The Martin Family

The Martin Family Band is a family music group from Maryland which has been performing since 1995. Besides being invited to play in such diverse places as Ireland, New Mexico, Washington D.C. and Germany, they were recently awarded a showcase and scholarship for Traditional Music Group at the 2010 Folk Alliance in Memphis, Tennessee. Each member of the family has their own distinct talents and accomplishments, and as a group they present a lively and masterful blend of traditional folk music.

The family started playing at home for enjoyment when children Lydia, Emily and Claude were only 12, 10 and 7 years old. Parents Carl and Jeanean had always been involved with and interested in folk music, and it was only natural to include the children in music jams and events as the entire family began to take an interest in home-grown music. Carl Martin is a mandolin player with a unique sound and literally hundreds of tunes stored in his memory. Jeanean Martin plays both guitar and hammered dulcimer with a powerful sense of rhythm and a dramatic musical sensibility for the mood of each song. She is also an energetic and creative family musical leader, who over the years has been the driving force behind many of the musical arrangements and the coaching of her children as they grew into adult musicians. Both Carl and Jeanean Martin taught their children to play music by ear, phrase by phrase and also spent countless hours travelling to workshops, lessons and festivals so that the family could be exposed to the best players that the traditional music scene has to offer, both in the United States and in Ireland. In addition, Carl Martin comes from a musical family reaching back many generations in the rural communities of southwestern Virginia. Several of the family relatives from the Hillsville area were recorded in the 40's and 50's by noted folklorists such as Herbert Halpert and Alan Lomax. Many individuals in the older generations were never recorded in any official context, but their musical traditions and cultural practices were passed down to Carl Martin, from his grandparents, down to the younger generations of the Martin Family.

Fiddlin' Claude Martin is one of the most innovative and unique traditional fiddlers on the scene. His style is intuitive and rhythmic, with an unmistakable signature sound that sets him apart from other fiddlers. He has been awarded first place for fiddle at Speedy Tolliver's Fiddle Convention and at the Deer Creek Fiddler's Convention. The Martin Family Band has also been awarded First Place for Old Time Band at Deer Creek Fiddler's Convention.

Emily Martin plays mandolin, tenor banjo, and lap dulcimer. She won first place on tenor banjo at the Fleadh Ceoil competition for traditional Irish music in New York City, and travelled to Ireland to compete there in the Fleadh and to take workshops with masters of Irish music. Her mandolin playing is fast, bright and sensitive, totally played by ear and creatively using her own variations and interpretations of tunes and of chord backup. She plays lap dulcimer and guitar as well.

Lydia Martin is a banjo, piano and guitar player. She was awarded a scholarship to study piano and music theory for two years at the Levine School of Music in Washington, D.C. During this time she also studied Irish music and took workshops with legendary players such as Felix Dolan and Billy McComiskey. She was one of a group of young musicians from the D.C. area who was invited to perform at the White House in 1999 on St. Patrick's Day, to welcome the Irish ambassadors. Lydia Martin has spent the last eight years studying American old time music. By listening to field recordings and spending time with living old time music masters, she has developed a mature and personal approach to traditional old time banjo playing. She has been awarded first place at Deer Creek Fiddler's Convention and been invited to teach and perform on the banjo. Lydia is releasing a solo banjo album in 2014, "Chasing the Ghost" by Lydia Sylvia.

The Martin Family Band first started recording their music in order to share it with other people, especially those people at concerts who had many questions about this music and didn't know where to find it on CD. The album "Nanny's Music" was a compilation of tunes that the grandchildren of the family, as well as the adult friends and family members, would enjoy. This album is available at CD Baby and, although it was recorded many years ago, the family still finds themselves continually selling out of it and having to order more.

In 2010, the album "Ten Thousand Miles" was recorded by Lydia, Emily and Claude Martin as a representation of the three siblings playing music together. This album is on the Patuxent Records label and is available at www.pxrec.com It was produced by Tom Mindte of Patuxent Records and the wonderful musican and folklorist, Alan Jabbour. Alan Jabbour also wrote the introd