Janis Martin (singer, 1940)
Janis Martin (born March 27, 1940 in Sutherlin , Virginia ; † September 3, 2007 in Danville , Virginia) was an American rockabilly singer who was one of the few women in this male-dominated scene to be successful. She was best known for her strong stage presence.
Life
Childhood and youth
Janis Martin grew up in Sutherlin. Her mother was a professional singer with stage experience, and her father and uncle were local amateur musicians. Before Martin was five years old, she learned to play the guitar and sang in the children's choir. Through the radio, especially the Grand Ole Opry , she was influenced by Opry stars like Hank Williams and Eddy Arnold . As a teenager, Martin took part in talent competitions, which she often won. She also appeared in the WDVA Virginia Barn Dance and sang with stars like Ernest Tubb and the Carter Family .
Beginnings
When rock 'n' roll began its triumphant march in the early 1950s , Martin was immediately enthusiastic about it. At the age of 14 she wrote her first songs, which she later recorded. RCA Records boss Steve Sholes heard some of their demo tapes and invited them over; In 1956 Janis Martin signed her first record deal with RCA at the age of 15, two weeks after Elvis Presley moved to the same record company.
Career
Their first single, Drugstore Rock'n'Roll , was Martin's biggest hit, selling around 750,000 copies. The single was recorded on March 8, 1957 under the direction of Chet Atkins at RCA in Nashville , Tennessee . In addition to Atkins on guitar, other of the city's most sought-after session musicians played on the recording with Floyd Cramer on piano , Buddy Harman on drums , Bob Moore on bass and Grady Martin on rhythm guitar. Harman, Martin and Moore accompanied Martin on almost all of their recordings. In the following years Martin had further successes, among others with My Boy Elvis , Two Long Years and One More Year to Go (which was also recorded in the first session). She appeared in the Grand Ole Opry as well as in various television shows.
RCA marketed the young girl as "The Female Elvis" - but she had only met Presley twice and exchanged only a few words with him. Some of Martin's fans felt that RCA was using her to boost Presley's popularity, which added to her title, My Boy Elvis, as well as the fact that she worked with the same session musicians. However, her real idol was Carl Perkins , whose music she liked far more. In further recording sessions in 1957 and 1958, Hank Garland and The Jordanaires joined their accompanists. They can be heard on recordings such as Bang Bang or Please Be My Love .
In 1958 Martin, who had been secretly married since 1956, went on a tour of Europe, mainly to visit her husband who was stationed there. However, as they aged 17 years became pregnant, RCA terminated its contract in 1958. Two years later was again one last session in Owen Bradley Studio held at the Here Today and Gone Tomorrow , Hard Times Ahead , Cry Guitar and teenstreet recorded published by the Belgian- based label Palette Records.
From then on, while Presley was transferred to Germany as a soldier, Martin began to develop her own sound: she had founded her own live band, the Marteens, in 1957 and continued to work with them, and she also started her own record label Life. However, she had been in a conflict between her management and her promoter for a long time. The latter felt that Martin should switch to country music while her manager wanted her to keep recording rockabilly tracks.
Janis Martin continued trying to advance her career, but to no avail. Now married for the second time (and then divorced again) Martin turned down offers from Decca Records and King Records , and Palette Records only released two singles from her. Her second husband was touring with her at the time, but refused this life and made her retire from the music business. She later regretted this decision as the couple separated after 13 years. Since the 1970s Janis Martin appeared again in public.
Discography
Singles
| year | Title A | Title B | Record company | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Drugstore rock'n'roll | Will you, Willum | RCA Victor | ||
| 1956 | Ooby Dooby | One More Tear To Go | RCA Victor | ||
| 1956 | My boy Elvis | Little bit | RCA Victor | ||
| 1956 | Barefoot baby | Let's elop baby | RCA Victor | ||
| 1957 | Two Long Years | Love Me To Pieces | RCA Victor | ||
| 1957 | Love and Kisses | I'll never be free | RCA Victor | ||
| 1957 | All right baby | Billy Boy, My Billy Boy | RCA Victor | ||
| 1958 | Cracker Jack | Good love | RCA Victor | ||
| 1958 | Bang bang | Please be my love | RCA Victor | ||
| 1960 | Hard times ahead | Here Today and Gone Tomorrow | Palette Records | ||
| 1961 | Teen Street | Cry Guitar | Palette Records | ||
| Unpublished titles | |||||
|
Live recordings | ||||
| 1957-1958 |
|
RCA Victor (not published) | |||
Albums
- 1963: Janis and Elvis
- 1979: That Rockin 'Gal Sings "My Boy Elvis"
- 1979: That Rockin 'Gal Rocks On
- 1985: Elvis and Janis
- 1994: The Female Elvis - Complete Recordings 1955 - 1960 ( Bear Family work edition)
- 2001: Here I Am
- 2003: Love and Kisses
Web links
- Bio on Answers.com
- Entry into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
- Janis Martin on hillbilly-music.com
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Martin, Janis |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American rockabilly singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 27, 1940 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Sutherlin , Virginia |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 3, 2007 |
| Place of death | Danville , Virginia |