from hometown idol Jack Kerouac at an early age. Writing poetry that eventually turned to song, Martin became a regular on the east coast folk circuit in 1969. He was "discovered" at Gerdes Folk City in NYC - a club made famous by Bob Dylans early gigs. In 1972 Bob Martin worked closely with Chet Atkins to record his first album Midwest Farm Disaster for RCA in Nashville. A newly mastered cd reissue of Midwest Farm Disaster was released on Riversong Records in fall 2007. In 1974, he dropped out of the mainstream and moved to a mountain home in WV. He continued to write music and pursued his muse through various artistic endeavors. In 1982, he recorded his second album, Last Chance Rider for June Appal Records. The record was recognized as one of the top three folk albums in the country by the National Association of Independent Record Distributors. He released his third album in 1997, The River Turns the Wheel on his own label Riversong Records. This is Bob Martins most commercially successful album to date; and music critics around the country took notice. The album reached number sixteen on the Gavin Americana chart and was chosen one of the top ten albums in 1997 by Brad Kava of The San Jose Mercury News. Dave Perry of The Lowell Sun chose it as the best folk album of 1997 and Tom Flannery of The Electric City News also picked it as the best release of that year. He toured nationally and opened for Merle Haggard in 1999. Next To Nothin was released in 2000 to more rave critical reviews and extensive airplay on folk, country and Americana radio programs around the country. Bob Martin is scheduled to release a new album of original material in 2008. PRESS "I was first struck by the power of Bob Martins songwriting on Midwest Farm Disaster in the 1970s. His lyrics are powerful, direct and moving. This is a writer that has style, economy of lyric and the ability to tell a good story. Si Kahn singled him out as one of the best songwriters in the country." Dick Pleasants WUMB-FM Boston (November 2007) "Martins voice at times echoes John Prine and Bob Dylan. It is Martins rich appreciation of tradition though that makes River Turns The Wheel come alive with a lyrical landscape of stories... one of the finest practitioners in the fine art of traditional folk music." J.C Juanis RELIX Magazine (Sep 1, 1998) "Bob Martin is rocks answer to Emily Dickinson. This album (River Turns The Wheel) mixes the authenticity of Woody Guthrie with the intensity of Bob Dylans Basement Tapes." Brad Kava - San Jose Mercury News (Nov 30, 1997)

Event submitted by Eventful.com on behalf of MochaMayas.