Freddy Martin

Stars

Bandleader | Musician Born Dec. 9, 1906 in Cleveland, Ohio

Bandleader Freddy Martin was one of the big-band era greats for whom the era never ended.

Born Frederick Alfred Martin in Cleveland, he was raised largely in an orphanage and with various relatives.

Martin started out playing drums, then switched to C-melody saxophone and later tenor saxophone, the latter the one with which he would be identified. He had hoped that he would earn enough money from his musical work to enter Ohio State University, but instead, he wound up becoming an accomplished musician.

He fronted bands at top hotels, on radio, in movies and occasionally on TV over five decades. The Martin band sound was known to generations of dancers, and he was credited with introducing legions of them to serious music through popular renditions of the classics.

Over the years, Martin worked with Russ Morgan, Claude Thornhill, Buddy Clarke and Merv Griffin.

— Dorothy Townsend in the Los Angeles Times Oct. 2, 1983