Kevin Martin | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | April 9, 1969 |
Origin | Elgin, Illinois, U.S. |
Genres | Alternative rock, post-grunge, grunge, alternative metal |
Occupation | Singer |
Years active | 1985–present |
Kevin Martin (born April 9, 1969) [1] is an American singer who is best known as lead vocalist of the rock band Candlebox. He also provided lead vocals for the bands The Gracious Few and The Hiwatts.
Martin was born in Elgin, Illinois. His father worked for a salt company and the family moved to San Antonio, Texas when he was 10. They subsequently moved to Mercer Island, Washington near Seattle when Martin was 15. [2] [3] He and drummer Scott Mercado set out to start a band in 1990. Candlebox was formed in 1991 after guitarist Peter Klett and bassist Bardi Martin joined them. They gained a Billboard 200 top 10 hit in 1993 with their self-titled debut album, released by Maverick Records. The album's success was largely due to the single "Far Behind", a song written about two of Martin's friends who suffered heroin overdoses, including Andrew Wood of Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone. [4] The single reached number 18 on the US Hot 100 and was a top 10 hit in both the US Modern Rock and US Mainstream Rock charts.
Candlebox released two more albums in the 1990s, but following several line-up changes and diminishing commercial success, the group broke up in an apparent attempt to be released from the Maverick label. Maverick considered Martin the sole remaining member of Candlebox and demanded a fourth studio album before finally terminating his contract in 2000. As a result, he would no longer receive album sale royalties while the other band members would. As of April 2011 Kevin has started receiving his royalties for all 3 Candlebox records. [5]
Following Candlebox's demise, Martin became lead vocalist for the band The Hiwatts. The group recorded the album The Possibility of Being in 2002 and began touring in early 2003. In late 2005, Martin was asked to rejoin Candlebox to promote their The Best of Candlebox compilation. The band subsequently signed with the Silent Majority Group label and began working on a new album. In 2007, Martin recorded vocals with label mates Tantric for the song "The One" from their album, The End Begins . The new Candlebox album, Into the Sun , was released in 2008 and was promoted by an extensive tour.
In 2009, Martin was invited by three former members of the band Live to form The Gracious Few, a supergroup which also includes Sean Hennesy, a member of the Hiwatts who had also joined the re-formed Candlebox as rhythm guitarist for their live shows. The Gracious Few released their self-titled debut album in September 2010 and toured the US and Europe into 2011 to promote it.
In 2014, Martin formed a side project with Sevendust drummer Morgan Rose called Le Projet. [6]
Candlebox is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington. Since its formation in 1990, the group has released eight studio albums, several charting singles, a compilation, and a CD+DVD.
Green Apple Quick Step, often abbreviated as GAQS, is an American rock band from Seattle. Their sound was described as hard-edged, post-grunge rock. The band began as Inspector Luv and the Ride Me Babys in Tacoma, Washington before becoming Green Apple Quick Step, in Seattle, by 1992. The initial lineup under the new name consisted of lead vocalist Tyler Willman, guitarists Daniel Kempthorne and Steve Ross, singer-bassist Mari Ann Braeden, and drummer Bob 'Mink' Martin.
Sevendust is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1994 by bassist Vince Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and guitarist John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and guitarist Clint Lowery joined the group. Following a few name changes, the members settled on the name Sevendust and released their self-titled debut album on April 15, 1997, which sold only 310 copies in its first week but ultimately achieved gold certification through touring and support from their label, TVT Records.
Chad Alan Gracey is the former drummer for the bands Live and The Gracious Few. Live have sold over 20 million records, including the 8× platinum album Throwing Copper.
David Karl Krusen is an American musician. Krusen is best known as the first drummer for the American rock band Pearl Jam and for his work on the band's debut album, Ten. Krusen was also a member of the bands Hovercraft and Unified Theory. He was also the drummer for Candlebox from 1997 to 1999 and from 2015 to 2017.
