Eddie Martin

"Whether he is playing as a one-man-band, in a trio or big band, Eddie Martin excels..a master of electric and acoustic guitar, he plays the harmonica equally well.and is a blues singer of some considerable power.and has recently been highly commended for his songwriing talents in the International Songwriting Competition" - Blues in Britain July 2005

"Eddie Martin has been steadily building a reputation as one of Britain's most respected blues musicians in recent years, proficient on guitar, harmonica and vocals. Backed by the American drummer Michael Wedrich and the female bass player Marion Dolton, he has just released Ice Cream (Blueblood), a sassy combination of in-your-face blues, house-rocking slide and Buddy Guy-like pyrotechnics. With standout tracks such as Blues Took Me By The Hand, Elmore's Stomp and the below-the-belt title track it could be the album that launches him into the mainstream." - The Times

"**** Excellent. If you're going to sing the blues for a career, then living on the A30 instead of Highway 49 is bound to have certain disadvantages, but that aside, Bristol's Eddie Martin has always managed to carry it off better than most. With not a glimmer of SRV in sight, Eddie relies on his beloved Cherry Red 335 to conjure up some pure blues tones ranging from straight down home to anarchic flash. Sparse and just plain menacing at times, the ghosts of Albert Collins and Freddie King haunt the playing of a British bluesman who sounds like he means it" - Guitarist

"Top British Blues Band, the Eddie Martin Band is now firmly established on the international blues scene. Live shows from both the solo, band and big band, have won rave reviews from the world press.

Their recent appearance at the Palladium club in Bideford was scintillating and quite sensational. The club was packed with people climbing on chairs to get a better view.

With nominations for the Best UK Blues Guitarist, Best UK Band, Best UK Bassist and Best UK Blues Drummer over the last three years, it is hardly surprising that they are rated as one of the top blues outfits coming out of Britain at the moment.

Martin's songs and musicianship reveal a serious schooling in American blues, electric and acoustic, urban and rural.

His rack-harmonica playing recalls masters of country and electrified harp - Little Walter, Slim Harpo and Sonny Boy Williamson. On slide and electric guitar, his playing resonates with the Texan and Chicagoan influences of Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker and Freddie King. While paying dues to tradition, the act is almost entirely of self-penned numbers, ranging from foot-stomping house rockers to midnight-hour slow-burn blues. With a return booking in August it would be inadvisable to miss out on seeing such a class act." - North Devon Press

Bishopstock Festival 1999 review

"By popular consensus, highlights of the festival were Buddy Guy, Otis Grand and the Eddie Martin one-man-blues-band" - Blues and Rhythm

"easily one of the top 10 roots albums of the year"Time Out

"10/10. Keep on Working has Martin paying homage to past and present bluesmen such as Barbecue Bob, Dr Ross, Robert Johnson and Paul Rishell. This is no covers album though, 11 of the 15 tracks being originals. Martin conjures up the sound and feel of traditional blues from his vast repertoire of blues styles, ably abetted by some unfussy and unobtrusive production and his National Steel Guitar, Old Goldie, leaving a raw edge and authenticity that will be the envy of many who have done their acoustic thing (a certain Mr Clapton for one). If it wasn't for the fact that covers were so well known - songs such as "It Hurts Me Too" and "Bundle Up and Go" -then it would be hard to pick them out. The likes of Keb Mo and Eric Bibb have shown that there is market and audience for top quality original acoustic blues, buy this CD and see why Eddie Martin should be receiving much wider recognition for his work". Blues in Britain. - Time Out + Blues In Britain

"one of the United Kingdom's most dynamic performers he is a live act not to be missed" Blues Revue Summer 1999

"Fort Worth Blues Fest
Next up was the Eddie Martin Band from London England. They are a trio with a HUGE sound. In fact I've never heard a really good current guitar player who also blows good harp while simultaneously playing lead/rhythm guitar. Most wind up sounding like Bob Dylan. Now I like Bob Dylan, mind you, but he ain't much of a harp player, let alone a blues harp player..Eddie is though. When Eddie got going you'd have thought there was four or five peices up there as he doubled his harp and guitar, working very closely with his drummer. Near the end of the set Eddie did one of the funkiets versions of Freddie King's classic "Hideaweay" that I've ever heard. I suspect that Freddie would have loved it, a nice job from a man who I hope will be heard from a lot more in the Blues world" South West Blues"

