From ice cream to rockstar: The soul rocker Eric Martin

By the age of 18, this man had already decided on living independently. He left home and took his first job. Selling ice cream.
Most know Eric Martin as the lead singer of American rock supergroup Mr. Big. But only a few know that Martin was already a seasoned music veteran in the noisy-loud-colourful ‘80s before joining the outfit in 1988. In fact, the star had already tasted success, even touring with 80s legends like Journey, Billy Squier, and Night Ranger. Waddya you think, huh?
Born on October 10, 1960, in Long Island, NY, Martin was a roadhog–he moved often during his childhood due to his father’s career as a military officer.
When the family settled in San Francisco in 1976, Martin formed a band called 415 with some high school friends. The band became a popular local draw, eventually opening for acts like Billy Squier, Molly Hatchet, and the Marshall Tucker Band, while still an unsigned act. Signed to Elektra Records, 415 changed its name to Eric Martin Band and issued the debut Sucker for a Pretty Face in 1983.
Despite continuing to land high-profile gigs as support for some of the most popular acts at the time, such as Night Ranger and Journey, the album received a fairly tepid reception and the band split up in 1985. Martin contributed the track “I Can’t Stop the Fire” to the movie soundtrack Teachers and released a self-titled solo album in 1985, which spawned a minor pop hit with “Information.”
In 1988, Martin teamed up with some of the most notable rock names in the scene that time: Billy Sheehan (Steve Vai, David Lee Roth), Pat Torpey (Robert Plant, John Parr, Belinda Carlisle, Richie Kotzen) and Paul Gilbert (Racer X) to form Los Angeles supergroup Mr. Big.
The reputations of the individual players themselves generated immediate interest in fellow musicians. In 1989, the band was signed to Atlantic Records. That year, the band released their eponymous debut, which received critical and commercial success in the US and Japan. In June 1990, the group toured America with the Canadian band Rush.
The group’s 1991 release, Lean into It, featured two ballads that established them as a commercial success: “To Be with You” (number one song in 15 countries) and “Just Take My Heart”. The album was followed by a British tour in April and May of the same year, supported by bands The Throbs and Heartland.
After another British tour, the band released the Mr. Big Live album in 1992. Mr. Big continued work on a third album as they headlined shows across the U.K. in 1993. In December, the band notably broke away from this run to play as support act for Aerosmith’s three-night, sold-out stand at London’s Wembley Arena.
In 1993, another ballad from Mr. Big’s new album Bump Ahead rose to the top 10 of the charts – a cover of Cat Steven’s “Wild World”.
While in Mr. Big, Martin was also involved in other projects on the side. In 1995, Martin was the vocalist in The Power Rangers Orchestra, which also featured Guns ‘N’ Roses member Matt Sorum. Their version of “Go Go Power Rangers” was featured in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie.
In 1997, the band released the album Live At Budokan before taking a break from recording and touring.
Martin’s third solo album, Somewhere in the Middle, was written during the two-year hiatus from Mr. Big. The CD was completed in 1998 and released in Japan, Southeast Asia, and Europe. Strong Japanese sales prompted a 1998 tour.
While recording their fifth studio album, Paul Gilbert announced his decision to leave the band, and new guitarist, Richie Kotzen was added to the lineup. In 1997, Eric also recorded the song “I Love the Way You Love Me” for the television soundtrack series Mad About You under Atlantic Records, and was also released as a solo track.
The new line-up of Mr. Big released Get Over It on September 1999 in Japan. Get Over It yielded “Superfantastic”, a number one hit in Japan that went multi-platinum. It proved to be Atlantic’s biggest selling release in that territory. Mr. Big put in a 20-date tour of Japan followed by a rousing New Year’s Eve 1999 show with Aerosmith at the Osaka Dome in Osaka. Get Over It was released in the U.S. on March 21, 2000, followed by a short club stint at The Roxy Theater in West Hollywood.
Currently, the singer travels from band tours to solo projects. He is around to stay.