Tantric is an American rock band from Louisville, Kentucky. The group was founded in 1998 by Todd Whitener, Jesse Vest and Mat Taul after they left Days of the New, and joined forces with vocalist Hugo Ferreira. Ferreira is the only remaining member of the band from the original lineup.
Morgan Jay Rose is an American drummer and a founding member of Atlanta-based rock band Sevendust. He is also responsible for much of the background vocals. He has also played drums for Call Me No One and Methods of Mayhem. Rose is vice president of Imagen Records.
Memento is an Australian hard rock band based out of the United States. Formed in 2001, the band disbanded in 2004 after the release of their debut album. After a two-year absence, the band re-emerged in 2006 under the name Nine Times Bodyweight, which itself disbanded after a year and without any further releases.
Happy Pills is the third studio album by Seattle rock band, Candlebox. It features former Pearl Jam drummer Dave Krusen who replaced Scott Mercado in 1997. Happy Pills did not gain the success of its predecessors and would be the last Candlebox album before their hiatus in 2000. It would also be the final Candlebox album recorded for Maverick.
Hugo Fernando da Silva Ferreira is an Angolan-born American singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known for being the lead singer and songwriter for the American rock band Tantric.
The Kings Royal (TKR) is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in early 2007. The band is made up of Benny Marchant on vocals and guitar, Sean Hennesy on lead guitar, Walker Gibson on keyboards, Adam Kury on bass and Dave Krusen on drums.
Maverick was an American entertainment company founded in 1992 by Warner Music Group and run by recording artist Madonna, as well as Frederick DeMann and Veronica "Ronnie" Dashev. It included a record label, a film production company, book publishing, music publishing, an adjacent Latin/Spanish language record label, and a television production company.
Into the Sun is the fourth studio album by Seattle post-grunge band Candlebox. Released in 2008, it is their first album since 1998's Happy Pills and would mark both the band's studio return after a seven-year hiatus as well as their first album with Silent Majority Group.
Digital Summer was an American alternative metal band from Phoenix, Arizona, formed in 2006. The band has released three studio albums, Cause and Effect (2007) Counting the Hours (2010) and Breaking Point (2012). Additionally, in 2013, the band released After Hours: Unplugged & Rewired, which contained acoustic reinterpretations of songs from their first three albums. The band has had six singles break into major radio airplay, including multiple charting singles on Active Rock radio, as a completely independent artist.
The Gracious Few were an American rock group from York, Pennsylvania. The band featured guitarist Chad Taylor, bassist Patrick Dahlheimer and drummer Chad Gracey from the band Live, along with lead vocalist Kevin Martin, and guitarist Sean Hennesy from the band Candlebox.
Eye Empire was an American rock band formed in 2009, consisting of Corey Lowery and B.C. Kochmit, Donald Carpenter, Garrett Whitlock and Dixie Duncan. Will Hunt joined the band in 2010 before departing in 2011, replaced by Ryan Bennett.
Sean Robert Hennesy is a guitarist for the bands Candlebox, Royal Bliss, and The Gracious Few. He has previously played for the bands The Hiwatts and The Kings Royal.
The Infinite Staircase is an American hard rock band from Staten Island, New York. Since its formation in 2002 by brothers Lenny and Jeff Cerzosie, the group has released one album, and a seven-song EP. The EP charted in the Top 30 on America's Rock Radio Music Charts with their single "The Pride".
Le Projet is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California; Atlanta, Georgia; and Staten Island, New York. The band features lead vocalist Kevin Martin, guitarist Brian Quinn & bassist Adam Kury from the band Candlebox, guitarist Lenny Cerzosie from the band The Infinite Staircase, and drummer Morgan Rose from the band Sevendust.
Lenny Cerzosie Jr. is currently the American lead singer in the hard rock band The Infinite Staircase from Staten Island, New York and guitarist for the Hard Rock Band Le Projet also featuring lead vocalist Kevin Martin and bassist Adam Kury from the band Candlebox and drummer Morgan Rose from the band Sevendust. He's also the lead singer and guitarist in The Mayan Factor since 2015.