Tab Martin
Tab Martin | |
|---|---|
.png) Martin in 1968 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Alan Raymond Brearley |
| Born | 24 December 1944 Newcastle upon Tyne, England |
| Genres | Jazz, pop |
| Occupation | Bassist |
| Years active | 1963–1979 |
Tab Martin (born Alan Raymond Brearley; 24 December 1944) is an English bass guitarist. He has been a member of well-known English bands from the 1960s. He was a member of the Tornados and played on their hit "Globetrotter". He was also a member of the Peddlers and played on their hits "Birth" and "Girlie". He also founded 1960s group the Saints.
Martin was known for his technique of playing his bass in an upright fashion.[1][2][3] In 1967, Martin was no. 9 in the Bass Guitarist section of the Beat Instrumental Gold Star Awards.[4]
Early life
Martin was born Alan Raymond Brearley in Newcastle on 24 December 1944.[2] He spent his early years in Brighouse, West Yorkshire.[2]
Career
In 1963 Martin was told by his father that he had answered an ad for Joe Meek who was looking for bassists for his group The Tornados; Martin was unaware his father had booked him an audition and his father was unawre that Martin played guitar, not bass.[2]
Martin became a member of the Tornados when he replaced Chris Hodges. He left the group a month after they released the single "Globetrotter" and was replaced by former Pirates member Brian Gregg. He went on to form his own band, the Saints who acted as the first backing band for singer Heinz who had also previously been in the Tornados.[5][6]
In April 1964, along with Roy Phillips and Trevor Morais, Martin formed the Peddlers.[7] The Peddlers had a minor hit with "Let the Sunshine", followed by a top twenty hit with "Birth" and followed by another hit, "Girlie".[8] The group's album Birthday which was released on Epic also charted.[9][8] Martin continued with the Peddlers, with New Zealand drummer Paul Johnston replacing Morais in 1972. He stayed with the group until their breakup in the mid-1970s. After that, he became a session musician.[7][8]
Martin produced a single for the Otis Waygood Band. The single "Get It Started" b/w "Red Hot Passion" was released on Decca in 1977.[10] He also produced "Making Up Again" which was a hit single for UK group Goldie.[11][12] In 1978, he and Dominic De Sousa were working for MAM Records.[13] They worked together, producing the "Disco Hell" single for Dafne and the Tenderspots which was released the following year.[14]
Personal life
In an interview with Radio New Zealand in May 2020, Roy Phillips said Martin was living in Lisbon, Portugal and battling Alzheimer's disease.[15]
Further reading
- Thunderbolt, Issue 55 – Mark Newson covered Tab Martin's career in the Tornados[16]
References
- ^ Dangerous Minds, 05.07.2012 - Meet The Peddlers: Manchester’s legendary jazz/rock group
- ^ a b c d Thepeddlers.co.uk - Roy, Tab & Trevor
- ^ Beat Instrumental, February, 1968 - Peddlars Tab Martin Started as a C&W Musician By Mike Clifford
- ^ Beat Instrumental, Feb. 1968 - Page 20 BEAT INSTRUMENTAL'S 1967 GOLD STAR AWARDS, DRUMMER
- ^ Every Chart Topper Tells a Story: The Sixties, By Sharon Davis - October/November 1962, THE TORNADOS, Telstar
- ^ "The Saints pop in for Heinz tribute". Daily Echo. 29 June 2004. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ a b Nostalgia Central - Music - 1960s Peddlers, The
- ^ a b c Making Time - The Peddlers
- ^ Billboard, March 14, 1970 - Page 47 Album Reviews Continued, SPECIAL MERIT PICKS, POP
- ^ The South African Rock Encyclopedia - Otis Waygood Band
- ^ The Omnibus Book of British and American Hit Singles, 1960-1990, Dave McAleer - p. 75, GOLDIE
- ^ Collins Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004, Graham Betts - p. 369, GOLDIE
- ^ Record World, August 26, 1978 - Page 68 ENGLAND By PHILIP PALMER, CHART COMEBACK BID:
- ^ 45Cat - Dafne And The Tenderspots - Discography, UK
- ^ "Roy Phillips still going strong 50 years after 'Girlie'". Rnz.co.nz. 24 May 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
- ^ The Joe Meek Society - Thunderbolt Magazine