"In the past four years the Eddie Martin Band has won just about every blues award a band can win in the UK and off their performance at Jasons it is easy to see why. Performing a straight ahead, close to the bone style of blues that would make any old master proud, the Eddie Martin Band are the real deal. Simply put, these guys tore it up with outstanding renditions of "Answerphone Blues" (B.B. would have loved it), "Don't Do It" killer harp/way cool beat), "I Want To Live With You" (Eddie gives a lesson in slide/heart of the blues/crowd fave)"Big Enough LEver (Swing Daddy Swing). Look, Eddie Martin has got it all; the voice, the chops and tons of class! And his bandmates are right there with him, one of the finest blues performances of the year. This was not your whitewashed, rock r and b blues that American fans have become so accustomed to these days. This was "the blues" the way it was meant to be, right from the heart and soul. Eddie MArtin is a one-of-a-kind original. Eddie Martin is a blues master!" Two River Times, New Jersey - Blues Revue, South West Blues, Two River Times New Jersey Times

"When Eddie Martin's guitar slides into the second song on Fires and Floods, he demonstrates that the song's title "play the Blues With Feeling" - applies to him. refreshingly rough around the edges, this album uses swinging layers of horns, harmonicas and keyboards to showcase Martin's guitar-playing, songwriting, and gruff singing, all of which are competent and true to blues tradition" May/June 1999.

Gloucester Blues Festival Review
"Later I headed to the Chicago Rock Cafe where the charismatic Eddie Martin was kicking up a storm. This was the first Gloucester gig for his Big Band but it won't be the last. They were sweet, they were abrasive, they were low down and dirty, they were steaming, they were tight, they hung loose. Dynamic red hot stuff - the scorch marks are still visible!" Blueprint - Living Blues USA, Blueprint UK

Eddie Martin's ninth release sees Bristol's finest on top form with a collection of songs drawing on influences as wide ranging as '60s Blues-rock and traditional Pakistani drumming. In Martin's own words, "I wanted the album to be a reflection of where I am now without squeezing myself into a genre, and it has come out as a mixture of classic rock, country rock, raga rock and Blues grooves and I'm very content with the results." And that sums it up pretty well, the diverse styles blending together seamlessly as a wrapper for songs that range from good-time rock through to Martin's observations about life's victims, fatherhood, greed and the dangers of sexual infatuation. This is not the same old formula; this is the continuing evolution of a Bluesman who embraces the sounds that inspire him. Standout track is 'Watching The Weather', which combines bhangra beats, heavy echo on the harmonica, and sitar like guitar tunings, and yet is unmistakably rooted in the Blues. Other highlights are a big riffing re-make of 'Something About You Baby (I Like)', originally on the acoustic debut "Solo In Soho"; 'Ingolstadt', a national steel driven tale of tour bus unreliability that should grace a road trip film soundtrack; and 'Better The Devil You Know', which hits a cool and hypnotic North Mississippi groove. And the rest of the album rocks. Not clichéd Blues-rock played at 100mph, but catchy, mature, lyrically clever rock songs that remain Bluesy, would not be out of place on a 'grown up' radio station, and which with luck could well see Martin breakthrough to a wider audience. Like Martin himself, old and new fans should be more than content with this fantastic new CD.

Chris Kerslake - Blues Matters

Eddie Martin's nine album career has seen him transform from a good local musician to one of the most respected blues performers in Europe. He's always written strong songs and is also highly adept at adapting blues musical themes to fit those songs - in fact, this is the sort of album that will be loved by American rock radio stations. It is the slashing guitar sound, particularly the slide work, which marks out this album from his earlier work. Definitely an album to please his regular fans, it should also draw attention from a host of new listeners. - The Venue