Martha Veléz

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Martha Carmen Josephine Hernández Rosario de Veléz (born August 25, 1945 in New York City ) is an American singer and actress with Puerto Rican roots. She has also performed under the names Martha Veléz or Martha Velez-Johnson .

Life

Veléz started singing at the age of five. When she was twelve years old she got a scholarship to study opera . Three years later she moved to the High School of Performing Arts in New York City. Your pitch is the mezzo-soprano . She also received her Masters in clinical psychology from Antioch University and her PhD in cultural mythology and depth psychology from the Pacifica Graduate Institute near Santa Barbara, California .

Veléz started her musical career as a singer in the folk group The Gaslight Singers . In 1969 she released her first solo album Fiends and Angels on Sire Records , which was created in collaboration with Eric Clapton and Al Anderson . In May 1975, Veléz worked in Jamaica with Bob Marley to record his song Stir It Up . Her own producer had asked Marley to make this arrangement. Marley loved her voice and recorded Veléz's next album Escape From Babylon with his producer Lee “Scratch” Perry . The album features two Marley cover versions ( Bend Down Low , Get Up, Stand Up ) as well as a joint composition by Marley and Veléz ( Disco Night ).

Veléz released yet another album, American Heartbeat , before moving into the film industry and having supporting roles and guest appearances in a number of films and television series. In 1997 she starred in 187 - A Fatal Number alongside Samuel L. Jackson .

Veléz is married to the trumpeter Keith Johnson . Their son, Taj Johnson , can be seen regularly as Frank Lemmer on the series Parker Lewis - The Cool One from School . Her brother is drummer Gerardo Velez, who has worked with stars like Jimi Hendrix and Van Morrison .

Discography (selection)

Album, LP or CD

  • 1969: Fiends & Angels, London Records.
  • 1970: Fiends & Angels Again, Blue Horizon.
  • 1972: Hypnotized, Polydor.
  • 1973: Matinee Weepers, Sire.
  • 1976: Escape from Babylon, Sire.
  • 1977: American Heartbeat, Sire.
  • 1989: Angels of the Future / Past, Sire. (Compilation)

Single, EP

  • 1969; Tell Mama, London Records.
  • 1970: For Loving You / Good Bad Woman, Sire.
  • 1976: Disco Night, Sire.
  • 1976: Aggravation, Sire.
  • 1976: Money Man, Sire.
  • 1990: Wild Night In Paradise, Mca Records.

Filmography (selection)

  • 1984: aka Pablo
  • 1985: MacGruder & Loud - No Time for Honeymoon ( MacGruder and Loud , episode Sanctuary )
  • 1986: Big fairy tales with big stars ( Faerie Tale Theater , episode Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp )
  • 1986: Shattered If Your Kid's on Drugs
  • 1989: Falcon Crest (TV series, 2 episodes)
  • 1989: LA Law - Star Lawyers, Tricks, Litigation ( LA Law , episode Placenta Claus Is Coming to Town )
  • 1990: NAM service in Vietnam ( Tour of Duty , Follow Payback )
  • 1990: Breathless Summer (Side Out)
  • 1992: Live from Death Row (Live! From Death Row)
  • 1992: Nails - A cop sees red ( Nails , TV movie)
  • 1993: The Kidnapper (Father Hood)
  • 1995: Safe
  • 1997: Star Maps
  • 1997: 187 - One Eight Seven

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d biography on blaxploitationjive.blogspot.de, accessed on September 13, 2012
  2. ^ Filmography on imdb.com, accessed September 13, 2012
personal data
SURNAME Veléz, Martha
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Veléz, Martha Carmen Josephine Hernández Rosario de; Velez-Johnson, Martha
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American singer and actress
DATE OF BIRTH August 25, 1945
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City , New York , United States