Moon Martin

Moon Martin
Birth nameJohn David Martin
Born(1945-10-31)October 31, 1945
Altus, Oklahoma, United States
DiedMay 11, 2020(2020-05-11) (aged 74)
Encino, Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • vocals
Years active1960s–2020
Formerly of
  • The Disciples
  • Southwind
WebsiteOfficial website (Archived)

John David "Moon" Martin (October 31, 1945 – May 11, 2020)[1] was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Early years

Born in Altus, Oklahoma, United States, he was originally a rockabilly artist as a member of the Oklahoma-based band The Disciples, who moved to Los Angeles and adopted the name Southwind in 1967. At this time, their style shifted towards country rock.[2] Southwind released three studio albums before disbanding in 1971. [3] They enjoyed moderate success, with two of their singles charting nationally: "Ready to Ride" (No. 127 in 1969) and "Boogie Woogie Country Girl" (No. 105 in 1970).[4]

Peak of success

Martin gained recognition in the 1970s as a pop artist and composer. He wrote the songs "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)", made famous by the English singer Robert Palmer, and "Cadillac Walk", made famous by the American singer Willy DeVille.[5]

Martin scored five minor hits of his own with "Rolene" (No. 30 US, No. 77 Australia[6]), "No Chance" (No. 50 US), both in 1979, "Signal for Help" (No. 60 Australia) in 1981, "X-ray Vision", (No. 99) and "Aces With You" (No. 95) both in Australia in 1982. His 1982 song, "X-Ray Vision" was an MTV hit music video.[6]

Personal life and death

He allegedly was given the nickname "Moon" because many of his songs had the word moon in the lyrics.[5]

Martin died on May 11, 2020, of natural causes in Encino, California, at the age of 74.[1][7][8]

On October 31, 2022, Midnight Moon,[9] a posthumous album, was released, only available on several music streaming services.

Discography

Studio albums

Title Details Peak chart positions
US[10] CAN AUS[6]
Shots from a Cold Nightmare — — —
Escape from Domination
  • Released: 1979
  • Label: Capitol Records
 80 67[11] —
Street Fever
  • Released: 1980
  • Label: Capitol Records
 138 — 63
Mystery Ticket
  • Released: 1982
  • Label: Capitol Records
 205[4] — —
Mixed Emotions
  • Released: 1985
  • Label: Capitol France
 — — —
Dreams on File
  • Released: 1992
  • Label: Fnac France
 — — —
Cement Monkey
  • Released: 1993
  • Label: CORE
 — — —
Lunar Samples
  • Released: 1995
  • Label: CORE
 — — —
Louisiana Juke-Box
  • Released: 1999
  • Label: Sonodisc France-Eagle UK
 — — —
Midnight Moon (posthumous)
  • Released: 2022
  • Label: Joanne Gough
 — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Live album

  • Bad News Live (1993, Fnac France)

Compilation albums

  • The Very Best Of (1999, EMI Sweden, 1978-1982)
  • Shots from a Cold Nightmare + Escape from Domination (1995, EMI Special Markets, Demon Records)
  • Street Fever + Mystery Ticket (1995, EMI Special Markets, Edsel Records)

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Album
US
[12] 		US AC
[12] 		US
Dance
[12] 		AUS
1978 "Victim of Romance" — — — — Shots from a Cold Nightmare
"Bad Case of Lovin' You" — — — —
"Hot Nite in Dallas" — — — —
1979 "Rolene" 30 — — 77 Escape from Domination
"No Chance" 50 36 — —
"Dreamer" — — — —
"I've Got a Reason" — — — —
"Bootleg Woman" — — — —
1980 "Bad News" — — — — Street Fever
"Signal for Help" — — — 60
"Pushed Around" — — — —
"Love Gone Bad" 105[4] — — —
"Five Days of Fever" — — — —
1982 "X-Ray Vision" — — 67 99 Mystery Ticket
"Firing Line" — — — —
"Aces with You" — — — 95
1985 "Love Sniper" — — — — Mixed Emotions
1992 "Rock N' Roll Radio" — — — — Dreams On File
1993 "Never Could Say Goodbye" — — — — Cement Monkey
1995 "Enemy" — — — — Lunar Samples
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

References

  1. ^ a b "John "Moon" Martin 1945 - 2020". Los Angeles Times. May 24, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  2. ^ "Moon Martin Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More..." AllMusic. Retrieved Oct 31, 2024.
  3. ^ "Southwind". Discogs.com. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (1998). Bubbling Under - Singles and Albums - 1998 Edition. Record Research Inc. ISBN 9780898201284.
  5. ^ a b Prato, Greg "Moon Martin Biography", AllMusic. Retrieved November 23, 2013
  6. ^ a b c Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 193. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  7. ^ "Moon Martin Dies: Musician Wrote 'Bad Case of Loving You'". Bestclassicbands.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  8. ^ "Bad News, le chanteur Moon Martin est mort". Lefigaro.fr. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  9. ^ "Latest News Moon Martin's long-awaited album 'Midnight Moon' is coming out on his birthday, October 31st". Businessfortnight.com. 2022-10-25. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  10. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2018). Top Pop Albums 1955-2016. Prometheus Global Media. ISBN 978-0-89820-226-7.
  11. ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums - November 3, 1979" (PDF). Collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  12. ^ a b c "Moon Martin - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 4, 2015.