Horace Martin

Martin was an underrated singer who released a large number of recordings but received little recognition. He began his recording career in 1980 with Robert Palmer’s Negus Roots, releasing ‘Zuggy Zuggy’ and ‘Sweet Something’, while with the fiercely unconstrained Big Ben label he released ‘Africa Is Calling’, ‘We Are All One’, ‘Beautiful Dream’ and ‘Jah Jah Children’. Throughout the 80s he maintained a high profile as a singles artist, although he was unable to achieve crossover success. In 1985 his fortunes changed when he recorded ‘War’, produced by veteran DJ Jah Thomas over the legendary Stalag rhythm. The song led to sessions with Prince Huntley, whose print shop Modernize Printery led to the formation of his Modernize Music and Greedy Puppy labels. Huntley had recorded ‘Pressure In A Babylon’ but found greater success as a producer. Martin recorded a succession of hits for Huntley, including ‘Na Fry No Fat’, ‘Sonia’ and ‘Mi Rule’. The popularity of Patrick Andy’s ‘Sting Me A Sting’ led Martin to respond with ‘Shock Me A Shock’. In 1987 he recorded for Harold McLarty the hit ‘Type Of Loving’, which featured the fledgling DJ skills of Tiger, supported by the Riddim Kings Band. The release gave Martin the wider exposure he deserved, although this was overshadowed by the unprecedented demand for the newly acclaimed DJ. Martin followed his hit with the less successful ‘Can’t Get Used To Losing You’, which heralded a return to anonymity.