Brad Martin and John Ramey (Martin Ramey) are presently in the studio recording their first cd for Curb Records. Being guided by the musical production talents of veteran producers Doug Johnson, Richard Bennett, and Bobby Terry; Martin Ramey is a fresh country sound delivered with tight harmonies, mixing hints of traditional Nashville and Bakersfield country, with an occasional alternative edge. Most of all their sound is uniquely it’s own, and they drive it home with a crowd pleasing, electric performance. The duo’s first radio single is due for release in the early part of 2009.
Brad first whet his appetite for traditional country at a young age, listening to his father plunk out tunes on his guitar in the tiny four-stoplight town of Greenfield, OH (also the hometown of Johnny Paycheck.) Country music became a back bone influence on him growing up with the rich traditional sounds of Haggard, Jones, Twitty and Cash.
Attending and performing in many of his Dad’s shows at jamboree’s, fairs and festivals around southeast Ohio, northern Kentucky, and West Virginia, Brad soaked up all he could absorb about the life of music. As he hit his teenage years country music still had a tight grip on him but other musical influences from other genre’s came to charm his musical hunger. Brad continued singing and performing on stage through the rest of his high school and college days learning guitar and honing in on his craft of music. Coming from a very musical family it was no question that music was a definite fate for the young talent and after graduation from college with a telecommunication/broadcast engineering degree, Brad made his beeline to Nashville and began performing nightly on the Nashville music scene.
Brad’s vocal and writing talents quickly led to a staff writing contract with Mike Curb music and a recording contract with Sony/Epic records where he recorded his first album “On The Wings of a Honky Tonk Angel.†Pinning 8 of the 10 songs that album led Brad to his first top hit, “Before I Knew Betterâ€. Brad has been honored to have a few outside songs recorded by other fellow country acts, from the group Heartland to other independent acts throughout Texas and led to an ongoing friendship and writing partnership with H.E.G. singer/songwriter John Ramey...
John Ramey grew up in Cape Girardeau, MO and was also exposed to music by his father, John H. Ramey. John Sr. began teaching 10 year old John to play guitar to the timeless songs of American singer/songwriter Bob Dylan. By age 12 John had gravitated to the outlaw sounds of Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash, as well as the early musical recordings of Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis.
John’s singing career began while playing in his grandfather, Homer Gilbert’s dance band. One night he laid down his trumpet, picked up a guitar, and sang Lukenbach Texas. He was instantly hooked. He played in numerous other bands around the southeast Missouri area through high school and was also a member of the school jazz band and choir... His athletic interests awarded him with All- conference, All-District and All-State honors as well as a college football scholarship to Southeast Missouri State university where he played quarterback.
During college, John took a summer job as the lead singer of a 50’s rockabilly show at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky Ohio, followed by a move to Nashville in 1991. He has had many of the songs he’s written recorded by country music artists such as Tracy Byrd, Andy Griggs, Neal McCoy, the Marshall Tucker Band, Joe Nichols, Doug Supernaw, and Rick Trevino, as well as the 1998 Ty Herndon, BMI award winning hit, “A Man Holdin’ On to a Woman Lettin’ Goâ€. Most importantly John began a writing relationship and close friendship with Brad that led to 4 songs on Brad’s debut album.
In January 2007, Brad approached John about the idea of doing a duo project together. They quickly found their musical direction by mixing styles of their early musical influences and began writing a large catalogue of unique songs that has already defined the Martin Ramey sound. With the support of H.E.G. Senior Vice President and executive assistant to CEO, Nobu Yamamoto and Director of publishing for Curb Records Drew Alexander, Martin Ramey went into the studio and recorded for the first time. The vocal blend was simply magic, and in April of 2007 Brad and John sang for Curb records President of A & R Doug Johnson and were soon signed to the label and in the studio recording for their first album.
Martin Ramey is a well defined music experience that appeals to all ages and listeners of many diverse musical styles. They are a veteran team that have already left their individual fingerprints on the music business and now are on their way to making a much larger impact together.
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