CARRIE MARTIN
Carrie grew up to the sound of Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers, Brenda Lee and Gilbert O’Sullivan to name but a few. Her mum was always singing around the house and her dad, also a guitar vocalist, would practice his set on a Saturday afternoon. Early memories see her jigging around him, singing harmonies, probably more a hindrance than a help.
Carrie's first guitar was actually bought for her older brother Steve, who despite their dad’s best efforts to get him playing preferred playing ‘air guitar’ along with the ‘Rubettes’. It was her mum who eventually pointed out to my dad that he was teaching the wrong child. Having established this I flourished with a guitar in hand and my dad became, and probably always will be, my biggest fan.
After absorbing everything her dad could teach her, Carrie joined the school guitar club learning to finger pick such classics as ‘Annie’s Song’ and ‘Streets Of London’. Not long after that she began to song write, usually love songs - quite a common subject for a girl of that age. She played her songs live on Radio Humberside and recorded her first cassette, as it was then, at just 13 years old.
She left school at 16, becoming a trainee hairdresser but still played at local clubs. At 21 the guitar went in the attic and Carrie fronted a rock band. Belting out ‘Def Leppard’, ‘Bon Jovi’, ’Heart’ and ‘Vixen’, in all, Carrie fronted three rock bands ‘Foreign Affair’ ‘Ecstasy’ and ‘The Promise’.
Still having a passion for music after having some time out to marry and raise a family, Carrie performed a couple of one off gigs for charity with local 80′s band Passion Spent, raising money for the special care baby unit that cared for her boys and for Motor Neurone Disease which tragically claimed the life of a close friend. She spent time in the studio recording tracks with ex band mate Paul Pexton but the guitar stayed in the attic.
It was only a chance meeting with her ex English teacher ‘Garry Burnett’ that Carrie returned to her solo acoustic roots. She bumper into Garry - an amazing instrumental guitarist - at an open mic session and remembering that Carrie played, he asked her to do a song or two. She hadn’t played for 20 years! "Once you've played a guitar it’s always in you", so Carrie booked lessons with her son's guitar tutor ‘John Shepherd’, a fabulous guitarist, and it soon came back to her. "It was like finding an old friend." ... She has been delighting audiences with her playing ever since!