Eddie Martin

Winner Best Solo Artist European Blues Awards 2018

Born in London, Eddie Martin took up the guitar and rack-harmonica in his early teens. He wrote his first songs aged 12 and gigged solo and in his own bands from the age of 17, turning professional after being nominated for Best British Blues Guitarist, Band and Album between 1996 and 1998. As interested in Folk Blues and Singer-Songwriting as with the Electric Guitar and Harmonica Blues from his teens, he has spent over 30 years developing these skills and interests. He has built an international following with constant globe-trotting as a solo artist and band leader and as a prolific recording artist. As well as his own 16 cd and dvd releases on his own label Blueblood Records, he has also recorded and performed with many greats from both sides of the Atlantic, including John Mayall, Peter Green, Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal, and Honeyboy Edwards.

He first toured the USA to some acclaim in 1999 playing festivals and clubs with his band and had one-man band residencies in the Jook Joints of Memphis and Clarksdale, Mississippi. Living in Texas he was befriended by the Fort Worth/Dallas Blues community, recruiting ex-Joe Kubek's rhythm section "the Texas Blues Kings" with whom he toured and recorded for 2 years. As well as being recognised as a leading acoustic and electric blues guitarist he has been a Guest of the World Harmonica Festival in Germany where he performed solo, held a harmonica Masterclass and judged the World Blues Harmonica Competition with Dave Barrett and Joe Filisko.

He continues to record live and studio sessions for National Radio programmes (BBC Radio 2 in the UK), including 2 sessions for the Paul Jones programme (one at the famous BBC Maida Vale Studios). His songs have found their way to the song stable of Alligator Records whose Owner, Bruce Iglauer, describes Martin as “a Class Act”.

His live performances have always attracted accolades, for example. "The stuff of legend" said Guitarist Magazine,"a live act not to be missed" said Blues Revue USA.

His acoustic style has developed into a percussive blend of traditional blues slide and fingerpicking styles with flamenco rasguerdo techniques. These he combines with rack harmonica playing and foot percussion in the style of the one-man-blues bands such as Duster Bennett, Joe Hill Louis and Dr Ross and is considered “the leading one man band in the UK” by the European Blues Association.

His guitar-playing alone has seen his recorded work commended by the Guitar Press around Europe, receiving "excellent" tags from "Guitar" "Guitarist" in the UK and "Guitar and Bass" in Germany.

Most strikingly innovative is the simultaneous rack harmonica and guitar style that he has developed and which caused the International Harmonica Federation to single him out as one of the innovators on the instrument at the World Harmonica Festival in Germany in 2006. He has been repeatedly nominated Best Blues Harmonica Player and Best Blues Guitarist in the British Blues Awards since 1996.

A master songwriter, acoustic and electric guitarist, harmonica player and powerful singer, Eddie Martin has been described as "the most remarkable blues man of his generation" by Blues in Britain.

Always pushing creative boundaries, during 2014 he collaborated with master musicians from around the world on a new multi-genre project with gospel singers. The resultant sell-out debut show in Tuscany in September produced "Live in Tuscany", his 2015 release which has been described as "one of the Best Blues Albums of the Decade" by Roots Around The World.