Biography
Born in Detroit in 1938, Derek Martin followed the path of numerous early R&B and soul vocalists by beginning in gospel. At seventeen he secured his first significant engagement, performing as a vocalist with Duke Ellington. In the early 1950s he entered the Pearls alongside Howard Guyton and pianist Dave Clowney, the same musician who reached success in 1959 with the novelty hit "The Happy Organ" under the name Dave "Baby" Cortez. The ensemble issued its debut single in 1954 as the Five Pearls and later recorded as Howie & the Sapphires, releasing a single on OKeh Records in 1959. The group subsequently adopted the name the Top Notes and appeared on Tuba, Sue, and Roulette, in addition to delivering the Stax single "Soul Power"/"Sly Girl." In 1961 the Top Notes originated "Twist & Shout" as the B-side of "Always Late" for Atlantic Records; their arrangement supplied the blueprint, albeit intensified, for the Isley Brothers' later hit recording. Martin began his solo career in 1963 with a successful cover of Otis Blackwell's "Daddy Rolling Stone" on Crackerjack Records and narrowly missed the Top 20 on both the pop and R&B charts with "You Better Go." He has lived in France for several years, where he is celebrated as a master soul singer and known as "the Golden Voice." EMI assembled his Roulette material on the 2007 collection Take Me Like I Am: The Roulette Recordings.
Singles
