Cargo Records

• FOCUS ON: Eric Martin

• Official Website >>
• Label: Frontiers Records >>
• Genre: Melodic Rock

As well as being an AOR master in his own right, he was also the vocalist for multi-platinum selling AORockers Mr. Big

Before the adulation and acclaim, way back when Eric was just a young boy, his pop, Frederick "Pepper" Martin, an accomplished musician and drummer, taught Eric how to play drums. Mom, Iris, was a real estate agent, which came in handy as the family traveled between Connecticut, Italy, Taiwan and Germany where Pepper was an Officer in the U.S. Army. They were hanging their hats on Long Island when Eric Lee Martin was born on October 10, 1960. Brother Danny and sisters Joanie and Laurie followed.

Eric began singing at such an early age, he cant remember exactly how young he was. When he was a bit older, he sang in military base kid-musicals. Eric grew up listening to favorites such as Otis Redding, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones. The family settled in the San Francisco Bay Area about 1976. There, Eric attended Foothill High School and met up with some of the guys who would join him in his first successful venture.

With too many high school bands to even remember, Eric first gained acclaim with the band 415. Eric says, "415 played hundreds of shows at area nightclubs, beer parties, even high school and college dances before eventually headlining San Franciscos premiere nightclub- the Old Waldorf. Selling out in advance, word quickly spread about our dynamic live shows and soon we were opening for established acts like Billy Squier, Hall & Oates, Rick Springfield, Molly Hatchet,
Marshall Tucker Band and Foreigner, to name a few. Eventually, without yet being signed to a recording contract, we played in front of 60,000 fans at the Oakland Stadium at Bill Grahams Day on the Green Concert." Quite a feat, but not surprising if you trace merch gradual rise from high school rock bands to the successful collaboration of Mr. Big.

415 was signed to Elektra/Asylum Records and "Sucker for a Pretty Face" was released after a name change to the Eric Martin Band (EMB). "Sucker" debuted in 1983 and led to an appearance on American Bandstand and arena tours with the likes of ZZ Top, Night Ranger and Journey. The EMB managed to get one bonafide rock album under their belts, but it was not to last. The band parted ways after returning from a 1984-85 ZZ Top tour.

After the breakup, Eric continued to belt out songs and in 1985 and 1987 released "Eric Martin" and "Im Only Fooling Myself," solo efforts, which are lathered with merch signature soulful voice and candid lyrics. You can find a compilation of these two albums on "Soul Sessions - The Capitol Years" CD.

In 1988-89, Eric would team with Billy Sheehan, Pat Torpey and Paul Gilbert to form Mr. Big. They would enjoy enormous success with the release of four studio albums, numerous hit singles and six top-selling live CDs. All combined, worldwide sales topped the seven million mark! The studio releases included 1991s "Lean Into It" which debuted "To Be With You" (a number one song in 12 countries) and launched the band into superstardom. After several years of continuous recording and touring, the band took a much-needed break. Upon regrouping to record a fifth studio album, Paul Gilbert announced his decision to leave the band and new guitarist, Richie Kotzen was added to the lineup. Eric and his Mr. Big band mates had a relaxed, enjoyable time while writing and recording. They released "Get Over It" in September 1999 in Japan. A short California club stint and a 20-date tour of Japan followed. Mr. Big also played a rousing New Years Eve 1999 show with Aerosmith at the Osaka Dome in Tokyo. "Get Over It" yielded "Superfantastic," a number one hit in Japan, and went multi-platinum there. Both the album and single were released in the U.S. on March 21, 2000.

Martin's second solo effort "Somewhere in the Middle," written during the 2-year hiatus from Mr. Big, kept Eric busy and the process proved therapeutic. The CD was completed in 1998 and released in Japan, Southeast Asia and Europe. Strong Japanese sales prompted a fall 1998 tour. Eric thought it would be fun to get some of the guys from his old band, 415, back together and re-experience some of the chemistry from those early days. A fresh EMB toured Japan and a newly energized Eric graced the stage at numerous hometown clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area. Amazingly dedicated fans flew in from Japan, Europe, and the East coast to watch Eric perform. In fact, playing close to home turned out to be a never-ending gig!! You can catch Eric playing throughout the year.

Forward to the summer of 2001 and Eric and the rest of the Mr. Big guys released "Actual Size" in Japan on August 5th and on August 12th throughout the rest of Asia.

The CD sat on the charts in the number three spot and "Shine" the first single off the album went to #1. The second single, "Arrow,"  written by Eric and Jack Blades (Night Ranger) reached the top 20. Unfortunately, Mr. Big decided to call it quits after the release of Actual Size and finished up with a 6-week farewell tour of Japan and Asia. Their last show at the Tokyo International Forum was recorded for a live CD and DVD, released in 2002. A limited edition Mr. Big box set, that includes all six-studio albums, came a few months later. A Rhino records, "Best of"  USA release is scheduled for late 2003.

In 2002, Eric also released his third solo album, "I'm Goin' Sane."  The album was a collection of pop and classic rock in the Mr.Big vein. Eric toured for a half a year in the clubs of the USA, Japan and England with a new band that consisted of local Bay Area talent; Mark Chole on bass, Denise Martin on drums, Mark Holley on guitar, Jon Axtel on guitar and Paul Dorr on keys.

In October 2003 Eric will release "Destroy All Monsters"  in Japan and will follow with a January 2004 European release.

With the demise of Mr. Big, Eric Martin isn't calling it quits. You can't keep a good man down.

THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE.